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Location: In a place with little freedom (aka USA)
712 posts, read 1,366,324 times
Reputation: 261
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KT13
Office is not often a place to discuss hot topics like politics, religion, family views, global warming, etc and introduce people to your hobbies that some may consider 'weird'. It's because people are worried that their views may alienate those they work with and especially have negative affect on their careers.
Not if you work in most places in Seattle. People will talk about ANYTHING at work and it is considered normal. Maybe its something in the coffee?
Sometimes you got to look beneath the surface, what people talk about in the office and during social functions involving co-workers and acquaintances is not indicative of their intelligence. I've worked in one too many offices full of white color six figure income workers with advanced degrees and these are some of the same things they tend to talk about when they socialize as well. The reason why people talk about these things because they are neutral, easy topics that would allow you to quickly relate to people you wouldn't know well enough to trust with more deep conversations.
I noticed that people start showing their true personalities and interests once you get to know them outside of work and become friends with them. It's interesting how much becomes unraveled once you truly start getting to know someone and compare that with their 'office personality'. Office is not often a place to discuss hot topics like politics, religion, family views, global warming, etc and introduce people to your hobbies that some may consider 'weird'. It's because people are worried that their views may alienate those they work with and especially have negative affect on their careers. Which does reinforce your point about the 'herd mentality' at least in the sense that there is a huge desire to conform and be like others when it comes to a place where you make your living. I'd have to agree you are pretty spot on there. I tend to think that this may be one of the reasons why many look for the outlets to talk about the things that really concern them on the internet among the anonymous strangers.
Ok, this is very true. On one of my earlier posts I said all my coworkers talked about children. Well, we went out for dinner & drinks a couple weeks ago, granted these weren't the people who talk about kids all the time, & we had a great time. Work can stifle you. I guess it just depends on the work environment. I work for the city, so it's not like it's this totally open, free-minded environment. I actually would welcome that because I'm the type of person who loves to talk about things that most people consider taboo or distasteful. Whatever, I think it lets you in on the inner workings of other people when you can worm your way in & get to know people.
Take a look at any blue collar worker. They used to read the paper, become an informed voter, know the issues. They may not have had a college education, but they were smarter than many of today's "educated" BS/BA graduates.
What do these blue collar folk do now? Well, if they're actually working, they're drinking and causing trouble.
I have to defend myself. I am a blue collar worker. I do not have degree. I do not drink and except for a traffic ticket or two I have never been in trouble. I have an IQ that would qualify me for MENSA. I have been married to the same wonderful woman for 38 years. I can look at anything mechanical and determine how it should work, why it isn't and then fix it. This has allowed me to earn enough in my lifetime to raise 2 children, pay for my 4 BR 4 BA home, both cars in my garage and set aside enough to retire at 62.
It would be easy for me to say "anyone who just has a school education is completely useless when they need to use their hands' because there are some. I won't for two reasons. First it's not true secondly I have more class than you sir. I can forgive you. I believe you are educated beyond your intelligence. Have a good day and remember you would be swimming in garbage if one of those blue collar workers did not pick it up.
I believe you are educated beyond your intelligence. Have a good day and remember you would be swimming in garbage if one of those blue collar workers did not pick it up.
You just said it better than what I would have done!
Negotiator75- I wouldn't say that most people are idiots. I would say that most people are, by definition, average. Some excell in areas where others flounder and some are just proficient in a great number of things. It's rare to meet someone great in many things, knowledgable in many areas and who has the ability to translate that knowledge and ability into results. The worst person (in my opinion) is the one who can't just say "I don't know" instead of just making up an answer.
Sometimes you got to look beneath the surface, what people talk about in the office and during social functions involving co-workers and acquaintances is not indicative of their intelligence. I've worked in one too many offices full of white color six figure income workers with advanced degrees and these are some of the same things they tend to talk about when they socialize as well. The reason why people talk about these things because they are neutral, easy topics that would allow you to quickly relate to people you wouldn't know well enough to trust with more deep conversations.
I noticed that people start showing their true personalities and interests once you get to know them outside of work and become friends with them. It's interesting how much becomes unraveled once you truly start getting to know someone and compare that with their 'office personality'. Office is not often a place to discuss hot topics like politics, religion, family views, global warming, etc and introduce people to your hobbies that some may consider 'weird'. It's because people are worried that their views may alienate those they work with and especially have negative affect on their careers. Which does reinforce your point about the 'herd mentality' at least in the sense that there is a huge desire to conform and be like others when it comes to a place where you make your living. I'd have to agree you are pretty spot on there. I tend to think that this may be one of the reasons why many look for the outlets to talk about the things that really concern them on the internet among the anonymous strangers.
Boss years back picked up a book off my desk. He tried reading one paragraph and hurt himself trying. Common denomenator was biz and I knew it. Why explain? It was only going to embarass him more, and he'd be forced to make fun of the book, right? I let him off the hook laughing saying it was a romance novel. Where did I put that project report...
