Occupation Questions 21-30

THE QUESTION:
O30: To someone in the mortician field: What actually happens (and how is it done) when someone is embalmed? How long does the body remain looking “lifelike” before decomposition sets in? When decay begins, how does it affect the remains?
POSTED OCT. 28, 1998
Steve V., San Diego, CA
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THE QUESTION:
O29: To managers/employers: What has happened in the business community in the last few years that has made businesses and employers change their way of thinking about overtime? It appears that all employers now want their employees to work a tremdous amout of hours overtime, when several years ago, overtime was unheard of.
POSTED OCT. 8, 1998
Jim Wilson <jimwil@tctc.com>, Attica, IN
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THE QUESTION:
O28: To recruiters: Is the process that organizations use to interview and select new staff basically Eurocentric in nature, and if so, does this automattically reduce the chances of success for people with other world views?
POSTED OCT. 5, 1998
46, Canadian of northern European worldview <wwheeler@sprint.ca>, Okotoks, Alberta, Canada
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THE QUESTION:
O27: Why do people laugh at me when I tell them I milk cows for a living? I feel I probably work harder than most people.
POSTED SEPT. 29, 1998
J. Davidson, Manchester, MI

ANSWER 1:
You have your hands on teets all day long and you don’t find that funny? I know, I know, you use machines nowadays. Why not try saying you are an agricultural worker?
POSTED SEPT. 30, 1998
Beth, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

FURTHER NOTICE:
To Beth: Why not call him a farmer? I think people should wake up and think about where their food, clothes and anything else they own came from. Why is it that people are “too good” to understand that something so simple means so much to those who are for the most part some of the nicest people on earth? Next time you want to belittle someone, think about whose career is actually more important in order to exist.
POSTED MARCH 23, 1999
23, white male, Midwest
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THE QUESTION:
O26: I am a young corporate vice president at the age of 29. People look at me like I am way too young to be in this position. Why do people judge you on your age and not your ability? I have proven myself over the past eight years of being in this organinzation. However, I don’t receive the respect that somehow I am still going to have to earn.
POSTED SEPT. 29, 1998
Paul, 29 <PNaylor@Intraworldnet.com>, Boca Raton, FL

ANSWER 1:
I suspect it’s because people generally expect a certain level of experience to go along with the title “vice president,” experience they cannot imagine a 29-year-old having, no matter how talented you are. Fair? Maybe not, but you have to admit it’s unusual for a 29-year-old to have what it takes to be at your level.
POSTED NOV. 12, 1998
White male, 26, TX
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THE QUESTION:
O25: Whenever I visit a doctor (any type), they always greet me with, “So how’s it going?” Is this small talk, or do they want to know what your specific problem is at that moment?
POSTED SEPT. 25, 1998
Robert M., Tustin, CA
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THE QUESTION:
O24: I work with a guy in a food store. He is younger than me. There is a rule that no employees can date each other. I’m 38 and he’s 25. He asked me once if I would like to go out with him. What should I say or do?
POSTED SEPT. 23, 1998
Nancy H., Port St. Lucie, FL

ANSWER 1:
“Let’s not tell the boss.”
POSTED SEPT. 28, 1998
Al <alarose@ncwc.edu>, Rocky Mount, NC
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THE QUESTION:
O23: During the course of my 20-year, accident-free career as a tanker-truck driver, I’ve hauled some of the most dangerous chemicals ever produced. I often wonder if other drivers ever stop to consider the damage they could do by putting me in a position where I’d have to take radical evasive action to avoid a collision. Why do some drivers do this?
POSTED SEPT. 11, 1998
Jim P., 39 <j.park@sympatico.ca>, Thorold, Ontario, Canada

ANSWER 1:
I’m not sure it has anything to do with you or your load, Jim. People who do risky things in cars don’t seem to give any thought to possible consequences.
POSTED SEPT. 28, 1998
Al <alarose@ncwc.edu>, Rocky Mount, NC

FURTHER NOTICE:
How’s your driving? I’ve noticed that truck drivers tend to get careless sometimes (which is understandable; I would probably become careless at times if I had to drive for such a long period of time). It seems that some truck drivers (among many other people) have the tendency to drive slowly in the far left lane and other drivers swerve around them in anger. I am the attentive driver of a small car, and twice I have nearly been run off the road by careless truck drivers. I was never aware of the dangerous chemicals. I would simply suggest staying away from drivers who appear to have “road rage.”
POSTED OCT. 5, 1998
S.R., 20, female, Austin , TX
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THE QUESTION:
O22: I grew up in a solidly middle-class community, and the few times I encountered police officers, they were always polite and friendly. Later, when I got married, my husband and I had very little money and lived in a poor area of town. I saw police there often, and in interactions with them – even the most innocuous – they were consistently insulting, aggressive and threatening (they weren’t there because of us – we have always been law-abiding). Even now, I still get nervous when I see an officer, and I do not consider the police my friends. Having seen both sides of the coin, I’d like to ask law enforcement officers to respond to this and explain this the difference in attitude toward the poor.
POSTED SEPT. 2, 1998
Laura, 37, white female, Baltimore, MD

