ࡱ>    !"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLRoot EntryZ O2`ؐtMCONTENTS CompObjVSPELLING(sex, religion, or virtually any identifying characteristic have total control on the opportunity to succeed in our enlightened society. Some of the groups gaining legitimacy seem to be beyond what most people would consider anywhere near the mainstream, but such personal freedom is a large part of what makes America great. The American Dream for some people is being married, having 2 kids, living in a house in the suburbs, and owning a minivan. Other people's concept of the dream is living in the city, having a secure job in a factory, and being on a bowling team. Still others are content to fritter away their time and never be concerned about what they will be doing tomorrow. Some of us just want to make it on our own initiative. We are content to only get our 'fair share'. It might not be a big share, but it is something we earn. Perhaps we too are out of the mainstream. There really isn't and possibly never was an archetypal American Dream. But there was a time when it was generally believed and usually held true that while hard work and playing by the rules might not insure great success, at least you would be able to support yourself and live a little better life then the people that didn't put forth any effort. In theory that's still the way it works. But is it only a theory? When my alarm clock went off at 6:30 on the morning of January 3, 1985 I was already wide awake. On a normal workday, I would be up by 5:00 A.M. to get ready for work. But today was different. I was to spend the day at a 'management update session'. Although I wasn't really in management, the position of programmer analyst was considered a management level position at Acme Industries Inc.. I always felt this was a ploy to prevent the programmers from unionizing anCHNKWKS TEXTTEXT@zFDPPFDPP~FDPPFDPPFDPCFDPCSTSHSTSHSTSHSTSH΄DSYIDSYIDSGP SGP &INK INK *BTEPPLC . BTECPLC NFONTFONTf\STRSPLC ‹:PRNTWNPRFRAMFRAMTITLTITL.DOP DOP Hder anywhere near the mainstream, bu THE INCIDENT America had never been the land of freedom and opportunities that it was portrayed to be. Although there were freedoms and opportunities for most people, at least those of the white male persuasion, doors were closed to many people for too many years of America's history. A history that was riddled with examples of disparate governmental actions, and government condoned inequities in the private sector. Too often, these disparate policies were dependent on the race, or the sex, of the individual involved. During the decades leading up to 1985, the country was changing. It was a bitter struggle, sometimes in the streets of America. Other times in courts and legislative chambers. But there was a definite trend toward the equality that was the supposed promise of America. Although agonizingly slow in some respects, America was moving in the right direction. The changes weren't complete, but there was already quite a contrast between the rights granted certain segments of the populace during the first 180 years of America and the rights granted them during the last 20 years. These new rights, or the acknowledgement of existing rights, were a result of changes that were finally taking place. This gave me cause to believe that the country was making strides toward equality and giving everybody a better chance in their pursuit of the 'American Dream'. White males are no longer the only people that have an opportunity to achieve their version of the Dream. Many remnants of the old system still exist. But with increasing regularity, that outdated standard is being replaced. The new standard is one in which recognition of abilities and accomplishments is granted more precedence. No longer does a persons race, d keep them at the mercy of the company. An incident which occurred that day proved my suspicion was correct. And led to events which would alter my view on life in, and the priorities of, America. The session was to take place at the main office building, in Las Vegas, of Acme. Although I had been to the building to attend meetings several times, I always felt like the odd-man out when I was there. Especially while on the second floor, which was where the upper-managers had their offices. Not because I felt intimidated by the relative status of our positions. As a result of an accident while racing a motorcycle in the desert, I walk with a noticeable limp and my right elbow is frozen at about a 50 degree angle. While I had gotten used to attracting more then my share of attention from people on the street, life did not prepare me for the reactions prompted by my presence in this hallowed place. Shouts of "Can I help you?" or "How did YOU get up here!" were the usual reaction of the people that noticed me. And more in a tone of disgust then a friendly inquisitive one. Especially when the questioners were behind me and unable to see my ID badge. All they could see was an unfamiliar figure hobbling along. A person that they assumed had somehow gotten past the locked doors meant to keep unauthorized people out of their sanctuary. But I never let their attitude problem bother me. I knew that my position as a programmer analyst placed me a little higher in the Acme hierarchy then some of the people there. And my educational background placed me a lot higher on a scale of accomplishment then most of the people there. So I asked for, and was given directions, to the location of the room where the meeting was to take place. Upon entering, the room was abuzz with greetings and small talk between employees acquainted with each other. I took a seat and waited for the meeting to come to order. Soon a roll call was taken to ascertain whether or not everybody scheduled to attend was present. We took turns stating our name, job title, and why we were at the meeting. After giving their name and job title, the others would proudly announce how many people were in their charge. The schedule of events for the session was given to us and we went downstairs to get company cars for the ride to the Acme buildings located downtown, the first stop on our agenda. The purpose for touring different buildings and departments was to familiarize ourselves with the different aspects of the company. Each department had a speaker ready to describe the functions and role of the department. When the tour arrived at the data processing department, I separated from the group and went to check my desk for any messages I may have received. After killing some time with other programmers, I rejoined the group for their tour of the computer room. When the rest of the group realized that I was known by the people in that department, and really did have a right to attend the meeting; they viewed my presence there in a different light. After visiting our last stop in that building, we returned to the main office building. When we returned to the room where the meeting was taking place, a couple of the other attendees asked me about some problems they were encountering on reports or how the computer