On the other hand, I've had heavyweight conversation with a trucker in an astoria oregon greasy spoon about Kerouac's influence on american culture. He was coming of age in those days, & I learned more than what a book could ever tell. How about them apples.
How many people do you know in your life that are just plain stupid and have no desire to improve or even care?
It seems that when you use terms like "Common Sense", well that can be scary because having sense doesn't seem to be that common.
I think its scary that 75% of us out there are total idiots. The remaining 25% of us are the ones that carry the weight, we make things happen, we design, we create, we work hard, raise good kids and contribute to society.
Anyone agree or disagree? What do you think?
Reminds me of Goethe's saying, None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.
First question would be, do we need 75% of our population to be critically thinking, highly educated, and curious common sense people? What would be the purpose of having this ratio when our goal as a society is more self-centered around personal gratification?
I suspect that you will find that the educational level or ability to think critically is proportionate to the need. In our case we don't need this because our goal is not based upon personal or even collective societal achievement but instead a more basic fundamental desire of possession. It not about what you can do so much as what you have.
The same reason a cockroach doesn't need to change, it has reached the top of its evolutionary niche. In our case, we have achieved within our own society, the pinnacle of a consumerist society. We have a population that is by and large a plump and happy group of conspicuous consumers. We can afford TV's as big as an Asian living space, a varied and gluttonous diet, a 30k truck that pulls a 30k boat that we use a few times a year for fun. We own homes with more bedrooms than we have children, complete with living rooms, family rooms, entertainment rooms, and rooms for little more than storing our footwear. We are in essence the top of the social food chain when measured in such a way and those who do not yet have these things are generally willing to work 2 or 3 jobs to obtain them.
With all these wonderful trappings of the good life, why would the average person concern themselves with greater study, personal enlightenment, or a dedication to anything higher than achieving yet more stuff. We as Americans are born into a world where we are taught what to think instead of how to think and one of the primary things we are taught is that our possessions are the best examples of success and achievement. In essence, our end game is collecting more things than the next person.
You may also consider asking yourself, what is easier to govern or manage, a large group of highly educated critically thinking, curious people or a large group of basically educated, emotionally driven, and incurious people?
So to me it would seem that our level of education, the ability to think critically, and our curiosity is directly related to what our goals as a society are. Whatever these goals are will determine what our society needs.
Reminds me of Goethe's saying, None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.
First question would be, do we need 75% of our population to be critically thinking, highly educated, and curious common sense people? What would be the purpose of having this ratio when our goal as a society is more self-centered around personal gratification?
I suspect that you will find that the educational level or ability to think critically is proportionate to the need. In our case we don't need this because our goal is not based upon personal or even collective societal achievement but instead a more basic fundamental desire of possession. It not about what you can do so much as what you have.
The same reason a cockroach doesn't need to change, it has reached the top of its evolutionary niche. In our case, we have achieved within our own society, the pinnacle of a consumerist society. We have a population that is by and large a plump and happy group of conspicuous consumers. We can afford TV's as big as an Asian living space, a varied and gluttonous diet, a 30k truck that pulls a 30k boat that we use a few times a year for fun. We own homes with more bedrooms than we have children, complete with living rooms, family rooms, entertainment rooms, and rooms for little more than storing our footwear. We are in essence the top of the social food chain when measured in such a way and those who do not yet have these things are generally willing to work 2 or 3 jobs to obtain them.
With all these wonderful trappings of the good life, why would the average person concern themselves with greater study, personal enlightenment, or a dedication to anything higher than achieving yet more stuff. We as Americans are born into a world where we are taught what to think instead of how to think and one of the primary things we are taught is that our possessions are the best examples of success and achievement. In essence, our end game is collecting more things than the next person.
You may also consider asking yourself, what is easier to govern or manage, a large group of highly educated critically thinking, curious people or a large group of basically educated, emotionally driven, and incurious people?
So to me it would seem that our level of education, the ability to think critically, and our curiosity is directly related to what our goals as a society are. Whatever these goals are will determine what our society needs.
I agree with you. I guess that the truly smart people are those who refuse to buy stuff they don't need (with money they don't really have) because they don't feel they have to impress people who are not worth the trouble.
Location: In a place with little freedom (aka USA)
712 posts, read 1,366,324 times
Reputation: 261
Quote:
Originally Posted by EDnurse
I agree with you. I guess that the truly smart people are those who refuse to buy stuff they don't need (with money they don't really have) because they don't feel they have to impress people who are not worth the trouble.
I think you hit on something very important. I consider that to be one of the secrets to happiness. It is nice to have things, but there should be a realistic limit. No one should live beyond their means, if they do, it just means that they have not accepted reality yet. These are the people that live in fear all the time, they worry constantly and think they have to have the newest items to impress.
These are the people that fall in the 75% category.
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