JPR1@ns.cc.lehigh.EDU ("James P. Reynolds") (06/24/91)
Seeing as how everyone here seems pretty interested in discussing the subject, I had an experience with this kind of stuff myself when starting a new job about a year ago. This was a place that as far as I know didn't have any rules against it. Anyway, even if there were rules they certainly hadn't been strictly enforced ... just about everyone in the whole office (about 7 people worked there) had girlie calendars up. When I got to my desk I noticed the last guy to have my desk and drafting table had left up a copy of the "Rigid Tools" calendar. For myself I can say that I'm usually really against any kind of this stuff up on wallspace under my control. So about the first thing I did when setting up my arrangement was took it down and threw it out. The reason I did it is because I like to project a much classier image of myself to others, and theres other things nice to look at. Later my new boss (who sits next to me in the same office) informed me that after I left the office to go meet the shop foreman (the guy who was to help me supervise the machinists building my designs) there had been a big discussion about me taking it down. I think the general gist of it was that they thought I was going out of my way to assert some difference of ideology and opinion. I was kind of surprised at that. I asked him why it mattered and he said something like, "Well no it doesn't matter but it's like, you know, you do what they do 'cause you're just trying to get along." Now that I think about it, they might just have been scared that I was trying to win the good graces of the middle and higher management by projecting a certain image of myself. In some offices anything you do can be and IS interpreted by some officemates as a ploy to advance your chances for a promotion. They wanted to know whether this new engineer was going to be "on their side" or was going to create a division of alliances. These divisions and alliances are closely watched by many. I also asked why they had girlie calendars up and he said "just because its nice to look at." I think that is the real basic reason even if this behavior, like others, sometimes gets reinforced in an effort to "be one of the guys." It's started for a simple reason and sometimes used to indicate alliances or differences. My boss (former, I was laid off from that job) was a great guy and generally defended me from any badmouthing. In general, I think I tend to hold opinions that are a bit more progressive than most of them. This tended to generate some friction sometimes; we sometimes had some discussions about issues like the death penalty or gun control and often I would end up alone against most of the rest of the office. Which was okay with me but a lot of times I think they got uncomfortable with it. Again, same reason. I think I would agree that in a lot of offices, particularly those which are mostly men, conformity of opinion and behavior is highlighted. But I don't think this has much to do with masculine insecurity so much as trying to "read" others in an attempt to use office friendships and divisions to land oneself a promotion. I just kind of stood my ground and tried not to be portrayed as being on ANYONES side. Pretty soon my subtle message got through. My joke nickname at that office was "Switzerland." This being, because anytime a war ever breaks out, Switzerland is always neutral. Interesting. I think what I just wrote pretty much summarizes it truthfully. That place was about as "real world", biases and prejudices and all, as the real world gets! --Jim Reynolds at Lehigh University