Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Wake Me When It's Time To Go Home

I have to admire the loyalty some people show at their workplaces in the face of raging bosses, irate customers or impossible production quotas. There are many people I know who have been at their jobs for twenty or thirty years despite constantly being pressured to do better. Maybe that's a comfort thing for some, to do their best to please someone else, or maybe they have been doing the same thing for so long that it scares them to think of making a change. I guess I'm wishing I was more like the ones who find a niche in being under scrutiny, then maybe I wouldn't be so emotionally exhausted all the time.

In the entertainment world you don't have to look far to find examples of company loyalty. My favorite has got to be Scotty, from Star Trek. How many times did Kirk give a seemingly impossible task to his engineer, knowing that somehow he'd pull it off? Just once I would have liked to have seen this unfold on the show:

"Kirk to Enterprise; Scotty, we're stuck on this planet about to get destroyed. We need that transporter fixed now! If you can't fix it in the next two minutes you're fired."

Three minutes later
"Kirk to Enterprise; Scotty, it's now or never, have you fixed the transporter?"
"Enterprise to Captain Kirk; Chekov here sir. Mr Scott couldn't get the transporter working and considered himself fired. He took a shuttle craft and went home."

I think it's a good thing Scotty was so devoted to his engines, Kirk, and Mr. Roddenberry. Somehow I don't think an ending where Scotty is seen relaxing in his shuttlecraft seat while singing "Take this job and shove it" would have been gotten him his own spinoff show.

How about Beetle Bailey, who has suffered countless whompings from Sarge for years and years but keeps re-enlisting, evidently. Maybe that not loyalty though, closer to masochism.

Or the Maytag repairman. Surely he could have taken a job with another appliance manufacturer, one whose products break down a little more often. At least he'd have something to keep him occupied and wouldn't have to humiliate himself playing Richie Cunningham's father, Mr.C. But, he did get to hang with The Fonze when The Fonze was cool so maybe it was worth it. Wait... Fonzie wasn't that cool.

Anyway, here's to all those hard working people who love their jobs no matter how much they hate them.

2 Comments:

Blogger Michelle's Spell said...

Hey Tim,

I hear you, buddy! I also admire loyalty above many other qualities being a Taurus. But I'm also not above making a leap every now and again -- turning over the chess board as my friend Hank used to say during his unhappy/happy all too brief life. So here's to all of it -- the Maytag repairman and everyone else!

10:49 PM  
Blogger Michelle's Spell said...

Happy Thanksgiving, Tim!

11:47 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home