COUNCIL
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So I climb on a bus to go back to where I ’ m lodging while visiting Cape Town , but I ’ m not sure how the system works because I see those little , red ‘ STOP ’ buttons everywhere and so I ask . This pleasant dreadlocked lady behind me kindly explains , but then adds “ you ’ ve ��������������������������������������������������������� statement amusing , but as I seek further , explaining as I try to understand the bus system , she keeps repeating it , “ This is not a taxi ”, and she smiles a pleasant smile that gets annoying with every repetition of the line . This bothers me and I sit the rest of the way trying to break down , in my head , why ? As I stand up to exit the bus , I turn around to say bye and thanks for the help and ���� ����� ��� ��� ����������� ��� ����� ���� ������� ���� then I click . I turn around and tell her that I ’ m not going ��������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������
Now this is such a regular occurrence , people always assuming things because of one ’ s circumstances . This ������������������������������������������������������������ from Soweto , so people are suspect about my command of the English language and my sophistication , for that matter . I don ’ t own a car , so people assume I ’ m in the lower income bracket of our society and therefore �������������������������������������������������������� people assume I automatically would have no idea about investing in the stock market or negotiating . I choose to be an open book with people and in all my business dealings , and people think I ’ m live bait !
Whatever happened to not judging a book by its cover ? I sometimes think you have to wear enough fake ������� ���� ����� ������� ��������� ����������� �������� and , of course , blow enough air kisses to make an impression in this lovely industry of ours . No integrity �����������������������������������������������������
needed , please , especially if you are a pretty female actress ! Then what is needed , you may ask ? Well , nowadays , with at least 1000 Twitter and Facebook ‘ friends ’, you might just make the cut and , of course , that age old trick that seems to sell just about anything . ������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������
I ’ m so tired of meeting hedonistic young performers who are only nice to you because they think you can make them famous . I ’ m so tired of being overlooked for a job because of my age , because someone thinks I can ’ t possibly engage with the subject matter intimately enough because I am too young to know anything about it . The library and Google are not something I can possibly have access to . I ’ m so tired of being second guessed as a female director , not only by the male DOP ’ s , but the female ones , and the female producers too . I ’ m so tired of the constant awareness that I sometimes have to play things up and be charming , just to get some attention from a relative game changer . I ’ m so tired of this nonsense , but that doesn ’ t mean it will go away . Therefore , as one of my mentors once �������������������������������������������������������� to learn to play the game .” And what a game it is .
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