14 December, 2007

Goodwill to Men

I'm depressed - I've been getting a lot of "you are too direct" feedback at work. Are they kidding? I'm the soul of restraint compared to what I really think. If people are being lazy useless sods it's very hard for me to hide that I think so, no matter how polite I try to be. Do I really have to kiss up to people and massage their egos just to get them to do their stupid jobs? I never used to have this problem in Asia.

It's amazing how people go on about the Chinese and their obsession with "saving face". In my experience, no one is more obsessed with saving face than the English. I have never met a people more reluctant to ever face up to the possibility that they might actually be wrong. The coils that I have seen people go into just to give the impression that they haven't screwed up, rather than just go, Oops, sorry, let's fix that, end of story.

People are tossers. Thank God it is Christmas as I clearly need a dose of peace on earth and goodwill to men.

4 Comments:

Blogger Caroline Biebuyck said...

That's not saving face, that's just part of the unique personal baggage that comes of being Anglo-Saxon and taught that your small and plucky nation once ruled the world (or at least the bits worth bothering with).

10:00 am  
Blogger 962 said...

Oh yes the worlds all pink

I know what you mean I had a month in the UK last year in a contractors office. You wait for the receptionist to finish reading Hello or OK and she looks up with the disdain of a person who has found somebody has shit in their trombone. Yes they say, with the inference on why are you disturbing my extra curricular activities. Can I speak to Fred please I say, yes (such a witty response) before rediscovering whose had silicon implants and adjusting her fetching top over herample bossoms.

If you say a word more sexual harrasment, equality, racism, or as a last recourse polictical incorrectness will dump upon you huge masses of legislation.

Thats why I live in Asia I dislike the English.

1:59 am  
Blogger mango said...

Come back here? Hopeful

You're talking about work again.

3:57 am  
Blogger ulaca said...

My mother has a thing about people needing to admit they made a mistake, etc. (a thing, which, sad to say, she's better at addressing outward than inward). She has become one of my kid's best impersonations (though Ann Robinson is still top). When she transgresses, she will intone, "I was wrong. I a-po-lo-gise".

4:07 am  

Post a Comment

<< Home