Pool Boy's shock an horror

[kittynh]

As many of you know, Pool Boy is not a "skeptic". He can't believe that other people believe in dowsing, ghosts, UFOs. He's never seen the need for skeptics or a skeptic movement.

This week he was at one of those boring classes the boss makes you take every now and again on "management" or "leadership". Part of the "lesson" was to fill out a questionaire. You had not only to answer the question yourself,you had to guess how the others in the room would answer.

One question went kind of like this, "Other than God,do you believe there is some mystical force that controls what happens in the Universe, and influences or controls what happens in your life?"

Pool Boy said, "NO" and guessed that no one would say "yes".

84% of the people in the room said "yes"

These are the executives, the people that are making the big decisions. The CEO was there and he was one of the few that said "no". Pool Boy said they just looked at each other and shook their heads.

He came home and said,"Maybe there is something to this skeptic stuff..."

 

[Kopji]

Poor Poolboy. LOL, and the other 16% believed that God was the only mystical force...

It's kinda lonely out here sometimes.

Businesses seem to live in a "woo" gray area sometimes when it comes to management. I think Jung started it.

I just finished a course by the Gallup Poll folks intended to classify styles etc.

There's another popular one many businesses use called Myers-Briggs or Kerisey temperament sorter.

The course instructors give me funny looks when I take the courses and then compare them to astrology. Damn INTP's

Get's me out of real work for a while, and is good for appreciating that other people go about things differently than I do.

 

[Jas]

It is a bit of a shock when you realize that otherwise intelligent people, that you know, actually believe in some of this stuff. And then having to explain to them that magic water (or crystals) isn't going to heal anything.

And then they look at you like YOU'RE the crazy one!

 

[a_unique_person]

It is a bit of a shock when you realize that otherwise intelligent people, that you know, actually believe in some of this stuff. And then having to explain to them that magic water (or crystals) isn't going to heal anything.

And then they look at you like YOU'RE the crazy one!

Not believing in crystals still doesn't prove you aren't crazy.

 

[Zombified]

So there's this Mexican restaurant I go to with some folks from work occasionally. Next door to it is a chiropracter's office. It's one of the more aggressively woo chiropracters, too - you can tell by the sorts of stuff he puts up on the sign in front of his building.

The last time we went, the sign read "SUBLUXATION FREE ZONE". Without thinking, I immediately yelled out "that's because there's no such damn thing as subluxations."

Forgetting that one of my co-workers goes to weekly chiropractic adjustments.

Oh well.

 

[Rolfe]

The last time we went, the sign read "SUBLUXATION FREE ZONE". Without thinking, I immediately yelled out "that's because there's no such damn thing as subluxations."

To be strictly accurate, there are so.

It's a perfectly normal, ordinary orthopaedic term for a joint that is partially but not completely out of its socket. Badly fitting hip joints, for example.

There's just no such thing as a chiropractic subluxation.

Rolfe.

 

[Mercutio]

There's another popular one many businesses use called Myers-Briggs or Kerisey temperament sorter.

The course instructors give me funny looks when I take the courses and then compare them to astrology. Damn INTP's

Hey, in the psych classes I teach, I'm the one making that comparison. The funny looks come from the students...

 

[jj]

Hey, in the psych classes I teach, I'm the one making that comparison. The funny looks come from the students...

My spouse got saddled with one of those team-building things that starts with a misused Myers-Briggs. As she was aware of how the system worked (they pick out somebody different as a scapegoat, and routinely, it seems, drive people out of jobs that way), she suddenly became very bland and boring. Well, at the course, at least.

The results were funny, though, lots of "feelings" stuff, and a few people who were determined to be "schedule bound" (this in a group with tight schedules and delivery times). Guess which group they made into the scapegoats?

Riiiiiiight.

 

[kittynh]

Pool Boy works very hard, so he hates to waste time in these classes. He does enjoy the times he works in the stores or as he puts it, "Where the money is made". He makes everyone that works for him put in at least two days at a store so they don't forget where their paycheck is coming from. He always makes one of the days during the busy Christmas rush.


Recently he was visiting one of the stores just to shop. He was on lunch break with a co worker and Pool Boy decided to round up the few carts in the parking lot and take them back to the store. His co worker was aghast. Pool Boy said, "hey, you can't take a few minutes to help out the people that put the pay in your paycheck?"

