So, back in this thread I described how I was being tormented by the stupidity of my workplace. In a nutshell, my job is the equivalent of being the production coordinator for a series of news-type publications. (Not quite, but for the sake of making my job easily understandable to everyone, just pretend that I oversee the production of a magazine).
I’ve been looking for work for several months now because I could can’t deal with the rampant plagiarism from our fresh-out-of-school writers, but most significantly, I can’t deal with the fact that the fact-checking process is a long drawn out war. Even to correct the most blatant errors. The example I used in the linked thread was a writer who made a mistake along the lines of writing NYSE out as New York Smurf Exchange, rather than New York Stock Exchange, in a publication that was going out to accountants. That is the level of dumbassery that I see every day.
Typically, I would catch an error or the proofreading service would, such as “2+2=3”. I would make the correction and then show it to the writer to approve the change. The author would then refuse to correct it. Preferring instead the error, because someone they’d interviewed had sent them an email that said “2+2=3” and even though it was clearly wrong, “we’re not to change it. Plus, I prefer it that way.” The number 3 was “more stylish” than correct facts.
Technically, in our workplace process, it should stop there and I would just have to let “2+2=3” go out in Mathematics Weekly.
But wishing to maintain the credibility of the publication, I would have to go one step up to to the writer’s boss.
“The article says ‘2+2=3’, and we just can not let a mistake like that go. This article is going out the mathematicians. They’ll notice.” The boss (our VP) would call the writer, they would talk a few minutes and then he’d say, “Oh, the expert she consulted said it was ‘3’ so we should keep it ‘3’. Mathematicians will know what that means.” He was assuming that not being an math grad myself, I didn’t know basic arithmetic. Oh, and neither did the professional proofreader/fact-checker.
Then I would have to go back to my desk, do some research for about an hour on the subject and then provide the VP with a pile of cites to prove that 2+2=4, not 3, and the expert likely just made a typo in the email (What? Can no one just call the expert to double check? it would take five minutes!) Then he would change it, notify the writer, and the correction would be made.
This is the process for every. single. typo.
I’ve had enough of wasting my days fighting the stupid. For one thing, it’s not my job. Secondly, my co-worker who finally had enough of this shit and up and quit (still unemployed, but happy), pointed out that this machine is broken! But because we still make it run, no one is bothering to fix it. So stop making it run and maybe the powers that be will finally do something about it.
I am now at the blissful point where I don’t give a rat’s ass. Bad attitude, I know, but damn it’s improved my mood. I caught a mistake the other day:
“TSX stands for ‘Toronto Stock Exchange’ not ‘turtle shell x-ray’.” I said to the writer.
The writer answered: “It’s fine the way it is. <long-winded nonsense> I would prefer that we keep the copy as I submitted it.”
Me: “Okay! ‘Turtle shell x-ray’ it is!” and off it went to the printer.
Then suddenly, this weight was lifted from my chest. I did my due diligence. I have the email overruling me exactly as my job says it’s to be. Let it go!
I feel so free!
