[Humour] Have you stopped giving a toss?

[hart's shirt]

“We all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.”
- Marcus Aurelius

 

[Peteinblack]

I find it most amusing to wonder how you would get on with those tasks if said administrators weren’t there. As who would be doing them? You guys instead of doing your research and teaching? The jobs don’t disappear.

A lot of the work dumped on academics is created by administrators to justify their jobs - tasks we have managed to do without for years, but have now become a requirement which academics have to meet. So we suspend our teaching and research to fill in another form or write another report ... about our teaching and research, to keep the newly-appointed Assistant Deputy Dean of Teaching or College Director of Research happy.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

You're magnificent when you're angry Harold

I think @Harry Wilson's tackle just sounds ‘unprofessional’ and ‘offensive’ myself……

 

[Peteinblack]

That said, as I get older I may actually be mellowing. Twenty years ago was sent tomfoolery (inviting me to explore new college web pages on upscaling student experience fulfillment quality assurance, or somesuch bolleaux). I asked why I should do this and they invited me to explore the New college fulfillment experience directorate web page to find out why. I responded with 'am I here for your benefit or are you here for mine?'. I was sent an email demanding an apology, ccd to the Principle of the University. Christ. My reply was one of those ambiguous constructs, acknowledging their 'extraordinary contribution' etc. They seemed happy with that.

LOL! Yes, I was rude via a Reply-All to an equally rude round-robin email sent by a universally disliked and arrogant senior Professor few years ago.

He replied that unless I apologised, via Reply-All, he would report me to HR.

So I replied "I apologise for any offence my email caused you, and which may have tarnished your esteemed world-renowned reputation, and the high regard and reverence with which your colleagues universally hold you."

He was too pompous to discern the irony of my 'apology', but everyone else found it hilarious, the more so because he didn't see the piss-take.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

After a particularly lengthy standoff between my dogs and a black and white cat on this mornings stroll, I sang, (out loud), "you've seen the cat now f*** off home" X2. I then walked off chuckling to myself at how witty I am, while dragging the dogs behind. All this happened next to a bus stop with two humans looking on.
Do we stop caring so much about what others think as we get older, or is it just me?

In your litter tray slums shirely?

 

[zefarelly]

I have to confess a choked up when I saw Bon Jovi save that woman on the bridge. Whilst his music is still offensive, I love people giving a shit

There is a difference between giving a shit about shit that really doesn't matter . . . And caring/having a conciense.

The antithesis of this, being someone like Trump.

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

Sadly we are overrun with administrators. I have spent 3 months trying to sort out a PhD studentship with around 10 different people in charge of different aspects (programme approval, funding approval, contracts) of paperwork only to find that all the changes in the badly written draft I requested to be fixed weren't made. I pointed out that the title of the project is not in English. Turns out my modeler collaborator has had no access to college emails for 3 months. And nobody noticed. Turns out also that mentioning that something isn't in English (along with some other comments such as 'this isn't so much a PhD project as a technical exercise' along with good suggestions for resolution) is 'offensive'. Well, f*** that.

Separately we have an important requirement to manage students who appeal their degree result, or the outcome of a disciplinary hearing. This is all managed by administrators. They send repeated emails asking for volunteers to sit on the ad hoc committees. When we reply we are sent an automatic passive-aggressive reply saying they will 'endeavour' (big Morse fans, obviously) to reply in a week. Then they send more hand-wringy emails about need for volunteers. I commented that it would help if they turned their permanent 'out of office' message off and actually managed the process by replying to individuals in a timely and efficient manner. I was accused of being abusive (in a reply that was sent more than seven days after my email). I tried to explain the difference between a reasonable degree of exasperation and abuse. I have yet to receive a reply. Apparently these people are very busy. My job is research and teaching - a rather unimportant aspect of university activity today, it would seem.

Deluded entitled ****s the lot of them.

That said, as I get older I may actually be mellowing. Twenty years ago was sent tomfoolery (inviting me to explore new college web pages on upscaling student experience fulfillment quality assurance, or somesuch bolleaux). I asked why I should do this and they invited me to explore the New college fulfillment experience directorate web page to find out why. I responded with 'am I here for your benefit or are you here for mine?'. I was sent an email demanding an apology, ccd to the Principle of the University. Christ. My reply was one of those ambiguous constructs, acknowledging their 'extraordinary contribution' etc. They seemed happy with that.

****s

but apart from that …

 

[maffew]

After a particularly lengthy standoff between my dogs and a black and white cat on this mornings stroll, I sang, (out loud), "you've seen the cat now f*** off home" X2. I then walked off chuckling to myself at how witty I am, while dragging the dogs behind. All this happened next to a bus stop with two humans looking on.
Do we stop caring so much about what others think as we get older, or is it just me?

Did it work though for the dogs? Wondering if singing "we can see you sneaking out" and "sit down shut up" might work on kids.

 

[Van Cleef]

Did it work though for the dogs?

Not really. Mind you their English is terrible.

 

[dazzer6666]

After a particularly lengthy standoff between my dogs and a black and white cat on this mornings stroll, I sang, (out loud), "you've seen the cat now f*** off home" X2. I then walked off chuckling to myself at how witty I am, while dragging the dogs behind. All this happened next to a bus stop with two humans looking on.
Do we stop caring so much about what others think as we get older, or is it just me?

