Peg in the Machine

What would you do if your workplace had an undress code — you know, a dress code but it said you had (or could) go naked?

If you’re like many people you’re picturing your co-workers naked right now, and probably thinking how to get that image out of your head — if not, you are now.  But I’ll add the important distinction between “naked” and this type:  you can wear an apron, provided by the company (yet it’s yours alone – you get to keep it), that will cover up everything but your shoulders and your butt.  Bending over is at your own risk (think hospital gown, with less upper back coverage).

And let’s say that’s your retail uniform (those in offices may be allowed to go completely naked if they so desire).

But your workplace gives you a few conditions and just general information about the policy (assuming it’ll be legal and without repercussions):

1. No commenting about size, poking, touching, or anything else that you wouldn’t do if the people were dressed (sexual harassment policy still stands).  And a security officer will be on hand during work to take care of any problem customers (yep, they touch — they get charged).
2. You won’t be seen by people outside if you don’t want to be (dark front windows or something to block on-lookers if the town requires, otherwise you’ll be put in the back and “hidden”).
3. A check-in person (fully clothed) will notify all people that employees are “naked”, and let them decide whether to enter (if required by the town)
4. All employees will be 21 or older (or 18 — but they will be adults)
5. You will be paid a living wage (not min. wage), benefits, and everything else of a normal job, you just have an “undress code” instead of a “dress code”
6. Shoes (“flip-flop”, “thongs” or even regular shoes) will be allowed and recommended to prevent injury — and all employees will be told to use their own town when sitting on furniture.
7. A safe place will be provided for your clothes (since you won’t be driving to work that way), and any personal effects
8. All security tapes will only be reviewed by naked people, who are so around the other employees, and only seen by police with a warrant (so it’s “fair” — no clothed people will get to stare at the “naked” ones).
9. All employees are given 5 days where they can be partially dressed, or otherwise “hidden” from the main area, no questions asked, for any “personal” reasons.
10. You’ll have the option of wearing a company-logo apron that covers everything but your shoulders and butt.

Sound really weird?  Perhaps, of course if you search for “Lush’s Green Days” you’ll find just this, if even just for a day (and they’re in the USA too!)  But think of it this way, it’s just the dress code – only instead of saying “business casual” or “khakis and red shirt” they’re saying “naked with an apron optional”.  There would be positions within the company that you had to wear clothing for safety if nothing else (like shipping/receiving, cooking, etc).

But here’s the question — if you knew this in advance, answer these questions:

Would you:

• Shop there, or do business with the company? (keep in mind, there’d be men and women working there — of course given business practices, probably more women on the floor than men overall)
• Apply for a position there, and if so, in the “naked” part, or clothed part?

Apparently in the State of Washington there’s a pizza joint whose employees accidently left the heat turned on 55ºF one night — only to be told the next day that “no one can turn the heat on now”.

It was said by employees that the temperatures inside the store drop to below freezing when it’s cold outside, because the exhaust fan is really good at sending the oven heat out of the store.

The reporters sent to the store said it was 55ºF inside when they arrived, but noticed something interesting: the real boss had a space heater in her room to keep warm.

If true, that the place gets really cold in the winter and such, it’s a very sad thing to think that a business would even consider making workers do their jobs in freezing and cold temperatures (especially since they weren’t hired to work in a freezer or other extreme temperature place [which do have requirements for working in them]). While some may find 55ºF comfortable, there’s probably more that consider that to be “chilly” or even “cold” let alone below freezing temps. It should be unthinkable to force employees to work in such temps when there’s no reason for it. And there, sadly, needs to be laws passed now to specify temps for working conditions — at least in ranges to give businesses some room for flexibility.

But even from a general business standpoint: how is having your workplace potentially being freezing good for bringing in customers from the “cold”? And better yet, exactly what does it do for the pizzas? Can you imagine making food at home, then immediately putting it from the oven to the freezer for, say, 10 minutes? Is that really going to to be hot and delicious pizza — or some luke-warm one?

