9/20/2004
My Own Personal "Office Space"
So I got a part-time job filling in as a temporary writer at a county-run public service-type place. It's totally "Office Space," too. Cubicle farm, flourescent light flickering that sickly yellow color, everything beige, posters with a lovely picture of the ocean and the word "Strength" at the bottom, that sort of thing. Oh, and the general feeling of oppressive malaise and regret.
So instead of writing about what it's like to work there, I'm going to post an informative newspaper article about a place that is similar -- yet legally and distinctly separate -- to the office that I'm working in.
Area Workplace's 'Diversity' Poster Provokes Eye-Rolling
(Portland, OR)
According to workers at the area Kinko's Copy Center in downtown Portland, the poster in the employee lounge promoting the positive effects of diversity evokes nothing but sarcastic eye-rolling.
"It's so ridiculous," said Kinko's worker Tim Sproul. "The picture on this poster has like 6 people on it and they're hanging out or something. There's a white guy, a black lady, an older Hispanic man, a Chinese woman, a guy in a wheelchair, and an Indian guy. And apparently they're on their way to the gym or something because the guy in the wheelchair is holding a basketball. And they all have these big cheesy smiles on like they're the best of friends. This is by far one of the stupidest things I have ever seen."
Under the large photograph of the group runs the words "Diversity -- It's Our Game!"
Office manager Shawn Hollings sees this poster and others like it as positive, uplifting message for the employees. The employees see the poster as a painful reminder of how out of touch Hollings is.
"Never in my life have I seen a group of people like this hanging out," said Jennifer Colton, another employee at the Portland Kinko's. "It's like it's a picture from another dimension or stock photography from the scary fictitious land of the politically correct. The more I look at this poster, the more it makes me want to put my fist through the wall."
Loren Wester, the only African-American and minority working at this Kinko's, also expressed his utter hatred for the poster. "I'm all for diversity," he said. "But the fact is, people hang around other people who are like them and share the same experiences as them. I can't image one plausible reason on God's green earth that this group of people would be spending time with each other, let alone be on their way to a basketball game. Really. A white guy and a black lady, sure. I could see that. I could see an Indian guy and a Chinese woman. But let me tell you: never in the history of the world has a white guy, a black lady, a older Hispanic man, a Chinese woman, an Indian guy, and a guy in a wheelchair ever formed a spontaneous friendship over a pick-up game of basketball. The whole concept makes me ill."
The employees plan to continue to make fun of not only the posters that Hollings puts up, but also Hollings himself. Ironically, the complete hatred for the pandering message of the poster has brought the employees closer together.
"It seems our absolute disdain for this mawkish poster has caused us to talk to one another, whereas before everyone just sort of kept to themselves," said Wester.
As for Hollings, he plans to continue posting what he calls "Positive Life Messages" in the employee lounge. "I think a poster like this one gives us all a goal. It's like last month's poster of the little kitty hanging from the tree limb with the caption 'Hang In There.' It really makes you think, 'You know what? If that little kitty can hang in there, then so can I.' And the diversity poster makes you think, 'From now on, I will make diversity my game.'"
So instead of writing about what it's like to work there, I'm going to post an informative newspaper article about a place that is similar -- yet legally and distinctly separate -- to the office that I'm working in.
Area Workplace's 'Diversity' Poster Provokes Eye-Rolling
(Portland, OR)
According to workers at the area Kinko's Copy Center in downtown Portland, the poster in the employee lounge promoting the positive effects of diversity evokes nothing but sarcastic eye-rolling.
"It's so ridiculous," said Kinko's worker Tim Sproul. "The picture on this poster has like 6 people on it and they're hanging out or something. There's a white guy, a black lady, an older Hispanic man, a Chinese woman, a guy in a wheelchair, and an Indian guy. And apparently they're on their way to the gym or something because the guy in the wheelchair is holding a basketball. And they all have these big cheesy smiles on like they're the best of friends. This is by far one of the stupidest things I have ever seen."
Under the large photograph of the group runs the words "Diversity -- It's Our Game!"
Office manager Shawn Hollings sees this poster and others like it as positive, uplifting message for the employees. The employees see the poster as a painful reminder of how out of touch Hollings is.
"Never in my life have I seen a group of people like this hanging out," said Jennifer Colton, another employee at the Portland Kinko's. "It's like it's a picture from another dimension or stock photography from the scary fictitious land of the politically correct. The more I look at this poster, the more it makes me want to put my fist through the wall."
Loren Wester, the only African-American and minority working at this Kinko's, also expressed his utter hatred for the poster. "I'm all for diversity," he said. "But the fact is, people hang around other people who are like them and share the same experiences as them. I can't image one plausible reason on God's green earth that this group of people would be spending time with each other, let alone be on their way to a basketball game. Really. A white guy and a black lady, sure. I could see that. I could see an Indian guy and a Chinese woman. But let me tell you: never in the history of the world has a white guy, a black lady, a older Hispanic man, a Chinese woman, an Indian guy, and a guy in a wheelchair ever formed a spontaneous friendship over a pick-up game of basketball. The whole concept makes me ill."
The employees plan to continue to make fun of not only the posters that Hollings puts up, but also Hollings himself. Ironically, the complete hatred for the pandering message of the poster has brought the employees closer together.
"It seems our absolute disdain for this mawkish poster has caused us to talk to one another, whereas before everyone just sort of kept to themselves," said Wester.
As for Hollings, he plans to continue posting what he calls "Positive Life Messages" in the employee lounge. "I think a poster like this one gives us all a goal. It's like last month's poster of the little kitty hanging from the tree limb with the caption 'Hang In There.' It really makes you think, 'You know what? If that little kitty can hang in there, then so can I.' And the diversity poster makes you think, 'From now on, I will make diversity my game.'"