ANSWER 1:
The sad reality is that there are more “bad” people in poorer neighborhoods than there are in middle-class ones. I’m not saying all poor people are bad. But the criminal element generally does not have money. They commit their crime, then use the money they make to party, take drugs, etc. Some people in poor neighborhoods make middle-class money but just don’t know how to spend it. They buy beer for themselves, and milk for the baby comes second. These types of people are hostile and aggressive to all types of authority. Most do not respect or respond to cops unless the cop swears at them or does something else to immediately establish his authority. Toughness is the only thing these people respect. Fortunately for you, your stay in the poor neighborhood was temporary. I’m sure there were many other nice people, especially elderly ones, who refused to leave the old neighborhood and are still stuck between rough cops and criminal neighbors.
POSTED SEPT. 5, 1998
MI

FURTHER NOTICE:
Unfortunately, police are like a lot of others in the communities they serve. They have many of the same fears and prejudices based on their experience in a given environment. They perceive the threat of their surroundings in much the same way you might. Truthfully, do you behave in the same manner in a community with drugs and violence that you do in a white suburb? It is sad that these officers treat everyone as a threat until they have reason to not fear the encounters they have with normal citizens. There, in my experience, seems to be no major difference in the way white and black officers act toward people in minority communities. This is probably just a self-defense mechanism, but I agree, a poor excuse for not treating everyone equally. If you fear the police, they are not doing their job. If they die by being too casual and fair, they will not survive long enough to contribute to the community. A difficult situation I struggle to justify and understand.
POSTED SEPT. 5, 1998
Dee, 46, male <dsands@activetool.com>, Detroit, MI

FURTHER NOTICE 2:
To clarify my question, and to respond to the responses, I merely said I lived in a lower-income area, not a crime-ridden one. There were many police patrols, but only occasionally were they actually there on call. True, the calls were more often than in my childhood neighborhood, but not enough to consider the place a den of criminal activity. (Incidently, this was not an urban neighborhood but a poor suburban one). Most of the people in my old neighborhood were hard-working, decent folks who barely made enough to make ends meet. They didn’t drink up their paychecks or buy drugs with the baby’s milk money. Their poverty did not automatically make them hostile to authority or turn them into criminals. However, they were uniformly treated as such by law enforcement, both local and state. In a way, these assumptions in and of themselves answer my question, and I find them profoundly disturbing.
POSTED SEPT. 29, 1998
Laura, 37, white female, Baltimore, MD

FURTHER NOTICE 3:
Having worked as a police officer for different agencies in both socioeconomic extremes, I can verify that your observation is indeed correct. When I patrolled in a mostly blue-collar urban environment, I “lowered” my vocabulary and mannerisms to my surroundings. You may not believe it, but this was not done to be insulting, but rather to gain the “respect” of the people I encountered. While foul language may offend you, not everyone feels that way. The job of a police officer is often to get people to do things they ordinarily would not. People generally do not want to be interrogated, frisked for weapons, handcuffed or taken to jail, so my goal was to accomplish these tasks as quickly and safely as possible. If my desire is for a subject walking down the street to stop, turn around, remove his hands from his pockets and place them on his head, I don’t want that message lost in translation, so I will forcefully tell him what to do. If he balks, hesitates or otherwise defies my instructions, my voice, language and mannerisms will become more demonstrative and will generally include foul language. This usually works not because that person respects me, my position or my authority, but because he respects strength – which is conveyed to him by my words. “Sir, please stop walking and place your hands on your head” is an invitation in certain situations for violence. I no longer work in that environment, but strangely, I had more respect for those people than the well-heeled upper class I now serve and protect.
POSTED OCT. 5, 1998
M.D., 32, Houston , TX
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THE QUESTION:
O21: To construction workers: Why does it seem as though every time a teenage girl walks by a construction site, there are always workers who stop working to look at the girl? Do they mean it as a compliment?
POSTED AUG. 18, 1998
Stephanie S., 15 <leopoos@yahoo.com>, Dallas, TX

ANSWER 1:
Men are always looking at women. On a construction site, men talk about women and can openly admire a young female body without their girlfriends, wives, etc. getting upset. I believe girls who receive that attention should take it as a compliment and not be upset by it. That is just the way men are.
POSTED SEPT. 30, 1998
30-year-old tradesman, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

FURTHER NOTICE:
I’ve worked construction on and off for the last five years. I catch myself eyeing girls as they walk by. “Eye candy” is what I call it. One reason is that looking at girls can help take your mind off your work and break up the monotony. When I am around sweaty, gruff guys 10 hours a day, a sweet young thing walking by helps keep my sanity. Another reason I look is to see who is looking at me. It is a hot summer day. I have my shirt off, swinging a sledge hammer with rippling muscles. I’d like to think that I catch the eyes of females passing by. I don’t think that it is rude to look, or even say hello, as long as it is done with class. I’ve seen guys yell and catcall. That is a little crude. But a smile or wave can be taken as a compliment.
POSTED FEB. 18, 1999
Warren, 20, white male, Royal Oak , MI
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