Cause Education

[dalekboy]

This post has been brewing for a couple of years. It's not about any one of the many causes worth fighting for, it's not about or aimed at any one person, it hasn't been spurred on by any one event.

Abuse and accusations are not how you win people over to your way of thinking. Keeping your allies on the back-foot because you think they should

Comments

[dalekboy]

The short term thinking of world leaders shits me to tears. Do these people not care about what a world we're leaving for future generations?

[mireille21]

Good rant. And not too far from a little rant I was having with a friend the other day, about how workplaces now seem to be *so* much about focussing on what people did poorly when it comes to the end of year appraisals and not acknowledgeing all the other frickin' brilliant stuff they've done. The 99-1 ratio. Who wants to go to work to be berated for the 1 thing they did poorly? And not the 99 things they did brilliantly?

[dalekboy]

Some workplaces, like a certain comic shop I used to work for, were always like that. People getting the job done right, rarely having that acknowledged but being told, "Now do it quicker."

Or like trying to tell the bosses again and again, that saying thank you to your staff for doing a good job was important, and getting the reply, "They get thanked every pay-day with a pay packet."

No, the pay packet is a legal and contractual obligation. Saying please and thank you to your staff is a social one.

Actually, the whole general kerfuffle that I'm reacting to smacks of, "See how easy it is?" syndrome. Someone is capable either through natural ability or years of experience, to do something quickly and accurately. And every time they are dealing with someone relatively new, or who has a different skill set, they keep harping at them and making the point that the task is incredibly easy, inferring that the person is either stupid, untalented, lazy, or all three.

[wolflullaby]

I used to get really upset when I was little, and my Dad or Sister used to try and teach me things. They would use the word "obvious". "Oh it's obvious that you do it like this."... "Oh well obviously this is the answer."

This left me feeling stupid because it wasn't obvious to me.

[dalekboy]

Yeah, we're all guilty of occasionally using language that will hurt someone else in some way, because different things hit different people. It doesn't matter that it's unintentional, it still hurts.

My family has a rough sense of humour, and one element of that is you tease the people you love. Over the years my dad made many, many harsh comments that were water off a duck's back to me. But one of the most silly and innocent, "You look like a bloody monkey when you whistle," said to me when I was about ten, cut me to the quick. I still have an internal flinch and am incredibly self-conscious every time I decide to whistle.

[arcadiagt5]

Bravo!

Although, um, I think you might be mistaken by classifying this as a rant.

Far too much logic, content, and good examples for it to be a rant. :)

[e_dan]

Good series of points, cheers - Dan

[fuschia17]

I am sorry, but I don't know much about this technomological stuff - I've accidentally posted an answer to aria flame twice, and I really wanted to say something in response to the cookies and tits comments

[jocko55]

I am always amazed people don't get the please and thank you thing. Sometimes I will go out of my to say good morning to people. I like it, perhaps i do it for me, as much as them.