Comments by MIDancer (page 3)

1. Don't over count dances. No problem. 2. Don't lie about mileage. No problem. 3. Don't lie about OTC. Don't do it; so, again, no problem. 4. Don't piss on a customer who is trying to save your time. No problem whatsoever. 5. Breath mints please! This is an "ethical" obligation? I try my best, but I make no promises about my breath. 6. Please take guilt out of your arsenal of weaponry unless you have starving children at home who are starving because you're broke. No starving children, so no problem there, either. 7. Recognize customers do have preferences that may not be rational. If their irrational to the point of unnaccaptable, I walk. 8. Recognize customers may not share your cultural values. If those cultural "values" include disrespecting me in any way, I walk. 9. Repeat several times a day if I walked in *their* shoes (same body, mind, experiences, etc.) then I might be just like them. I don't excuse bad behavior from men. I expect and demand better than that. 10. Link with No. 9 do try and excuse bad behaviour if possible or at the very least don't let it eat at you! See above. 11. Linked with No. 9 & No. 10 do try and identify with your customer. If possible, I will do so.

FONDL: I don't think African countries are a good example, seeing as they are notoriously corrupt. I mean, come on, President Mbeki of South Africa held the stance that AZT, rather than HIV, causes AIDS until circa 2000.

*being

Doug S: I remember the Real World. And while you're certainly be facetious, I don't want to live with 10 strangers. I've brought up the idea a several times with my friends (who are always bitching and moaning about the cost of living), and they'd always look at me like I'm insane.

In most cases, I don't know my customers well-enough to determine whether or not their greedy. I know what I do is part of a long-term survival plan; unfortunately, this country doesn't give you much of a choice. Minimum wage is hardly a livable one, and too many people have grown very accustomed to their unnecessary comforts. For example, I've tried time and time again to start a commune of sorts: 1 house, 4 bedrooms, 10+ people; eveyone pitches in for food, NECESARRY utilities (I've lived without a television and cable for a couple years now), etc. But virtually no one wants to do it.

Professor: One of my closest friends is from Cuba, and he made it clear to me during one of our conversations that pure GREED is what drove him to America. The oppurtunity to make money seems to trump human rights (or my perception of what human rights ought to consist of) in America.

FONDL: It was an easy guess: "[The] best thing government can do for a country's economy is to get out of the way." I'm sure your a huge Ron Paul fan. I, on the other hand, am a huge Kucinich fan. I also wouldn't call socialized-Europe "second-rate." I don't have the burning desire that many Americans have to be the biggest, baddest country in the world; rather, I'd like be part of a country whose government actually cares for its people, even if that means sacrificing a few (or many) luxuries.

"I've known a lot of people who have worked a full-time job and gone to their local community college without going into debt. My ATF is doing that as we speak. She runs her business, goes to school full time, and is fully self-supporting. Without taking out any loans." You can only obtain an Associate's Degree at the community college level, and unless one intends on using that to find a job (good luck with that, as I haven't seen it happen for any of my friends), one will need to transfer to a university. If your ATF is running her own business, it would probably be in her best interest to complete a 4-year degree at a major university, and supplement THAT with an MBA.

Pro-globalization, as well.

So... David9999 is a Capatilist and Fondl's a Libertarian? Okay, this IS going to be a difficult conversation as I AM a socialist.

I think two incomes are required more as a result of inflation (and wages remaining the same), then men having "lost" their jobs to women. Also, I consider college (or a trade school) to be what high school was like for your generation; in the majority of cases, you have to graduate college to earn a livable wage (I also think college should be heavily subsidized my the government, but that's another topic). In order to earn GOOD wages, you're going to need (again, in the majority of cases) a Master's degree or higher. The pitfalls of living in a Capitalist society are starting to show: the gap between the haves and the have-nots is growing at an exponential rate, and our generation is suffering the consequences. My dad worked through college. That was a possibility in his day; our generation is stuck with taking out huge loans (or, in my case, stripping PART of the tuition bills away and taking out minimal loans). Furthermore, I think that the attitude I encountered the other night was completely unnacceptable. And while I understand the social implications of his behavior and why such attitudes exist, I don't think it should be EXCUSED (as in, "well, he just hates women because of the changing role of women in society"). That's HIS hang-up, and I think more men need to take responsibility for such.