Definitely. Whilst working (for me anyway) you kind of look to ‘conform’, aware that anything deemed to be out of line will be picked up on and that naturally carries over into your private life - a bit of ‘keeping up appearances’ type stuff. Since stopping work I definitely give progressive less of a flying **** what people think

 

[Eric the meek]

I got my willy out at work once. It only happened once though.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

I subscribe to the Tom Holland school of thought: “if you have a problem with me, text/call me. If you don’t have my number to text me, you have no right to an opinion”.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

I subscribe to the Tom Holland school of thought: “if you have a problem with me, text/call me. If you don’t have my number to text me, you have no right to an opinion”.

 

[The Clamp]

“I just say it how it is these days, I don’t care anymore”

Newsflash. Nobody gives a f*** what you have to say.

When you realise that fact, then I’ll believe you truly don’t give a toss.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

I subscribe to the Tom Holland school of thought: “if you have a problem with me, text/call me. If you don’t have my number to text me, you have no right to an opinion”.

I'd unsubscribe from one of them.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

I'd unsubscribe from one of them.

 

[US Seagull]

Being married for over forty years and having two daughters, I've become accustomed to not giving a toss what people think of me....the skin is thick so it is

Having a kid really did it for me. I remember one time when my daughter was young, like 3 or 4 maybe, and very much in the carrying around a baby doll phase; we went to a birthday party for a colleague's kid who was around the same age. Of course, my daughter insisted on taking her favorite doll (named Purple Gymnastic). Of course, within about 5 minutes of arriving she hands the doll off to me and runs off to play with the other kids. I was wearing cargo shorts (another sign of not giving a shit?), so I stuffed it into my pocket and PG rode around with her head poking out of my pocket for the rest of the afternoon.

A pair of young women, who I didn't know, commented to me how weird that was. I just gave them a polite smile and a slight nod. I didn't care one jot.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Having a kid really did it for me. I remember one time when my daughter was young, like 3 or 4 maybe, and very much in the carrying around a baby doll phase; we went to a birthday party for a colleague's kid who was around the same age. Of course, my daughter insisted on taking her favorite doll (named Purple Gymnastic). Of course, within about 5 minutes of arriving she hands the doll off to me and runs off to play with the other kids. I was wearing cargo shorts (another sign of not giving a shit?), so I stuffed it into my pocket and PG rode around with her head poking out of my pocket for the rest of the afternoon.

A pair of young women, who I didn't know, commented to me how weird that was. I just gave them a polite smile and a slight nod. I didn't care one jot.

Purple Gymnastic is the very best name for a doll

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Sadly we are overrun with administrators. I have spent 3 months trying to sort out a PhD studentship with around 10 different people in charge of different aspects (programme approval, funding approval, contracts) of paperwork only to find that all the changes in the badly written draft I requested to be fixed weren't made. I pointed out that the title of the project is not in English. Turns out my modeler collaborator has had no access to college emails for 3 months. And nobody noticed. Turns out also that mentioning that something isn't in English (along with some other comments such as 'this isn't so much a PhD project as a technical exercise' along with good suggestions for resolution) is 'offensive'. Well, f*** that.

Separately we have an important requirement to manage students who appeal their degree result, or the outcome of a disciplinary hearing. This is all managed by administrators. They send repeated emails asking for volunteers to sit on the ad hoc committees. When we reply we are sent an automatic passive-aggressive reply saying they will 'endeavour' (big Morse fans, obviously) to reply in a week. Then they send more hand-wringy emails about need for volunteers. I commented that it would help if they turned their permanent 'out of office' message off and actually managed the process by replying to individuals in a timely and efficient manner. I was accused of being abusive (in a reply that was sent more than seven days after my email). I tried to explain the difference between a reasonable degree of exasperation and abuse. I have yet to receive a reply. Apparently these people are very busy. My job is research and teaching - a rather unimportant aspect of university activity today, it would seem.

Deluded entitled ****s the lot of them.

That said, as I get older I may actually be mellowing. Twenty years ago was sent tomfoolery (inviting me to explore new college web pages on upscaling student experience fulfillment quality assurance, or somesuch bolleaux). I asked why I should do this and they invited me to explore the New college fulfillment experience directorate web page to find out why. I responded with 'am I here for your benefit or are you here for mine?'. I was sent an email demanding an apology, ccd to the Principle of the University. Christ. My reply was one of those ambiguous constructs, acknowledging their 'extraordinary contribution' etc. They seemed happy with that.

****s.

You're still actually volunteering for things?

Every time I get a work email asking for people's contributions, suggestions, thoughts, attendance, ideas etc. I just think "can't be arsed" and delete them. Then some bright spark decides to do something that failed miserably ten years ago, and I await with ill-suppressed joy the inevitable fiasco.

It keeps me mildly entertained.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I find it most amusing to wonder how you would get on with those tasks if said administrators weren’t there. As who would be doing them? You guys instead of doing your research and teaching? The jobs don’t disappear.

Most of these jobs would disappear. We have layers of managers managing the management of management. We could easily collate marks on a spreadsheet. Etc. Instead of using some shit software that maps to Power Bi so we can measure whether marks have gone up or down by half a percent and write a report about it.

But I don't blame the managers. I blame the academics who manage the managers. These are academics who were found to be shit at teaching and research and drifted into management. Some of them have been promoted to professor for achievement in management.

As far as I'm concerned they can all f*** off.