Pool Boy grew up on a farm. He really believes in taking care of the people that work for you. He also learned a lot about taking care of people in the Navy. He throws a fit every time there is a health care cut or change (the new way businesses nickle and dime their employees) and he probably threw away his chances for promotion by getting up at a board meeting and telling them what he thought about the jobs being outsourced to India. (Guess what, the working conditions for those workers in India are intolerable and cruel, but hey, why would anyone check that out. The last thing company executives want is photos of those working conditions.)

Still, that never seems to be covered in these courses.

When people wonder why I love Pool Boy, it's because he'll be working at the store on Dec. 23 and buying everyone pizza at the end of the day.

 

[LTC8K6]

"Other than God,do you believe there is some mystical force that controls what happens in the Universe, and influences or controls what happens in your life?"

Why did he think no one would believe in gravity?

And why doesn't he believe in it?

 

[kittynh]

GRAVITY!!!

well, he does belong to the Flat Earth Society.

 

[Darat]

....snip...

One question went kind of like this, "Other than God,do you believe there is some mystical force that controls what happens in the Universe, and influences or controls what happens in your life?"

...snip...

He came home and said,"Maybe there is something to this skeptic stuff..."

Why the "other then god" bit?

 

[kittynh]

I didn't get the "other than God" bit myself.

If something has power over you life, would that make it/he/she God?

Hey, some dumb university runs this program....

 

[Correa Neto]

This reminds me of my previous job -a major mining company, among the top five of the world.

They submitted us to a 2-days long torture, I mean course, on eneagrams... At a certain point I started to hammer down the whole thing, initially comparing it to astrology (to no use, since many people there belived on it) at finally questioning the origin and validity of the method.

At a certain point someone tapped on my shoulder and told me that the human resources manager -who was at the other side of the room- not only belives in eneagrams (and uses it as a professional tool), but also married just after consulting it...

So, after looking at his face I decced that it was better for my finantial health to withdraw. My blood still boils when I remember those two days...

 

[kittynh]

Pool Boy asked around today to see how many of his coworkers believe in Astrology. Almost everyone does. They ALL believe that your "sign" reflects your personality.

The single guys all like to ask their dates their "sign". One single young man said, "oh you never want to date a Taurus!" Pool Boy was thinking, "even if it's Angelina Jolie????"

There may be a reason these guys are single.

 

[SezMe]

They submitted us to a 2-days long torture, I mean course, on eneagrams...

'Scuse the ignorance, but what the hell is an eneagram?

 

[Correa Neto]

A diagram that supposedly can tell a lot about our personality.

My personal opinion? A sort of Myers-Briggs, at best, disguised as "ancient wisdom". No difference from astrology, sice the "types" are quite vague, and one will also find on the definitions things that will fit with his/hers personality (or the image he/she has about it). Not to mention that there are the equivalents of the ascendants in astrology to help the fit.

But, according to those who belive, appeared at the dawn of civilization, being one of the earliest symbols created by mankind... Brougt from the orient by George Gurdjieff (very good and solid background, eh?). According to the "specialist"that tortured, I mean, trained me, there are ancient cave paintings showing it.

When I asked "Where, because I know one thing or two about cave paintings and can't recall seiing it?"

His reply was "Afghanistan".

I then asked "Do you have a picture or can point me where I can find it?

His reply was "Well... You know, with the Taliban and the american bombing of the caves..."

Then I said "OK, but Afghanistan was not in the hands of the Taliban for so long and there were many archeological and photographic expedictions before them..."

Then I was warned about the manager....

You can check it at
http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/eneagram.asp

Actually thinking back, not only the manager was getting upset with my questioning. Many people there were also thinking "How dare you?" It must be said that in these people's minds, I am some sort of freak, for being openly non-religious.

Well, quoting Silverchair, "body and soul, I'm a freak" (pun intended).

edited for a slightly better format

 

[Mercutio]

'Scuse the ignorance, but what the hell is an eneagram?

Thanks for asking that; I didn't know either.

For those wondering what the heck the Meyers-Briggs deally is, a very similar test can be taken online here, at the Keirsey site. This site also explains what the different character types are, with examples for each. (The site now requires registration. Sorry, it did not formerly.) I send my students here to take the test. Actually, to take it at least twice. Once, as if it were part of the application process to work for a bank, and a second time as if it were part of the application for a Peace Corps position. (or some other jobs, I mixed things up.) It is very easy to aim your responses for what an employer wants to hear. Just one more reason it is so unreliable.