I'd rather make less money and have equal status out in the real world. Sure, strip clubs might be hurt by the equalization of men and women, but women certainly benefit from it in all other aspects. Unless one's a career stripper, one should be pleased that, at the very least, when she leaves work, she is protected from unwanted harassment.

Agreed.

FONDL: It's not the first case of extreme rudeness in my dancing career, just my first encounter with so rude a reply to "do you want a dance?" Generally, my encounters with extreme rudeness occer in the VIP when the customer isn't receiving the type of mileage he wants. I consider it EXTREMELY rude to grab at certain body parts that I have already outlined as off-limits; so rude, in fact, that it is now my policy to always collect my money up front, and to let the customer know, when such an offense occurs, that he will only receive one warning. Two times and you're out.

>>Sorry, you are too short! Was that rude or lacking manners?<< I still think a simple "no thank you" would suffice. >>If her response was you're a total asshole who disrespects women, then I probably would have been disappointed that she felt that way. Would that have been rude or lacking manners?<< Depends on whether or not you've demostrated behaviors that would indicate that you're an asshole who disrespects women. >>That could have been his feeble attempt at smoothing the hell no.<< There was no attempt to smooth over anything. His tone, body language, etc. all indicated that his intention was to be abrasive and rude. That's what I still don't get. As far as Shadowcat's theory with regard to alcohol, I don't believe this man was drunk. I could be totally off-base, as alcoholics are quite able to function normally after consuming copious amounts of liquor, but I don't think that I am. I more likely to buy into the other theory presented: that he just gets off on being a dick due to his having been rejected elsewhere... but even that's problematic, as this guy didn't LOOK like he'd have too much trouble in the dating world (clean cut, decent looking, apparently had loads of money, etc). Perhaps he'd just gotten out of a bad relationship... I'm sure I'm taking this all too personally.

Abbie Normal: I actually prefer Chaucer and Dante. And I think both could give Shakespeare a run for his money.

Margaret Mead certainly had her biases. But more importantly, she was a forerunner in the field of cultural anthropology (she first started publishing in the mid-1930s). She's easily one of the most widely-read and well-known. Having studied English at the collegiate level, I can't help but roll my eyes when someone mentions Shakespeare, so I understand your ex-roommate's frustration.

Your grandmother could've also read it in Greek, Latin or Hebrew. I doubt Aramaic, as the language has been dead for some time now. On a side note, I have many problems with the canonized Bible. Its translation over time is but one reason that I am not a Christian.

Bobbyl: There is unintentional rudeness, and intentional rudeness. It's the latter that bothers me. The former (which is more the result of pure ignorance) can usually be corrected simply by telling the offender that he/she is being rude. There are plently of rude customers, but I'd say most are not intentionally so. And like I said, I do my best to be polite and professional. I can't say the same for most of the girls that I have worked with. So, yes, customer rudeness is a fairly infrequent occurance for me.

jablake: I once took a Comparative Literature course on the problematic nature of translation. That is, when a work is translated, something is always lost. I think the same theory can be applied to cultural anthropology: when one examines a culture, it can only be through a distorted lens.

jablake: I think you're speaking of her book, Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies.

jablake: Margaret Mead the anthropologist? I really enjoyed the following by her: Coming of Age in Samoa and Culture and Commitment. I've read a couple others by her, but they didn't strike me as much as the aforementioned.

lotsoffun: Me: "Would you like a dance?" Customer: "Hell no." Me: "Well, I guess that eliminates the possibility of that free blow job I was going to give you in the parking lot after my shift."

jablake: I've heard of the book, although I have yet to read it. I'll be sure to put it on my "reading list." Professor: No need for concern; I took it as a compliment. I should be starting my M.A. in the fall of 2008, so I'm on my way...

Professor, I'm pretty sure that I'm grandfathered in at this point (I've been dancing for nearly five years at this point). I understand perfectly well the pitfalls of the profession, although I still may not understand why those pitfalls exist. I assure you, upon completion of my PhD, I will be leaving the business.