“I always have to make excuses: ‘I drank too much and my stomach is really upset, so I couldn’t do it right now. We’ll do it in the morning.’ Sometimes I’d like to say, ‘Fuck off, I know what you want’” Barbara Herrick, writer/producer).
This quote comes from the chapter; DID YOU EVER HEAR THE ONE ABOUT THE FARMER’S DAUGHTER? Barbara Herrick, in an interview conducted by Studs Terkel, is explaining her strategy to denying sexual offers from her clients. Because Barbara is an attractive woman, it is difficult for her to stand her ground against men in the business world. By making this decision, Barabara is eliminating many harmful and career hindering outcomes. What if she wouldn’t have said no? How would the outcome change?
“We’re losing so much, giving up so much family life. You should be compensated for it. But no one forces you to go to sea” (Booker Page, cabdriver).
THE DRIVING is a strong and meaningful chapter that has many key quotes. This one stood out over all because it really shows an incident where someone is unhappy for the way his/her life is going. In this case, a cab driver in Manhattan, and ex seaman, is dealing with the fact the he cannot take back time. He realizes that it was his choice and regrets that choice. Also, he understands how the choice of constantly being away not only affects him, but his loved ones around him too.
“Three girls and two boys. The eleven-year-old boy takes care of the cattle. The ten-year-old girl takes care of the chickens. The nine-year-old boy takes care of the two hogs. And the youngest girls take care of the dog”
(Fred Ringley, farmer).
How were you brought up? Were you the oldest sibling,
the middle child, youngest sibling, or an only child?
Did you have a brother or a sister? Have the effects
of the fixed circumstances changed your viewpoint
and/or important skills in life? For Fred Ringley, an owner
of a small farm in Arkansas, it means the world.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Terkel quotes and question (Zacahry Shirk)
The baseball player
Nobody comes to see a fellow because he’s a good outfielder. What he comes to do is hit. He’ll come out early in the batting cage and hit and hit and hit. He won’t shag flies, he won’t catch fungoes. It’s not important to him. There’s no status to catching a fly ball (369).
The hockey player
Among players, while we are playing we are very close. Some of the best clubs I’ve played with have this close intimacy—an intimacy modern man can hardly ever achieve (383).
The football coach
Everything we do is based on winning. I don’t care how hard you work or how organized you are, if you don’t win, what good is it? It’s down the drain. You can have a tremendous game plan, but if you lose the game, what good was the plan (388)?
I realize that they are all saying something different, but I think that it all comes back to the fact that professional sports are not the same as they were years ago. Do you agree with these quotes? Do you think that sports have become so driven by money and fame that the players don’t care about each other, or even the fans that they are playing for?
Nobody comes to see a fellow because he’s a good outfielder. What he comes to do is hit. He’ll come out early in the batting cage and hit and hit and hit. He won’t shag flies, he won’t catch fungoes. It’s not important to him. There’s no status to catching a fly ball (369).
The hockey player
Among players, while we are playing we are very close. Some of the best clubs I’ve played with have this close intimacy—an intimacy modern man can hardly ever achieve (383).
The football coach
Everything we do is based on winning. I don’t care how hard you work or how organized you are, if you don’t win, what good is it? It’s down the drain. You can have a tremendous game plan, but if you lose the game, what good was the plan (388)?
I realize that they are all saying something different, but I think that it all comes back to the fact that professional sports are not the same as they were years ago. Do you agree with these quotes? Do you think that sports have become so driven by money and fame that the players don’t care about each other, or even the fans that they are playing for?
Chapter Five Responce: Construction and Electrical Wiring (Zachary Shirk)
In the fifth chapter of Mike Rose’s book “The American Worker”, Mike interviews a professional electrician, and construction worker. The chapter is called Reflective Technique: Electrical Wiring and Construction, and in it Mike talks about how different craftsmen, like electricians and construction workers take such pride in their work. An example of this would be during the interview with the electrician. “We try hard not to show our straps, Mundo. We want to show as little evidence of the electricians being here as possible,” (107).
Upon reading this I immediately thought of my job. I work maintenance at an old cemetery, and when a major storm rolls through the area, it often destroys a couple tombstones, by blowing them over. It is the job of my colleagues and I to fix it quickly, before too many people notice. We have to make the stone look exactly how it did before it broke. If someone that is just walking by can notice that the tombstone had been fixed, it means we did a poor job repairing it.
In the book Rose says “The previous electrician’s signature is woven into the braid, but anonymously so, and completely out of sight, seen, if at all, by another electrician,”(108).So after the electrician leaves, his work will be forgotten, and will not be thought about by anyone else, except other electricians. This is similar to my job at the cemetery. Unless you had seen the tombstone before it broke, you would not be able to tell that it had been fixed. But at the same time, anyone that has ever fixed a stone can instantly tell that a stone was broken at one time.
