Thursday, May 22, 2008
APTITUDE or ATTITUDE or NOT?
APTITUDE or ATTITUDE or NOT?
I have an inquiring mind. I would never make it in a factory working “piece-work”…….as so many do or have done in this area. Small companies making everything from ball-caps to small engine parts. We have had Lee’s jeans, shirt factories, shoe factory and Rawlings where they made all of the balls and gear for major leaguers. Those were the good old days. They went out of business long ago as they were eventually moved on to Haiti, Mexico and so on.
Most of the folks who worked those jobs had to take an Aptitude Test. It didn’t matter if they finished high school or not….they wanted people to step up and be able to cut, sew or glue shoes, basket balls or head gear. It’s amazing how many people can be without intelligence but score high on “aptitude.” In a few days they’re cutting leather, sewing dozens of bills onto caps…..well, you get the idea.
Now this doesn’t sound too bad until you get into the mechanics of “working on the line.” Where people score very high in aptitude most will fall down with attitude. By that I mean, a good attitude. After a person begins to feel like they know what they’re doing they become aware of a few flaws in their production possibilities.
It is apparent there is a cast system and one has to pay his dues, so to speak. The supervisor has “pets” and they don’t like new people. The supervisor makes sure their pals get the breaks and the “newbies” get the shaft. In the winter the large building is cold and in the summers, it’s hot. Comfort isn’t built into factory work.
Well, I said I had an inquiring mind and though I’ve never worked in a factory, I’ve sure talked to a lot of folks that have. Around here the men who can’t find work elsewhere end up working in the local walnut factory. At times I go by the buildings and the guys will be eating lunch outside under an awning. I don’t know what keeps them coming back because their work is dangerous and miserable and they don’t make that much money to offset it.
When I think of what they put up with for the little they get, I wonder what a Paris Hilton would do if desensitized in a poverty area like ours. Would she work in a factory to make things better for her children, at those wages and conditions? OK, now we’re on the home stretch…..the attitude part of this. I’ve known poor people with good and bad attitudes and I’ve known wealthy people with good and bad attitudes…….in short, anyone can have an attitude…..and most of us have more than we need.
Where the rubber meets the road is…..what about a person’s aptitudes? My dictionary says the meaning of aptitude is: A natural or acquired talent or ability; inclination. Quickness in learning and understanding; intelligence. The state or quality of being fitting; appropriateness. I’m no psychologist or brain surgeon but I think I would rather have a big dose of aptitude and have the brains and good manners to have a decent attitude to go with it. Being poor or wealthy doesn’t divide the two……it’s a matter of who we were, who we are and what we hope to become. “Pay forward” as they say and always give a helping hand.
Essentially Esther
I have an inquiring mind. I would never make it in a factory working “piece-work”…….as so many do or have done in this area. Small companies making everything from ball-caps to small engine parts. We have had Lee’s jeans, shirt factories, shoe factory and Rawlings where they made all of the balls and gear for major leaguers. Those were the good old days. They went out of business long ago as they were eventually moved on to Haiti, Mexico and so on.
Most of the folks who worked those jobs had to take an Aptitude Test. It didn’t matter if they finished high school or not….they wanted people to step up and be able to cut, sew or glue shoes, basket balls or head gear. It’s amazing how many people can be without intelligence but score high on “aptitude.” In a few days they’re cutting leather, sewing dozens of bills onto caps…..well, you get the idea.
Now this doesn’t sound too bad until you get into the mechanics of “working on the line.” Where people score very high in aptitude most will fall down with attitude. By that I mean, a good attitude. After a person begins to feel like they know what they’re doing they become aware of a few flaws in their production possibilities.
It is apparent there is a cast system and one has to pay his dues, so to speak. The supervisor has “pets” and they don’t like new people. The supervisor makes sure their pals get the breaks and the “newbies” get the shaft. In the winter the large building is cold and in the summers, it’s hot. Comfort isn’t built into factory work.
Well, I said I had an inquiring mind and though I’ve never worked in a factory, I’ve sure talked to a lot of folks that have. Around here the men who can’t find work elsewhere end up working in the local walnut factory. At times I go by the buildings and the guys will be eating lunch outside under an awning. I don’t know what keeps them coming back because their work is dangerous and miserable and they don’t make that much money to offset it.
When I think of what they put up with for the little they get, I wonder what a Paris Hilton would do if desensitized in a poverty area like ours. Would she work in a factory to make things better for her children, at those wages and conditions? OK, now we’re on the home stretch…..the attitude part of this. I’ve known poor people with good and bad attitudes and I’ve known wealthy people with good and bad attitudes…….in short, anyone can have an attitude…..and most of us have more than we need.
Where the rubber meets the road is…..what about a person’s aptitudes? My dictionary says the meaning of aptitude is: A natural or acquired talent or ability; inclination. Quickness in learning and understanding; intelligence. The state or quality of being fitting; appropriateness. I’m no psychologist or brain surgeon but I think I would rather have a big dose of aptitude and have the brains and good manners to have a decent attitude to go with it. Being poor or wealthy doesn’t divide the two……it’s a matter of who we were, who we are and what we hope to become. “Pay forward” as they say and always give a helping hand.
Essentially Esther
