As professionals, women walk into countless rooms full of men who think they know more. The foundation of this belief is often shaky, if not non-existent, but you will find these men trying to talk over and using terms they are not in the place to use. 

Something you’ll see Goa Power & Environment Minister, Nilesh Cabral, doing during his interview with Faye D’Souza. 

Nilesh was present for an online interview with Faye to discuss the controversial doubling of tracks which will connect power plants in Karnataka to the ports in Goa. 

This is a move that is expected to result in the loss of a great deal of forest cover and is being protested against by the locals.

Now, Mr. Cabral’s job was to explain the government’s stance and why people at the top think it is okay to destroy environment for a development project – but he got carried away, and at one point, addressed Faye as ‘my dear’. 

Not the one to accept these unsolicited and unprofessional tags, Faye sharply responded:

I think it’s nice that you feel comfortable enough to address me as ‘my dear’ but for the sake of professionalism, I would appreciate being called Faye or Ms. D’Souza, which is my name. 

You can watch the same in the video below (his comment comes at 24:12 and Faye’s response at 26:10).

Men, it’s not your right to call us ‘dear’. Thank you Faye, for clearing that out.