Hold, Please.
Earlier this morning on the news they were talking about how our economy was moving toward a service based industry. (This news on the same day that our space shuttle program runs its last mission nonetheless. ::sob::) The coining of our economy as service-based — this is usually a bad sign. It generally means there isn’t as much of a call for technical professionals. It means we’ve kind of lost our edge. We don’t produce anything anymore. We’re no longer on the edge of any technology. It means the most average people can aspire to is wearing a paper cap and asking, “Would you like fries with that?” or perhaps, “¿Te gustaría fritas con eso?”
Yep – we’re finally there folks! I would like to say at least we have tech support jobs, but all of those jobs have been farmed out to India. I know this because I recently had to talk to someone in India to get the power cord on my laptop replaced. We can’t even do *that* in this country. It’s sad.
I also find it fascinating how unemployment in the U.S. is up considerably, but every time we go to a fast food place or have any work done on our house – my husband and I see nothing but Mexican immigrants (some of them I’m sure are illegal) doing these jobs. They work for cheap and most Americans are too proud (or too lazy, not sure which) to work hard labor at those prices. Evidently — otherwise there wouldn’t be so much unemployment, would there?
So since we’re in a rapid decline and we’re all destined to work at the customer service desk (at some point), I’d like to make a request.
Can we do something about the awful hold music on everyone’s phone systems and in their waiting rooms? It’s either Frank Sinatra (making me feel like I’m sitting at Olive Garden), big band music (I don’t think there are still living fans of that era), awful jazz, or Rod Stewart who wasn’t even cool at his peak. Or they play that scary Christian-sounding rock music that only a fourteen-year-old-girl can love. At least if we’re all destined to live our lives serving each other we could find it in our hearts to not force our fellow man to listen to bad hold and waiting-room music.
That’s all I’m asking…
2 Comments
Morgan Drake Eckstein
No, they will not hire me in food service because I used to make more than their current staff. And I don’t know enough Spanish to communicate with the crew.
Steph
My friend Brad just told me the same thing. Said he couldn’t even get a job at McDonalds because he was over-qualified and couldn’t speak Spanish. That’s messed up.