The appearance of care
What is the appearance of care ?

- Safety audits. 5% trying to stop accidents occurring, 95% trying to cover backsides in case something goes wrong and people get sued as a result
- Drugs legislation. Any country that allows the legal sale of (taxed) nicotine / alcohol and yet tries to ban any other drug being taken is not "trying to protect the public", they are drug dealers trying to protect their revenue stream.
- Speed cameras. 20% of the time trying to slow traffic in known accident blackspots, 80% of the time trying to generate extra income from an easy target, i.e. those of us dutiful enough to register the car in our own names.
- Stupid warning signs, be it the "might contain nuts" on a packet of nuts or a sign warning of a unseen drop the other side of a fence on private property - again, it's not about protection against anything other than a compensation claim.
- 2 minute silences. Sorry, these should be reserved for maybe one person a year who's died; a real hero / heroine, someone who meant something or achieved something. Is it care ? No, it's grief tourism.
- The rigmarole of getting through security when you fly, having a deodorant confiscated off you which you can then buy again from the shops *before* you get on the plane. If it was a genuine security check, it would be directly before you got on the plane.
- Any form of payment protection / post-sales insurance. Is it to protect you, no sucker, it's to take more money off you.
- Work appraisals. Do we care how you are doing ? No,we decided before you entered the room how much more, if any, we're paying you. This is just lip-service. See also - almost anything an HR department does.
- Mission statements. The only "enriching" we are after is not your experience with us, it's our bank balance with your ca$h. Have a nice day now - and remember, we try harder (to financially sodomise you).

I could go on, but you've got the drift by now I'm sure. The appearance of care - meaningless corporate shit, now all-pervasive and dished up by corporate whores with the moral rectitude of Ghengis Khan.
( I_Was_Mordred, Thu 1 May 2008, 23:56, 12 replies)

I speed everywhere
I've never been caught speeding.

Suggestion: pay attention when driving, it's really on that hard.
(Cuthbert Annihilator, Fri 2 May 2008, 0:18, closed)

Some comments
Wow man, your perception is so way off the way things actually are...your world would be a well-intentioned chaotic disaster.

About the nut warning. Have you seen someone with a allergic reaction to nuts? I have a colleague who scours everything he buys for a warning since he nearly died a few years ago.

About the airport. A security check before each plane? How many trained security officers would you need ? One female and one male for each sex of passengers to frisk by each plane. And metal detectors for each departure gate?? It does happen at some airports, but even then only on flights to the UK and US. You imply it's not a "genuine" security check. So why then do we not see planes destroyed every week? Maybe no-one wants to blow them up, eh? And the reason you can buy a deodorant after the security check is because its content is known and everyone who has access to it, including staff, has been searched on entry to the airside portion of the airport, as are you. But the one you brought from home could contain anything.

About appraisals and HR. Barely warrants a reply. Try doing without HR in a large organisation. Clearly you don't know what they do, and how complex and responsible is their job. HR departments are there because they are required. Contrary to your beliefs, most (not all, granted) companies are run by good and intelligent people wanting to make progress and treat their staff fairly and correctly. And as for appraisals, try NOT giving your staff appraisals. Yes, your salary has been pre-decided. No, it's not a platform for you to dictate how much money you want or even beg for clemency, that isn't how it works or what it's for. Have you ever managed anything or anyone?

About payment protection/post-sales insurance. Yes, it's to make money. As is all insurance. They aren't charities or put there by the government for you to take from, as you seem to want. So, when offered it, you weigh up the cost against the risk. Don't want it? Don't buy it. And take third-party only on your car. But stop complaining about it, the choice to not take it is yours. It's about your adult ability to take decisions and analyse risk. If it makes your blood boil you ought to nip to the doctor for a check up from the neck up.
(Super Jet Shoes, Fri 2 May 2008, 1:05, closed)

agree..
loathe the vast majority of what you commented on... HR departments are staffed typically by secretaries that didnt have nice breasticals...