Upon reading this I immediately thought of my job. I work maintenance at an old cemetery, and when a major storm rolls through the area, it often destroys a couple tombstones, by blowing them over. It is the job of my colleagues and I to fix it quickly, before too many people notice. We have to make the stone look exactly how it did before it broke. If someone that is just walking by can notice that the tombstone had been fixed, it means we did a poor job repairing it.
In the book Rose says “The previous electrician’s signature is woven into the braid, but anonymously so, and completely out of sight, seen, if at all, by another electrician,”(108).So after the electrician leaves, his work will be forgotten, and will not be thought about by anyone else, except other electricians. This is similar to my job at the cemetery. Unless you had seen the tombstone before it broke, you would not be able to tell that it had been fixed. But at the same time, anyone that has ever fixed a stone can instantly tell that a stone was broken at one time.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Summary of Chapter 5: Construction and Electrical Wiring (Jasen Maurer)
• Mike Rose starts out with the attitudes of the Ancient Greeks. Plato for instance puts down craftsmen and workmen in his play, The Republic. He calls workmen "warped and maimed" (pg 100) and "incapable of culture" (100). Rose also states that Aristotle said that jobs as such are "ignoble and inimical to goodness" (100). Aristotle even goes as far to say that people of the workmen class should be denied citizenship (100). Rose also adds that Plutarch said that "It does not necessarily follow that if a work is delightful because of its gracefulness, the man who made it is worthy of our serious regard" (101)
•The first few pages are basically about physical labor.
•Rose blames the economic and social structure of today's society for why physical labor is seen as it is.
•Rose says that many intellectual communities take out the possibility that people of blue collared careers have the "full expression of mind" (102).
•As Rose visited schools of construction he noticed a desire to do the job right and not rush things. He explains how workmen check and then recheck their work to make sure it is 100% complete, the way it is supposed to be done.
•Rose explains that the workman's thirst for preciseness is psychologically imprinted into them. Most workmen are perfectionists. (i.e. for electricians they want to do the job perfectly, to make sure there is little to no evidence that they were ever in the house to begin with).
•The first few pages are basically about physical labor.
•Rose blames the economic and social structure of today's society for why physical labor is seen as it is.
•Rose says that many intellectual communities take out the possibility that people of blue collared careers have the "full expression of mind" (102).
•As Rose visited schools of construction he noticed a desire to do the job right and not rush things. He explains how workmen check and then recheck their work to make sure it is 100% complete, the way it is supposed to be done.
•Rose explains that the workman's thirst for preciseness is psychologically imprinted into them. Most workmen are perfectionists. (i.e. for electricians they want to do the job perfectly, to make sure there is little to no evidence that they were ever in the house to begin with).
3 interviews for what is work (Jasen Maurer)
What Is Work?
1.Work is the process of getting something accomplished, whether it is for money or for nothing. (Dad and Shannon)
2.Work is an ever evolving process of discovering new methods and strategies to accomplish a goal. (Jane)
3.Work is one of those evil necessities in life in order to make my monthly payments of goods secured by unsecured means, personally "I think society has the work stage of your life and the retirement stage in life reversed, I think I could use my brain now for better resources". (Skeet)
1.Work is the process of getting something accomplished, whether it is for money or for nothing. (Dad and Shannon)
2.Work is an ever evolving process of discovering new methods and strategies to accomplish a goal. (Jane)
3.Work is one of those evil necessities in life in order to make my monthly payments of goods secured by unsecured means, personally "I think society has the work stage of your life and the retirement stage in life reversed, I think I could use my brain now for better resources". (Skeet)
Monday, October 5, 2009
What is work? Jaclyn Marks
My definition of work is a constant effort that is put forth to achieve something greater.
I asked three people what their definition of work is and they said:
Mom: Something that you always have to do and it seems like it never gets done, but it has a reward at the end.
Jessica (8 yrs old): Something you do and get money from
Grandmother: Something you have to do in order to survive.
I asked three people what their definition of work is and they said:
Mom: Something that you always have to do and it seems like it never gets done, but it has a reward at the end.
Jessica (8 yrs old): Something you do and get money from
Grandmother: Something you have to do in order to survive.
GiG (Terrence)
"You're a girl and you cant do it and it's too hot." (170) - Highway Flagger
"There's women's basketball. They're great, the fans love them. Look at that!" (413) - Professional Basketball Player
"People will fuck you harder for drugs than they will for money." (135) - Drug Dealer
Girls, how angry or upset would you be if men treated you unequally by saying something in that context?
"There's women's basketball. They're great, the fans love them. Look at that!" (413) - Professional Basketball Player
"People will fuck you harder for drugs than they will for money." (135) - Drug Dealer
Girls, how angry or upset would you be if men treated you unequally by saying something in that context?
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