Youth Culture: Video Games, Downloading Music... And Getting Fired By Text Message?
from the not-quite-what-you'd-expect dept
We keep hearing ridiculous scare stories about how "youth culture" is corrupting our children. The stories about instant messaging and writing skills or violent video games impacting behavior are easily shown to be exaggerated -- but that doesn't mean the basic ideas aren't widespread. So, what happens when you have the reverse situation? Rather than kids being corrupted by youth culture -- what about adults who justify their actions because they think it's acceptable as part of youth culture? Stories about people getting fired via SMS text message are nothing new. We've seen them for years. However, the in the latest such case in the UK, the manager in question has a unique defense for firing a sales assistant at a chain clothing store. You see, it's all cool because it's just "a part of youth culture" to send a text message to a young employee stating: "We've reviewed your sales figures and they're not up to the level we need. As a result we will not require your services any more. Thank you for your time with us." The young woman notes angrily that the company even has a bit of a "double standard," as employees are not allowed to text message in the fact that they're sick if they need a day off. Of course, this manager might want to watch out. Youth culture or not, a bunch of employees fired by text message a few years ago in the UK won compensation for being "cynically manipulated."
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response
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That does suck...
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Text Message
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depends
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Re: depends
hahahaha, nice one ;)
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Re: Re: depends
Holy crap, does this stuff actually have a translatable meaning?! I always thought it was just crap people wrote.
Now I'd love to see a TechDirt article about that! If anybody knows what this means, please let me know, now I'm curious...
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Re: Re: Re: depends
or picking up any MMORPG.
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Pink Slips Suck Too
corporation known for its government contract
work and for hiring and firing by the contract.
She was typing up a stack of pink slips and found
hers in the pile. Which prompted her to tell her
boss "I'm not typing this, I quit."
The same company sent recruiters into the bar
next to the business where I was empolyed when
our project was cancelled. To buy some drinks
and see who he could hire for a very similar project
they had just been awarded. Hmmm...
I've never been fired. I guess I'm lucky. Having
a company implode around you, leaving you
without of a job, is stressfull though.
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Fired by 'phone
Don't let employers get away with ignorance of HR law.
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Switcheroo
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Re: Switcheroo
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Fired...
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So, 'Youth Culture'? No, don't think so... I say it's a New Age movement much like what we have seen in the past with technology- TV, Cell Phones, Computers, internet.each and everyone of them is a means of communication and each and everyone of them has been used to make the human contact between us even less.
This New Age Movement will just bring upon another, it is and always will be just a natural process of evolution. WE are changing as a people... The values and morals we hold are not.
Though personally I would not mind being told I can no longer teach by text message... That would mean I don't have to face them personally. Though if I was to face them personally I would like it done in a nice cafe over lunch.
(for the joy of all your minds and sanity I will not end this post as it is 2:32am)~
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They can't do that to me!
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You should really watch out what you say, if you are going to say the english is bad in this story, you should at least know the difference between loosing and losing.
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Re:
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They Can Use Whatever They Want...
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New age for snipers..
Text messaging can be used like a sniper or a bomber -- kill your enemy from a distance and there is less guilt.
Whereas our new technology grants us global communication, the quality of that communication is poor. I am not talking about the grammar or abbreviation issues -- any student of communication will tell you that 70% of communication is non-verbal. So what happens when we take away the verbal?
I don't know a figure for this, but I would be surprised if you have even 10% left over with texting alone, probably far less.
To compensate for this I expect teachers will treat English like math; new systems and methods every year, and subdivided into countless catagories. But in math, the rules haven't changed much since the zero was invented -- language changes daily.
And I haven't even touched the subject of your rights under the law.
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Gutless is what it is
It's been said that people entering the workforce in the 21st century will have two to three more jobs in their lifetime than their parents ever did. Loyalty is a nice thought but it's really come down to watching out for yourself - because cowardly, uncouth employers never will.
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I didn't realize employers were THAT spineless
I always thought that employers did firing face-to-face. Anything less than that while practical I guess really belittles the human factor of working relationships. I dunno, just my personal opinion but if you're taking a persons livelihood away the least you should do is be able to tell them to their face. If the firing is with cause (the employee messed up), then you should have no problem, if the cut is because of downsizing or lack of funds, at least the face-to-face is a chance to console the person and make them feel a little bit less like a piece of used toilet tissue.
Anyway, I always assumed that the reason managers got paid the big bucks is because they have to do stuff like fire folks from time to time.
while we're on the subject, I worked at one place where if they were letting you go, the called you into the managers office while IT and HR minions came to your desk and packed all your stuff into a box and handed it to you as the security staff escorted you out the front door. OMG, how incredibly rude. I can understand locking down the system and even having someone come around and secure and company property while you are being axed, but at least give the person the basic courtesy of being able to say goodbye to their co-workers before shooting them out the door! IMO the work world has de-humanized us a bit too much when this behavior is acceptable (along with SMS firings and the like).
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employers rights
If you choose to be a cog in a machine, expect to get replaced without notice or cause. Your employer owes you nothing except money for the labor you gave.
This is the difference between those who do, and those who don't. Business exists for profit, not to give you a job.
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Re: employers rights
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Re: Re: employers rights
Indignation is a human attribute, not a company's. Of course, with small companies, you might get some satisfaction.
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the other side
Obviously most people aren't and they don't deserve that kind of treatment. But if I had an employee who didn't treat the company and fellow employees very well, I'd do the escort thing too.
The psychos are usually the ones who think it's everyone elses fault that they got fired. They don't own their mistakes. They also tend to think they deserve a job just for breathing. These people don't deserve much respect in return.
On the SMS note, that's a bit rediculous. It's not even like email where you can expound on the reasons, or where someone can save and print a copy. Not that email is great method either, but texting is just the lowest.
Oh, and 'Professor'...doesn't English have a capital E?
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"OMGZ you got PWN3D!!!! LOLZ //y lvl 60 41r3d your //008 azz!!!!"
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Translation
Loosely translates into, "Oh my god, you got owned! Laugh out loud, fired your ass"
4 = f
1 = i
3 = e
those numbers roughly look like the letters that correspond with them. This is "Leet" speak where "leet" stands for elite, now spoken by 8-12 year olds who think they are cool.
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Re: Translation
"OMGZ you got PWN3D!!!! LOLZ //y lvl 60 41r3d your //008 azz!!!!"
Just a few more things:
//y lvl 60 I think implies "by your boss" and //008 equals "late" at least in my opinion.
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Burned
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SMS Terminated
i dont know, fired is fired, and it's shitty wether you wanted it to happen, or not.
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Re:
I know it's kinda old news, but this is a freggin' foreign language.
I guess it just hit me, because whenever I see that abbreviated crap, I can usually determine what they're talking about to some extent (lol, btw, l8r, etc)... but this is truly a divergent language. It's like pig latin on steroids.
Eh, whatever, please excuse me while I philosophize.
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