Does anyone have anything to say about the level of apathy and total lack of care going on in this country on EVERYTHING these days? I'll use the photo business as a microcosm to support my point.
There was a time when we were young that everything mattered and I was taught by my parents to do everything to excellence whether it be competing in an event, doing my HW, cleaning my room, or taking out the trash. Do it to excellence! Care about what you do.
I bring this up, because here I am on snowy Saturday filling print orders where there is absolutely no care given to the way an order form is filled out. Everything is rushed and I can't read a thing. I get parents that don't bother to even fill in their child's name on personalized products like trading cards and don't know their child's coach's name, jersey number, or team name. And I know they are seeing these blank fields because they are filling it in with question marks. Uh... could you maybe ASK THEM ?? Seriously. If everything is going to be left blank, why are you even ordering trading cards? Baffling.
I get addresses filled out in haste where I can't read a street name or zip. Towns are left off the form, zips aren't important, sometimes zip numbers are wrong, and I even have had a few orders where the child's name is spelled wrong and they ordered a memory mate. Listen, I'm well aware of how annoying it can be filling out forms at work, or at the doctor's office, or at the DMV... I get that. But this is different. This is a product you ordered. Why wouldn't one take special care and be especially vigilant when filling out the address to ensure the proper delivery?
Also, I guess capitilization in this country is no longer important because parents that place online orders, don't capitalize anything anymore. I have to take it on myself to capitalize the child's name on any posters that are ordered. I mean, does it take that much longer to press the caps lock? I just don't get it. So sad.
And to those that do fill out these forms to excellence, making sure to print each and every letter neatly within each box and filling out every field to completion... I applaud you. I know with 100% certainty that your children will grow up to be outstanding young men and women exercising the same care, attention to detail, and excellence as you have during their formative years.
I would change your subject line to "Few people care anymore."
And, yes, I think it's true. I think the notion of doing one's best at EVERYTHING one days ... and doing it with as much care and concern for others as possible ... is a way of life that seems to be falling through the cracks.
There are exceptions, of course. Among corporations, Apple is an exception. Among retailers, Bed, Bath and Beyond seems to be an exception. Among camera gear makers, Canon is an exception when it comes to service.
But in my everyday life, I find so much lack of care and so much incompetence that I truly wonder how our world is functioning each day. Maybe it isn't.
My son-in-law and I have had the same conversation over and over again that begins with the statement, "I can't help but wonder how some people manage to hold onto their jobs. They do the work so poorly!"
No need for “Grammar”…the next generation of communication is the “Text Message”.
Back when the written language was begun, there were specific needs for accuracy in the written language because of the “need” for an accurate method of accounting for goods traded between peoples. The first evidences of (civilization). Education for these individuals was a necessity.
Education gives individuals a sense of self worth. Education has now become a joke, no need to go into any detail here. The “Top of the Class” is now displayed proudly on bumper stickers, graduates are lacking in basic skills.
What you are seeing is the effect of “Outcome Based Education” coming home.
I don’t watch ABC, CBS, NBC,… (except for events like sports), haven’t in 15 years maybe. When the promos for their evening and coming events is aired, I find it very alien to the America I grew up in.
There is a significant degree of laziness in this country. Not many individuals take pride in their work anymore. I can relate to what your parent's told you because my father always told me "If you are going to to anything, do it well". In my humble opinion, the United States has been sitting on it's laurels for sometime now. Last time I looked, we were ranked 34th in Math, relative to other countries. Infant mortality rate is also shameful.
Until we finally realize that the world is passing us up, it will only get worse. Many look to athletes as role models. However, the behavior of most popular athletes on and off the field is appalling. I can go on and on, but I won't. So you are not alone in this sentiment. All I have to say is " Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio " ?
+1 to what Paul has observed. My sympathies go out to you Paul. I know what you are going thru in trying to decipher all that code.
To me, I don't think that people don't care anymore but a lot of them have a hard time with the hand written word. How many people do you really know nowadays that can write in cursive or even in legible block letters and with proper grammar and spelling? Too much dependency on the computer keyboard and auto spell and auto correct. When was the last time you saw a writing class being offered in school?
I work for a school district as my full time job and have seen most of the kids and their parents have a hard time with hand written correspondences, be it in grammar, spelling or penmanship. It's not hard for me to be in disbelief when I shoot T&I and look at how terribly the forms are filled out.
