Years ago I worked for a company that has primarily female employees. One really brilliant manager decided that for our annual health and safety meeting she would have the information presented by firefighters. I was sitting next to a sweet and lovely woman from Iran, who was my assistant and friend. Her two daughters also worked for the company, and were present for the meeting. When the firefighters came out she said, "Firemen? Why firemen?" I whispered back, "They aren't real firemen, the company probably hired them to dance for us." She almost flew out of her seat, to grab her two daughters and make a hasty exit. I told her I was kidding, and that she knew darn well our company was too cheap for that.
(But by the end of the night women were getting their pictures taken sitting on the firefighters' knees...heroes, you gotta love heroes).
