The Secretary Keeps Secrets

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Technology cannot delete secretaries because men will always need someone to organize their life at home and abroad (in the office).

How can you say that? This is year ‘22. We have women deputy directors, CEO’s, commissioners, finance ministers and even the British inherited position, called Permanent Secretary. True, but men still occupy top posts in business and politics.

By the way, they are called personal assistants now. Noted. We are using secretary deliberately to make a point, and the word’s origin in particular. A secretary is someone who keeps secrets.

They are women because the office is an extension of home. Boys born to the class related to the Queen of England have nannies, and they occupy a particular space in mini castles or homes that have been in the family for generations.

 In the broader society, boys are not raised to do things for themselves because mothers, sisters and finally wives cook, clean and arrange their lives e.g. take them to hockey and soccer games.

When boys become men, they get high jobs with secretaries to continue the family tradition of women working for them. Technology will not tamper with it, despite the fact that e-mail, digital calendars, filing, video conferencing, travel apps and internet banking make secretaries redundant.

They do not even make coffee for meetings because participants bring their own. Maybe I should back track. Secrets. The boss can do everything from his laptop and phone, but he has secrets. Who is the best person to keep them? The secretary.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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