Positivity Strikes Again

And Ruins Everyone's Day.

I realize I may be alone in this sentiment, but it completely cracks me up when people in authority start lecturing their subordinates about being positive. It's always in a meeting where the bosses will go on and on making their point about how crucial it is to be positive, i.e. agree with them. Usually these sessions are accompanied with small group activities where people are called on to come up with positive solutions to a certain set of problems, kind of like going to "centers" in kindergarten. Which doesn't really sound bad, I mean what kind of a grump does not want to reach a positive solution?

It's not really that, but as an amused observer of the lecturing, I can't help but crack up at what lousy moods everyone is in after we have one of these infamous pep talks. Here's the newest thing, they start off telling us that, "integrity is what you do when no one is looking..." and they expound and pound on that point for a good 10 minutes. We are told that it is crucial to the team that we do our work without the need for recognition, and that people of high integrity do the right thing when no one else is looking.

Phase two of this hump fest is when they elaborate that, if your co-workers don't see you working, then, they will be disappointed in you, and then, then, then, you have let the team down! Ok, yeah, I'm with ya...be seen working hard...got it. Sure, integrity is working even when no one is looking, but it is also important to remember to be "seen" working. Which leaves me to wonder one thing, if I have say, for example, a box of supplies to put away, but no one is around to see it, should I wait until someone witnesses me putting it away so that I can be acknowleged as working for the team?

Integrity says, yes, go ahead and put the box away it doesn't matter if anyone sees it, BUT my boss says, to be "seen" putting it away. I know this sounds silly, but imagine there are only 5 boxes of supplies to be sorted, and then there is nothing really else that needs to be done short of scrubbing baseboards I suppose, and then the rest of the time is spent taking care of customers as need demands. If Mabel goes and puts all the boxes away, but no one sees it, and then the company tattle tail comes through after Mabel did all of that work when no one was looking, finding Mabel lounging at the counter, has Mabel let the team down? Yes, according to the company tattle tail, who immediately runs to the manager's office to ask if there is anything to do since apparently Mabel can only think of lounging on the counter and looking at her split ends.

I really wouldn't have any issue with any of this except they hounded the point home that if your co-workers do not physically witness you working, they might assume you are up to no good. Personally, I don't spend a lot of time wondering what other people are doing since most of our work is done independently aside from a few extremely SIMPLE shared duties that we are all responsible for, and we do as we have time. In fact, I think it's pretty sad that they don't see how well we DO work as a team, but instead have decided to take the very negative route of seeing problems all around! And they tell us not to be negative.

It doesn't really matter to me, I do my work, and go home. I try to make people smile and laugh, and I try not to bitch too often about stupid things that don't matter. I learned a long time ago to smile ignorantly while I am told what and how to think, and then I do whatever I want. It's how I roll. So, while I snickered to myself during the last pep rally, I didn't really scan the room as I usually do to see how it was all going over with the other folks. It wasn't until later that I noticed a lot of people were having a crappy day that another person pointed out to me that they were all mad about the boss going on and on in the meeting, which made me laugh really hard. How negative! Hahaha. Positivity strikes again! Yippee!

The idea of remaining positive is being horribly abused by human resource management "toolsheds" (thanks for that term Serenity) these days. The idea of my boss standing in front of our entire staff espousing our need to be positive because she just attended some stupid seminar about how to motivate her staff is somewhat insulting, especially when she has been known to be downright snotty to people for no reason other than they bothered to test out her "open door policy". Real positive stuff there. No, but I guess what really bugs me about it is, it's all so freaking petty. People have the biggest coniptions about the smallest things at work, myself included, and this whole "Be Positive" crap irritates me.

The reason I pretty much tune it out is because, one, it's pretty darn condescending when you get down to it, and I don't like being talked down to. There is an underlying assumption that we are not positive people to begin with, and that we need to be force fed this tripe. Be happy, I get it, no one wants to be around a big grumpus all the time. I understand, but don't try to get into my head, it's nobody's business what goes on in there, except for myself and the 6 people on the internet who read this blog.

So, on lecturing your already pretty great staff about being positive: FAIL. Way to bring out the positive.

I Has A Neckerchief

You Don't.

It Is So On

I See Your Lolcat and Raise You One Youtube.

Dragonlady often posts the same Lolcat I was thinking of posting so I have to get a head up on her with this you tube. Enjoy.

What I Want To Know

A Simple Question.

So, our new leader would like to release all of the detainees at Gitmo his first week in office. Surely this would warrant a top-ten list of where to send the newly freed terrorists. Where will they go? Will they be sent back from whence (neat word, whence) they came?

I had a few ideas, but I don't think they would be popular. I say they should be evenly distributed amongst the members of Congress neighborhoods, given a map and sent on their way. Harsh! I know. I don't think the math would work out on that idea anyway.

Most likely they will be dropped, preferably with no parachute, back into their home countries. Air Mail! Perhaps they could be all sent to Chicago, repentant terrorists and all. Why not?

Where does one send a newly freed enemy combatant? I really don't know.

I Am Not Immune to The Cute

Brilliant.



Found at CuteOverload where else?

I'll Be Working on the Railroad

Sing Along Now!

I'll be working on the railroad
And so will you, and you, and you.
We'll all be working on the railroad.
All the live long day.

It's time for the change we seek
So let's get busy on that railroad
And fix the economy!
It's the only way!

The End.

Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. It's just been in my head all morning since I watched Obama's speech about the economy. Going to create 2 million jobs he says! Infrastructure, wind mill's, and making cars that are unaffordable for most people sounds like a plan...

Hey politicians, here's a clue, CUT TAXES!!!!!!! Can I emphasize this enough? I mean really. CUT TAXES............CUT TAXES............CUT TAXES..........

It is at this time that I sadly announce that my husband paid more in TAXES than I made last year....ponder that for a moment....just ponder it.

The economy is in the shitter, and they are talking about "saving" it by coming up with programs that will inevitably raise our taxes. Spend money? I don't think so! What money? Seriously, what money?

Soooo, the plan is the government is going to build a bunch of new roads and bridges "infrastructure" which is going to cost taxpayer money, but it will be all fine and dandy because people will be getting jobs building these things when the government contracts out the work. And guess who these construction companies will hire....just take a wild guess. It won't be those people who just lost their jobs in retail. It just won't.

The only way to bring financial relief to the American people is to cut taxes, stop taking so much of our money! I'm just saying.

This Made Me Laugh