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Nobody cares

grantslatton.com

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Re: Nobody cares

#151

Post by Ekaros »

OJFord wrote: post #20
astroalex wrote: post #16

> Have been to the DMV? It sucked? There is a human being whose job it is to be in charge of the DMV. They do not care that it sucks. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I've actually never had a bad experience at the DMV here in Seattle. The staff have been efficient, fast, and friendly every time.

Maybe I'm just not American, but I've never had to go at all, it's just a bizarre TV/movie thing.

I think I have dealt with such organization thrice in my life. 3 driving tests. And on all times it was as pleasant experience as possible.

Only complaint I really have with that system is them caring too much. Why does my car need "type certificate" sticker... It is all online and tied to VIN... Replacement cost like 200€ and then tens more for showing them paperwork new one was ordered...

Re: Nobody cares

#152

Post by tolerance »

lnsru wrote: post #141
tolerance wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, pardon me. It doesn’t seem to me like you’ve gone mad, but if you are a psycho indeed, I don’t want to do you further harm. If you really are “all right” and just an honestly styled man trying to cultivate good in a barren city with crushed soil and souls, then I reckon there’s some care in you of some kind much to be desired from others and you know it. And I suspect that it’s the psychos who believe that they…

Sorry, but it’s in German: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/gesellschaft/panorama/sterbenden... Society is that far, that some people just step over the corpse to reach ATM and get some cash. World is gone mad and numb to the pain of others. So don’t be shy if you sometimes help others.

> „Ich gehe einfach nur rein, mache meine Erledigungen und gehe wieder.“

What a world. And what a way that this phrase can mean different to different people depending on what a person perceived to be their duties and their deeds.

Thanks.

Re: Nobody cares

#153

Post by orwin »

whyenot wrote: post #62

Most of the government employees that work in the bureaucracy do care. They care a lot. The reason their "favorite" part of the job is "stability" or "job security" is because the pay usually sucks compared to industry, and the bullshit you have to put up with to avoid scandals, lawsuits, and corruption also sucks. Most of the civil servants I know stay in their jobs because they really do want to help people; they r…

I've worked as a temp for my government in a bureaucracy (tax recovery/delaying) before studying CS (15 years ago now).

The bureaucracy have rules to disempower low-level civil servants and keep them from having too much agency.

Everytime someone asked for a payment delay on their taxes, i had to fill their data in 2 to 3 different software that did not allow pasting (well, the third one did, but wasn't used in most cases). If the info given by the citizen was wrong, I often took upon myself to correct it even. All that doesn't help with willingness to help, but like most people, if someone asks me for a payment delay, I'll accept it. But wait, I can't if this is the third year they ask one! (Or second year in a row). I had to go through another software to ask confirmation from an unknown person. Except the demand/justification wasn't in a mail but in a letter, in that case my manager had to handle it. Except she was overworked, so it took weeks, and sometimes the 'tax majoration coz not in time' was probably sent before the 'yeah, ok for the delay' letter (if you're in France and need help with taxes: send emails, not letters).

Most of the rules were probably there for good reasons: data separation and anonymity, and probably fraud/corruption prevention. That didn't make them good rules.

Re: Nobody cares

#154

Post by orwin »

imgabe wrote: post #129
Over2Chars wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nissan, Ghosn, and I can't answer the third easily without delving back into it, but if I think of an answer, I'll edit this reply.

Never heard of Ghosn before - but you mean this guy? https://www.dmarge.com/cars/nissan-bankruptcy-ceo-carlos-gho... The guy who's a wanted fugitive in Japan and fled to Lebanon by shipping himself in a piano box?

Power and money got to his head, hard, but he used to be a really good manager, probably the best Michelin ever had, before he took the job at Renault (then Nissan). Not surprised to hear he was very successful there, as he had a really good reputation before his divorce (and this is baseless gossip, but I will still say I doubt any of his wrongdoings were before 2012. Too much power and no one to keep his ego checked down).

Re: Nobody cares

#155

Post by M95D »

ks2048 wrote: post #115
liontwist wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why doesn’t Japan have this problem?

I thought Japan had a reputation for pointless bureaucracy (faxing useless paperwork around to get something approved, etc).

Faxing... So very convenient!

We have to personally take the paper orginals to various offices around the city, wait hours in a queue, get another paper document, go make copies, assemble another folder and go to yet another office/institution.

Re: Nobody cares

#156

Post by ed_mercer »

This article resonated with me and OP was able to clearly articulate what I have been feeling pretty much my entire life. It’s probably not as extreme as OP makes it sound but it’s there. Enough to make you feel defeated. The dreaded feeling of “yeah we are going to be so f*cked 100 years from now” because no one gives a shit. In Japan this feeling transforms into optimism and hope because people generally do care and take things seriously. It has given me the strength to care and try to do my best. The power not be an asshole to the person next to me. The ability to see the bigger picture.

Re: Nobody cares

#157

Post by ReDeiPirati »

I don't have faith that this is something we can fix in the short term because most of us have been educated in a very competitive environment where individuals come first. I'm not saying that the opposite is good either, but we should find a balance in between. I also feel like that we are all becoming more disconnected, alone, and where the center of gravity is only ourself. Despite my premise, I still have some hopes for future generations, but unfortunately I think that things will get way worse before correcting.

Re: Nobody cares

#158

Post by cafard »

readthenotes1 wrote: post #55
Shank wrote: post #45

> In Japan, you get the impression that everyone takes their job and role in society seriously. The median Japanese 7-11 clerk takes their job more seriously than the median US city bureaucrat. My favorite example of this is how, if you visit 7-11 in Japan and an employee isn’t busy, or is busy but with an unimportant task, they will jump to open a cash register and check people out the second a queue forms. They wil…

I used to rank the McDonald's in Toppongi hills Tokyo as having the best employees anywhere after I saw one run from one side of the little shop to the other when the French fry buzzer went off. However, it got beat out by the McDonald's in Arkadelphia Arkansas, where the employee fast walked as quickly as hen could to take the order to the car waiting in the Drive-Thru, and then also fast walked back. Running of cou…

I don't want to see employees running in the direction of hot fat, thanks.

Re: Nobody cares

#159

Post by cafard »

The Maryland DMV used to be quite efficient. Once, having mislaid my driver's license (at my mother-in-law's, 100 miles away), I drove to the Wheaton DMV, and was out within 20 minutes with a new license.

This was about two years before 9/11, after which a whole lot of rules came down about verifying one's identity, and the DMV then crawled.

Re: Nobody cares

#160

Post by georgeplusplus »

Japanese culture might have the impression of caring but if you get to spend more time there it’s all a face . People are people and they don’t care. The magical city the author wants is something you need to create and fight to maintain. It’s not out there waiting for you. The smaller the town the easier it is to accomplish. You aren’t gonna change Seattle and certainly not New York City.
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