Humbling Moment
Getting Pedis with my sister this morning, the nail girl commented how I was helping my sister with her cover letter.
She asked me what I did and I told her about my work in advertising. She tells me about her Art work, and asks if I would like to see it.
Flipping through the pages, I see her resume. 2 MFAs.
I'm humbled not because she had 2 MFAs but because I was suprised that she had them. It's good to be knocked off your perch once and a while.
posted by Shandoll @ 9:18 PM
16 comments
16 Comments:
You're just like those people that I wait on who, strangely enough, make the mistake of asking me IF I went to "college." They always get these looks of awe and amazement.
Bastards.
But you already know you're a bitch ; )
I was shocked to find out a guy that drives a forklift for me has a business degree and a computer science degree.
well.you are most ingnorant person in the world.not everybody it's as lucky or should i say has rich parents or let me clarify kiss a lots of asses to get where you are. A lots of people still believe in Working hard.
Why was it so shocking? Let's get this straight people - just because someone works in a stereotypical "service industry" such as restaurant servers, construction, etc. doesn't mean the person was always a screw up or simply decided not to get educated. There is always the possibility that the job market sucked and they couldn't get a job in the field for which they studied in school; or simply the fact that they get paid more doing whatever it is they are doing now; or maybe they hated their corporate 9 to 5 or variation thereof and are happy fixing nails or operating a forklift or what have you. This should teach everyone NEVER EVER to judge simply based on one's occupation. It makes you seem insensitive and prejudice and total tool. OK - off my soap box now.
maybe this makes ME a bitch, but.. uh.. what is a girl with two (or even if she had a lowly one) doing nails? it's one thing if you judge someone because of their accent or their background, but it's another to assume that someone with more education than most of us wouldn't be putting it to good use.
my bikini waxer was a gynocologist back in ecuador. seriously.
She's still doing your nails- but maybe she has a ton of great stuff going on when not doing nails. I have a former friend who waits tables & always talks about what she's going to do w/ her life, big plans etc- she went back to get 2nd degree and flunked out. She's a good server, she should stick w/ that industry and make something work for her there because she obviously can't do it all. Nothing wrong w/ honest day's work for honest day's pay no matter what your education.
Wow. There's a lot of vitriol in the comments because this woman openly admitted to having made an assumption about someone that turned out to be wrong. Unless you're prepared to say that you have never made a single presumption about a fellow human being, whether it proved wrong or right, why don't you just shut the hell up? Yes, through various circumstances educated people do sometimes end up in jobs that don't always draw upon the depth and breadth of their intellect; and please note that she never indicated she thought this woman was beneath her, before or after learning of her education. Chill out.
Not everyone who is highly educated wants to work in a bank or in an advertising agency. I worked for 12 years in one of the world's biggest media companies making six figures and using my finance degree and I was miserable. After quiting last year and going the consulting route I'm now making significantly less but I am 100% happier.
Get over yourselves and quit defining who you are by what you do it is tired.
Well, if you're shocked that some LOW worker you view as a servant has an education, it'll stun you that there are many wonderfully intelligent people that opted out (priced out) of college altogether. My brother is a brilliant musician, highly intelligent person who works as a repair tech. Bonus: his co-worker in repair was a nuclear engineer in Russia. I have a BFA and work in a less ambitious position by choice so that I have time for my art.
Suddenly not knowing if someone is stupid at first glance. My god, the implications.
You sad fucking sallys...if you read the post properly I stated how the experience made me rethink my own prejudices and sterotypes. Furthermore, I love the ignorant posts from people. If you read it carefully: I treated her like a human being, having a convesation with her and asking her about her Art work. Nowhere do I allude that I treated her differently until I found out she was formally educated. How many of you talk to your pedicurist besides knowing her name so you can book an appointment?
So cut your classist ramblings and stop jumping to conclusions because usually the most judgemental are the biggest hypocrites. I mean, why else would you think I felt a certain way?
(PS I LOVE GAWKER).
Anon One's comment is just silly. The idea that "hard work" is all success takes is outdated. The Depression should have slammed that idea right into the ground.
As to Anon Two's comment about "NEVER EVER judge" etc, that’s just prejudice posing as open-mindedness. Identity is tied to the work one does-- elected for whatever personal, political, social, or familial reason. To suspend judgment is to be unable to act, noble, perhaps, but completely useless.
Anon Four's comment about "there's nothing wrong with an honest day's pay" is completely wrong. Guess what? When "honest" can't pay your bills let alone get you a better position with health care, yea, there's something wrong.
Alex, I looked at your blog. Something to do with books and book covers. Those people designing those covers probably have MFA's, the market for MFA’s isn't as one-dimensional as it seems. . .
damn shan, you got people all fired up!!
i only wish to make one point: none of you got it right about shandoll
(except for hae*, but thats cause we have insider information).
so really, whose making assumptions here?
i'm not shocked that shandoll's nail tech is educated. i'm surprised that shandoll could understand what the nail tech was saying. i've never had a manicurist who spoke intelligible english. i feel bad because they always try to have a conversation with me, and then quit after having to repeat the same thing multiple times. i guess i'm a bad person. whatever.
You should have been humbled by her MFAs. Why were you so surprised she had them? I guess you are lucky enough to find a job in this city. Bloomberg may say that unemployment is on the decline, but then why do I know so many people who are well educated and experienced who are forced to make ends meet in the service industry? Plus, teachers make a measly 35K a year to start. I know so many educators who bartend during their summers off.
It's true; most teachers I know take second, service industry jobs these days. Among the people I worked at a restaurant with to put myself through college were three accountants, a computer programmer, and a girl with an MBA.
As an aside, my cleaning lady was an economist with the Polish government.
Post a Comment
<< Home