However, warning signs near big drops hidden by fences... I really really really need those things - having spent my 29 years jumping onto/over and into things that I shouldn't my near misses with scarilly high unseen drop have surprisingly not resulted in death - yet... a simple large sign, or loud hailer system would be much appreciated...
(feedingtimeatthezoo day 1 of his bikini diet started, Fri 2 May 2008, 2:48, closed)

In reply
(a) I've never been done by a speed camera. The issue is what they are there for, not whether they have affected me personally
(b) appraisals. It's just my experience, dude. If you work somewhere where they are a meaningful part of your work existence, wonderful. I expect you are in a minority though. And yes, I have managed people. Lots of people. And been described as "the best manager I have had". Precisely because I don't have to sit people down once a year, the appraisal is on-going and free of HR bullshit.
(c) Airport security. I would have thought if it's really important then the levels of staffing wouldn't be an issue. Don't tell me that post security checks, when you enter a large shopping area, it would be impossible to smuggle weapons or bombs in.
(d) Nut allergy. Yes, I know how important it is for people to be aware of nut content in food. I was talking about a warning about nuts ON A PACKET OF NUTS. An unnecessary sign, methinks.

Sorry for that bit of shouting.
( I_Was_Mordred, Fri 2 May 2008, 8:07, closed)

Speed cameras
I'm sorry but why are you complaining about speed cameras? There are speed limits on roads. They are law. If you break the law (doesn't matter where you do it) there should be punishment. Saying that speed cameras away from accident blackspots are just generating extra income is like saying if you commit murder in the middle of no-where it's fine! but doing it outside a school is bad.
( sudo is bored, Fri 2 May 2008, 10:06, closed)

Airport security
My job means I have to go 'airside' at many airports a lot of the time - usually for a 15 minute job.

The over-enthusiastic security (although I have a full discosure Scotland security clearance) means that this 15 minute job is inflated to some 3 or 4 hours thanks to the fact I have to go through an initial security check, then be signed in and escorted everywhere.

I can understand that airlines need to vett their passengers in case there is a mad bomber among them, but FFS - I work in the industry, I see the same security guys week in, week out, I have passes for many UK airports - why do I need to waste half my working day tied up in security clearances?

*and breathe*
( snee held his breath since, Fri 2 May 2008, 10:08, closed)

I'm complaining about speed cameras
as we are constantly told they are there to save lives and stop accidents. As stated, this is true in a minority of cases. They are there to stop speeding motorists - but they are "sold" to us under the appearance of care.
It's not how things are so much as how things are marketed to us that pisses me off - the assumption (sadly, often correct) that we will swallow sugar-coated bullshit.
( I_Was_Mordred, Fri 2 May 2008, 10:38, closed)

Re: speed cameras
but Mordred, the majority (i have no specific stats but I have seen various articles that support my argument) of accidents involving cars involve excessive speeds. Countries with higher speed limits have higher road death rates. If everyone drives at the speed limit (whether or not a camera is there) then you are less likely to be involved in a crash.

No-one "sells" speed cameras, and certainly in the past (may still be true, I don't know) the problem was that you needed to have two fatalities at a location before they could install a speed camera. That seems pretty unreasonable to me.
( Bazongaloid, Fri 2 May 2008, 11:00, closed)

@ Cheerful Attic Spider (airport security)
Actually, I know of an airport that does a security check on every single departure gate, for every flight, with both x-ray machines and body scanners (previously metal detectors) and they have no problems at all. Ol' Schipol is basically ahead of the curve compared to everyone else though, the armed security staff there ride around on Segways! SEGWAYS!
So it can be done efficiently, just not many places have got their act together to manage it, seems we can barely open a new terminal without it all grinding to a standstill within 30 minutes.
(Brigadier Arthur Charles, Mrs, Fri 2 May 2008, 12:52, closed)

althegeordie
Proportion of road traffic accidents in which the primary cause was exceeding a speed limit .... between 3 and 5%

Majority? Errrmmm...
(patently Was somewhere else on, Fri 2 May 2008, 15:23, closed)

@Cheerful Attic Spider
You don't read very well, do you? He didn't complain about nut allergy warnings...he complained about them being put on packets of nuts. A little redundant, when the packet says "nuts" on the front, don't you think?

I'm vegetarian. I'd be a little bemused, and a little insulted, if a packet of beef mince said "not suitable for vegetarians" on it.
(Musuko, Fri 2 May 2008, 15:32, closed)

@feedingtimeatthezoo
I think he meant to question why a fence into private property need a warning for the drop on the other side, when the only people who would need the warning are illegal tresspassers who don't deserve such a warning.
(Musuko, Fri 2 May 2008, 15:34, closed)