Betsy Ballard remembered the day that she was anointed. She was only eight when she heard the beating wings of the Archangel Michael and felt his mighty finger on her shoulder. From that day on she knew that she was destined for greatness,.
As she matured, this sense of anointed privilege only increased, and although she never knew exactly what God had in mind for her, she knew that she must be ready for the next annunciation. She trained her already acute mind to be even more sharp, incisive, and penetrating. She developed her native instincts of fear, aggression, and self-protection; and she studied American history, politics, and culture to understand the social jungle in which she would prey.
By the time she was a young adult, she felt primed for conquest; and although still unsure exactly in what arena she would have her victories, she knew that her time would come.
Betsy was psychologically and emotionally ambidextrous. The male and female side of her brain and limbic system were equally developed. Her testosterone and progesterone perfectly balanced; her instincts for the jugular and for sharing and cooperation in equilibrium. She was like Miss Julie, the heroine of Strindberg’s play of the same name, but more in control of her sexual ambidexterity. Unlike Julie who had been brought up to be both man and woman and educated to survive and prosper in a patriarchal society, Betsy was born with the evolutionary advantage of gender bi-polarity.
Although she never parsed her genetic profile, nor ever questioned her ability to out-man most men, and out-connive most women, she knew that she was different; but rather than attribute her uniqueness to a divine hand of cards, she knew it had all to do with the Archangel Michael.
Betsy was not religious by any means; and did not feel that she owed God anything for his gift. After all, the Ten Commandments notwithstanding, since He was all-knowing and all-powerful, He had little use for humility or prayers of supplication or tribute. If anything, she felt that her unique abilities had to be used to their fullest; and if God smiled on her actions, so much the better.
The problem with native intelligence and gender ambidexterity is that the way forward is never crystal clear. She had been born in an enlightened age, one in which traditional female roles had been jettisoned in favor of joining the male mainstream, and so her very male traits of pack dominance and alpha-wolf intimidation were in vogue. Yet, the female parts of her brain longed for motherhood, nest-building, and security. Being ambidextrous, however, meant that the two sides of her personality were never in conflict; and that true success involved the marshaling and engagement of both.
And so it was that Betsy Ballard entered professional life. She chose International Development as her chosen field because it combined both female compassion (addressing the needs of the poor) and male bottom-line performance. She knew that she was destined for bigger and better things; but as a starter, this androgynous world suited her perfectly.
After a number of years paying her dues, gaming the system, and rising through the ranks thanks to her ‘unique blend of compassion and business sense’, she became a senior executive at one of Washington’s best-known companies. She quickly bonded with the young women who joined the firm ‘to make a difference’, and elbowed her way to the top of the CFO’s list of ‘high-performing managers’ thanks to her business acumen and take-no-prisoners approach to competition. Women loved her for her demonstrated commitment to mothers and children. Men admired her for her cutthroat ambition. She was at once Mother Teresa and Henry Morgan.
Henry Morgan, www.listverse.com
Betsy came into her own during a time when LGBT issues were at their foremost. Everything, it seemed, was parsed through the lens of gender . She was as amused by feminist disputations about gender neutrality as she was about traditionalist either-or doxology. She had learned ever since a child how to work both sides of the street, and was bemused by the continual debate over gender. Men were men and women were women, she knew; but those – like her – who could transcend gender and work the system for what is was worth were the Nietzschean Supermen.
Her tenure at Development International was heralded, not only because she helped grow the company from an obscure non-profit agency into a major player in transformational economics; but because she raised the issue of women and children to a uniquely high status in foreign policy. She had no particular interest in or commitment to the plight of Third World women and children; but understood the zeitgeist of international development. Women and children were the most vulnerable victims of autocratic, oppressive, venal regimes; and featuring them as the poster-children of totalitarian excess only made good political sense. Her campaign “Motherhood – The Vanguard of Liberty’ – raised the issue of women’s rights while filling the coffers of Development International. She had only to affix the signature of the CEO and President of the company to all competitive bids, and she was assured of generous awards.
What about her management style, carped her persistent critics? According to them she ran the equivalent of a Roman slave ship, forcing young women to row in the galleys of the trireme with no hope of escape.
Wrong, Betsy replied. Supply and demand. As long as there were young and idealistic women ready and willing to row, then she was ready to place them below decks and exact the most from them.
It didn’t take long for this charade to lose interest. Although she had made millions for the company, her salary had been capped because of limits on government contractors. It was time to move on.
She looked at feminine concern, compassion, and collaboration in the rearview mirror as she brought her masculine side front-and-center at Berkeley, Cohen, & Finch, Investment Bankers. They wanted her because she was extremely attractive in a seductive, uber-feminine way; and because they knew of her record and performance as an alpha-wolf in an androgynous industry. She could be placed front-and-center as a woman Senior Vice President; and sub rasa be the prime and chief executioner of all apostates and enemies of capitalism.
It was a dream job. She could dress to the nines at Board meetings, bat her long lashes, and display her décolleté at press conferences while plotting to emasculate and bury the competition. Her male and female sides were both employed to her advantage and to that of the company.
Betsy was not sexually bisexual or transgender, although because of her unique gender makeup, she was always questioned. Who was she? demanded feminists and conservatives alike. In fact, it was her unique combination of female sensuality and male sexual impatience that made her so desirable. In most men’s eyes she was the consummate woman – passionate, multi-orgasmic, and excitingly submissive, but always ready to take the lead or, if needs be, the upper hand.
“What’s the problem?”, she asked; and in fact there was none. Betsy Ballard was the consummate Übermensch. Issues of gender, sexual identity, or progressive ‘inclusive’ politics were of no interest whatsoever. Only the full and complete expression of individual will – no matter how configured – made any difference; and in fact was the only validation of living.
On a more practical and rather crude but honest level, Betsy said, “Fuck ‘em”; and in so doing set the record straight. “Female, shmemale”, she said. “Use what God gave you.”
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