Here’s some friendly advice. When you apply for a job, read the ad carefully. If the ad specifies that the applicant must be detail oriented, read it twice. Because if you don’t, you might miss such subtleties as “for application, e-mail xxxx@yyyyy.zzz.” What that means is, do not call me to ask how to apply. Do not drop by to ask for an application. Basically, do not make my life any more complicated than it already is. An applicant who calls me twice, then drops by, is not going to be very high on my list of People I Just Have to Hire. An applicant who calls me twice, then drops by and proceeds to preemptively flood me with the answer to every conceivable interview question, after being told “Thank you, I’ll be contacting people this afternoon to set up interviews,” is not going to be anywhere on my list of People I Just Have to Hire. I don’t care how qualified you are for the job, you aren’t getting it because you cannot listen and are incapable of following directions. Those are Very Important job skills and their lack makes you ineligible to work for me.
On the other hand (lest you think I’m the world’s meanest jerkface), I don’t care if you’re late for work–or how often you’re late–as long as you make up the time. I’m not going to ask you for a doctor’s note every time you call in sick. You’re welcome to arrange your schedule to suit yourself, and to rearrange it whenever the fancy strikes you. I don’t care how you dress. I don’t care if you listen to music while working, or what sort of music you listen to. As long as you do your work well, I really don’t care what else you do or don’t do. Just don’t make my life difficult.
My journal entry from whence yesterday’s blathering originated:
Speak Up
8 3/4 x 11 3/8 inches
I’d like to invite comments on the following scenario. Suppose Person A calls Person B a slur (choose your own, but in this case, the word cunt has repeatedly been lobbed about). Person B responds that Person A is a misogynist. Person C claims that Person A’s and Person B’s actions are equivalent–in other words, they both called each other names, so they’re even. What, if any, difference is there between Person A’s and Person B’s actions?
Addendum: Furthermore, does calling Person A a misogynist make Person B a cunt, even if she wasn’t before? And, does the sex (or race, if you substitute a racial slur) of Persons A, B, or C make a difference?
Thank you, audience, for playing along at home.
red paper boat 