Paul....I scratch my head and wonder the same thing all the time. The order forms I get back are the same exact way you mentioned. And one thing I committed to; if the lab or I mess up an order I will re order at my expense if necessary but if there is an error because the lab couldn't interpret their writing or because of blanks....it's on them. I see so many trading cards that come back with blanks. I mean....why bother.
I just got a call 2 weeks ago from the president of the mini football league I do the T&I for....for pictures that I shot in September. He said Mrs. so & so called him because she didn't get her pictures. So I checked all my order forms....well guess what - she didn't order any. She has two kids...she ordered for one and not the other. I said have her look in her check book ledger for Check # XXXX and she'll see.
Or I love it when a parent sends their young kid over with an empty order envelope so you look for the parent...no where to be found....ask the coach where the parent is and he points to the concession stand and there she is with a 32 ounce coffee from Dunkin Donuts and she's lighting a cigarette with another cigarette.
I also see this in the workplace. Young kids right out of college....don't give a damn about anything and it's like they are owed something and they have nothing to prove. As long as there is cell phone in hand and they can text....life is good.
See that...I should have said the same thing as Tom and Bryan....but you hit a nerve and you know the rest....But you are right on with your assessment...
My wife is a speech pathologist for a public high school. I'm astounded at how often she says parents simply don't show up for meetings to discuss the kid's evaluations, progress (or lack of), etc.
Sidebar: I knew there was a reason I've avoided league T&I. Paul, to have to deal with what you describe would kill the enjoyment of photography for me.
There are some that still care. Not enough that do express themselves because they are tired of getten beat up. Seems that a minority view on things has the power over the majority. Many political leaders, CEOs and other so called leaders are are joke.
Sports seem to take precedence over everything else. Parents take their kids out of school for travel teams because that is more important. I am not a fan of the University of Michigan (one of the top ten over rated schools in the country) but the example I like to use is that on the same day their football team wins the Rose Bowl their medical program finds a cure for cancer. On the front page of the paper what do you think the headline would be? "UM wins Rose Bowl". On page 3D you will find an article about the cancer cure.
The thing that really makes me wonder about this Country is that people will wait in line for two or three days to get tickets or a TV for half price but they will not wait 15 minutes to talk to their children's teachers.
We all agree this is not right! What we do is what our children see and is what they will mimic going into their adulthood. The question remains: what are we each doing to correct the behavior? We will not solve world peace here but maybe an appropriate dent now and then to point out what should have been obvious would help remind those not showing care that the rest of the world is watching.
Should we re-considered returning one or two of those forms marked up with insufficient data?
When I was a little league umpire, I heard this comment from a kid to his coach: "Why should I run harder...we are all going to get a trophy at the end of the season?"
I understand your frustration. Looking at a load of forms in front of me and cringing what I am going to see.
To your first point; you have good parents that taught you that excellence was a priority. This is evident to me in your photographic work.
Unfortunately its not something most American or Canadian parents teach. Simple answer is there is too much going on. Both parents are working to keep it together, neither with enough time at the end of the day to do anything properly. Its really an issue with success. Most people define success by a dollar amount.
How do you define "SUCCESS"?
Is it by how many photos you sell versus the quality of the photos. For me with everything I do I am not concerned as much with pleasing the client, as I am with myself. I have a standard set for myself that I need to meet with what I do. I am not the best but I do my best to achieve excellence.
Excellence is a habit, its practiced, and its passed down from generation to generation. A quote I always refer when I coach is "Winning is and Attitude"; so is excellence.
Keep up your great work, we are all fortunate on FM to learn from your commitment to excellence.
Paul,
You are so right it is more sad than pathetic. As a father of three I feel fortune that each of them continue to surpass our own hire standards that my wife and I try to instill with thee advanced degrees and much volunteering between the two of us.
The most sad and unfortunate part is that the kids of these "Everyday Challenged" parents don't have much chance to even reach the same level of incompetence as they are the by product receiving the same apathetic approach to their responsibility to parenting.
i make my living as a healthcare professional...not as a photog, tho' i would have that differently.
you are preaching to the "choir".
i have family members that i deal w/ daily that do not have a clue. even after i/ the rehab team has
educated them about the status of the 'loved' one.
it is a hard thing to do.
i/ we, work very hard to do the best i/we can for my clients/patients...get a photo, pass on the status, etc.
all we can do is to continue to care and produce the best we can.
in the end, it is what matters to us.
hope i am not off base w/ my comments here.
B