When people spend more time debating about religion’s place in government, or even  whether or not the United States of America is considered a Christian nation or not (despite, say, the constitution not mentioning God, saying there can’t be a test for public offices, and a document outright saying it’s not a Christian nation), this time of year leads to one of the biggest controversies in a sense that people get all bent out of shape about:  “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas”

Now when you really think about it, one has to wonder — exactly why is it that people complain?  In December there’s Chanukah (Hanukkah), Advent, New Years Eve, some even say Kwanzaa and Festivus, winter solstice — and Christmas (and probably a number more holidays). When someone says “happy holidays” they’re including every holiday in December, for every person and whatever beliefs they may have. When they say “Merry Christmas” they’re leaving out all the holidays but one. Yet people think that “happy holidays” is an attack against Christianity — when it’s really an attack on everything but Christianity.

Just as with everything in life, it’s all based on perceptions.

Tons of sports, parades, activities, food, and having to deal with your family.  Yeah you love them, but sometimes you want to smack them too.

We hope you survived it unscathed.

One thing about humans — they’ll screw over, kill, maim, injure, or torture others for the name of the money. Got a sale on toys or TVs? Kill anyone who gets in your way! Break through the doors, take them off hinges, knock over anyone, punch them in the face!

All in the name of Christmas…. and religious folk would probably say Christmas has something to do with Jesus – love and peace… yet it seems clear for many. The lord and savior is money. Money, money, money. Can’t get enough of it. Worship it, give it offerings of more money to the money — keep the money satisfied. And defend the money with violence! Money demands violence to appease it’s soul.

Or so it’d seem. When money becomes so important that people would become violent, or even injure or kill (even if by accident) another human for it….. it’s time to really rethink and reevaluate things.

Perhaps one of the worst things for community and society as a whole is when schools have to cut programs and courses due to budget cuts — or for that matter have to let teachers go because there’s no money to keep them.

Ever wonder about this? You have schools that are meant to give an education to people for, as people believe, to give people information to become successful in life.

But that’s not exactly true. What schools do, or at least once budget cuts come into play, is to give people an education that keeps the students just smart enough to do basic things (like manual labor), but not smart enough to realize that they’re being screwed over and are really just slaves to the rich. Don’t think so? How many “poor” people do you know that are in positions of power that make the laws of the land? Running the company that pays you (small business owners excluded to an extent)?

The laws of the land are made by the elite and rich. The people in the land are “poor” and “common”. Strange don’t you think that the people who “know the people” probably make more in a few months than your family does in a year — and spends time between their multiple houses while you wonder if you can afford to take a vacation.?

But as long as the schools keep the people just dumb enough not to think and be a good peg, the machine stays together and keeps on popping out more pegs to build a bigger machine. And the rich send their kids to schools that the public can’t afford, that way they’re taught things that actually count or matter. Then these kids grow up, run businesses, enter politics, and keep the system in check by keeping the others in line.

There are times a person has to wonder…. are funds cut to schools because there really aren’t funds, and there’s no money to give to them —- or are the funds cut because the money’s diverted to businesses and people who have things to gain by keeping the masses “dumb”?

So what happens if you’ve got a brain hemorrhage, or other problem in your brain, that mirrors the symptoms of being “drunk” — such as stumbling or having problems talking?

Well if the police are cutting costs, and even the people who examine you (and don’t smell/see signs of intoxication) don’t step up, you’ll end up tossed in a jail cell where you’ll spend a number of your last hours, until relocated to a hospital where you could most likely die from lack of treatment.

(see: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1087394/Man-severe-brain-condition-died-locked-cell-drunk.html?ITO=1490)

How likely is it to happen? Who really knows. The chances of having a brain hemorrhage in the first place wouldn’t be that likely, and then the chances of being on the streets or someplace where they’d call the police instead of an ambulance would lessen that. But it having the possibility of happening is about as scary in a sense as waking up during surgery and feeling them cut into you.

Sarcasm is lost on the internet.

You could say “But she really loves you!” — yet online you can’t tell if I mean that to mean that she really does love you, or, she hates you and wants you to die a horrible, horrible death many times over. Sometimes, even when surrounded by other text, you still have no clue.

Just because a man’s smart and good enough to keep his true opinions out of public knowledge, doesn’t mean he believes what he says.

Chants aren’t what you believe they are.  You can get the same good feeling by chanting virtually anything in a crowd where there’s a catchy beat.

Try “broccoli is good.” (especially like “broc coli is good”).  It’s just a little hypnotic like state that makes you gullible and open to blindly beliece whatever follows the chant.