Funny Ironies of Life...

A few of stories to share about the ironies of life:

About 13 years go when I was an undergraduate student in Psychology, I had a part-time job working at a sort of half-way house for patients diagnosed with Schizophrenia that did not require hospitalization (they were somewhat functional in society). The first week I started this job, I met one of the staff members, a co-worker, that commented to me that "everything in this house is accounted for. Everything in the kitchen, all the tools around the house, I even know how much money each resident has." (So don't steal anything, Latin guy!) Okay, I added that last part, but trust me when I tell you based on his tone and body language, that was the message being sent to me. Maybe he told this to everyone who started working there, regardless of ethnicity or race, I don't know!

Anyway, the ironic part was I never really got a chance to work with him because a few days later the police came out to the half-way house and arrested him because one of the young male residents complained that he had been molesting him.

2nd story:

And about 9 years ago I was working in the Psychology Department at the University of Arizona (Tucson) on a research study. I was working with a PhD student who regularly came to the research lab dressed in blue jeans and t-shirts. Nothing wrong with that. However, I prefer to dress up on the job, even if the atmosphere allows for blue jeans. So I would wear dress slacks and a polo shirt or dress shirt to the office most days. Some days University students would come into the lab to participate in a research study and quite regularly they would mistake me for the PhD student and not my co-worker. I suppose it could have been because I looked more professional or it could have been because I am a man and she a woman, but her solution was to tell me the following one day: "Daniel, you need to start dressing down around the lab. Because when students come into the lab, they are mistaking you for the PhD student and I don't see why I should have to dress up in my own office on my own research study!"

Another Tucson story (Tucson has provided a lot of irony & comic relief in my life, thanks Tucson!) -

I went on a job interview not long after I had graduated with my Bachelor's degree in psychology, at an assisted living home for the elderly. I had previously worked at a group home for adolescents and for schizophrenics, plus volunteered previously at a VA Center working with PTSD patients (mostly Vietnam Vets), so I thought working with this population would round me out quite nicely.

So, I'm at the job interview, being interviewed by a panel of three (two men & a woman, all white by the way). We are only about 2 minutes into the interview, one of the guys is looking at my resume and asks where I went to school to get my degree. It was printed very clearly on the resume, but I told him anyway. "But here it doesn't say you went to a branch campus, you just have the main University listed." I reply that I took classes at both the main campus and a branch. "Well, I don't feel comfortable hiring someone who is lying on their resume about where they went to school."

I sat there a few seconds, trying to perceive what was happening here. Clearly I had not lied or deceived neither on my resume or from anything that had came out of my mouth. I don't like to "go there" but as I looked across the panel of three, I could now perceive a very hostile atmosphere and looks of death coming from the two guys. The woman on the panel looked about as confused as I did, even looking down at the guy that had asked the question, with a "WTF?" expression on her face.

I held my gaze over the panel of three for what seemed like several seconds, but was actually probably one or two, then I said, "Oh, I see..." and I stood up, said "Well, ya'll have a nice day" in a country accent (pokin' fun at them a bit) and I let myself out. I did notice that as I was getting ready to walk out, the woman had a very angry look on her face directed at the two guys. So, the idealist in me likes to think that she complained to someone and those guys were reprimanded in some way, but probably not! LOL

I think it's pretty clear that I was what is known as a "token interview" - they had to document that they interviewed a diverse group before picking someone white for the job. Actually, you might think I'd be bitter about such a thing, but I'd rather not waste my time in an interview and certainly wouldn't want to work for a company where this type of thinking is pervasive. The world might indeed be a crappy place, but some places (and some towns, yes you Tucson), are crappier than others!