handled some data. I told them that programmers aren't generally familiar with each and every computer application and that I couldn't answer their particular questions. After a few minutes, we were given a break. While everybody else went to the break room, I chose to wander around the building. Since my work station was in a downtown building, virtually everybody in the main office building was a stranger to me. And I don't smoke cigarettes or drink coffee. While returning to the meeting, I noticed two men at the edge of the walkway having a conversation. The man that was speaking had his back to me, and the other guy seemed to be giving me an inordinate amount of attention. As a gesture of recognition, I nodded my head in his direction. It wasn't until later that I realized the significance of making this gesture of recognition in a manner which wasn't immediately obvious to the man that had his back to me. Just as I passed them, the man that was staring at me said "hello" in response to my head nod. Since I am unable to turn my head while walking, and his greeting was initiated by my action, I didn't think that it was incumbent on me to go through the physical gyrations needed to make eye contact and give a polite verbal response. I was wrong. Strike 1. After I had taken a couple of steps, the man shouted "Where do you work!?". I stopped, turned, and said "DP"(data processing). He then gestured me over to where he was. When I got there he asked "Did you hear me?". I answered "Yes". He then asked "Do you know who I am!?". From his attitude it seemed that he must be the Pope, president of a country, or at least a rock star. Since I knew he wasn't, it seemed that he must be someone important in the Acme hierarchy. I then recalled seeing his picture in the company newsletter. He was the new vice president in charge of Acme's Nevada division. So I again answered "Yes". Then he asked if people usually return a greeting. I wanted to say "I thought that's what you were doing.". But another result of my racing career, in addition to noticeable physical impairments, is a speech impediment which belies my intellect. I usually have to choose between speaking as little as possible, at least around people that don't know my background, or risk sounding like a fool. I made the wrong choice and answered "yes". Strike2. He gazed at me with a look of total surprise. We stood there for what seemed like an eternity and tried to stare each other down. Because of his position and what he perceived to be his level of importance, he felt no need to back down. He was a vice-president of a major corporation! He may have been a VP of a major corporation, but I had been to death's door and back. Having stood toe-to-toe with the grim reaper, there was no way I would grovel to a mortal man, no matter how important he perceived himself to be. Especially when I had done nothing wrong. As the seconds passed, the VP's look changed from surprise to bewilderment to anger. He was surprised at first that I didn't grovel in his presence. Then became bewildered as to why I didn't grovel. And angry when he incorrectly perceived my attitude as pure arrogance. It wasn't arrogance on my part. My attitude, at least at that point, was caused by not understanding that the VP was usually treated as if he was a superior being. I could sense a growing fury in him and in an effort to protect my job it seemed like a good idea to end this confrontation. I then asked "It that all?". He said "Get away!", motioned me away with a grandiose swipe of his arm, and turned his head, as if I was repugnant to gaze upon. Strike 3. So I went back to the conference room and took my seat. Try as I might, I could not make any sense out of what had just happened. After about a minute, the man that was speaking to the VP as I was passing entered the conference room. He simply said "Ron, go back to work". When I got back downtown, I started searching for my immediate supervisor, Curly. He was supposed to have contacted the person that had requested the computer program I was currently creating. Curly was going to get some information I required. I found him in the break room. That was a discovery that I made about people that occupy, at least in job description terms, management positions. They would spend a great deal of time in the break room, on personal telephone conversations, or in each others office shooting the breeze. I would have also if they were my kind of people. That seemed to be one of the perks of the job. During my questioning of Curly, the programming manager came in and summoned us to a conference room. She said "Ron, you wanna tell me what happened". I told her the essentials of what had happened. Then Betty, the programming manager, said "As it stands now, you're fired. But Pete and the others back east don't want to lose you". Even though our physical presence was in Las Vegas, we were working under the authority of Acme's data processing management based at corporate headquarters. Curly suggested giving me a few days off until some kind of compromise could be worked out. But I said "No, that's okay. I'll go ahead and finish the things I'm working on." Then I went back to my office and continued working for the rest of the day. The next day, my 31st birthday, I came to work at my usual time. Pam, the ex-wife of the man that was in charge of data processing at the time Acme hired me, asked me if I really wanted to keep my job. She indicated that if I did, her ex-husband Pete would intercede on my behalf. Even though Pete had moved to a position at Acme's corporate headquarters; I thought he might still have some influence which could benefit me. During the day, other employees stopped by my office to wish me a happy birthday and say good-bye. I didn't tell them, but I felt my job would be possibly salvaged now that someone with influence was on my side. So it was with some humor that I accepted their well-wishes knowing that their new attitude toward me was motivated by pity. The VP may have had to save face, but if other members of Acme's management would act rationally; the other employees were wasting their effort attempting to treat me as 'one of the family' at this late date. For the first time during my five years at Acme, the people in the department gave me a birthday card. The grapevine had apparently passed the story about my imminent departure. I was still under the delusion that Pete would help me receive some fair treatment. He must have tried to do so because at about 4:45 P.M. Betty summoned me to a conference room and told me "you can keep your job if you sign this". The form she wanted me to sign gave Acme authorization to withhold two weeks pay from me as a 'disciplinary action'. Such action would possibly be a violation of some labor laws, but whoever created this memo didn't think that it would go any farther then my meeting with Betty. They were right! I reacted the way that had probably been expected, said "forget it", and walked away from my job. Having been offered jobs when I had very little programming experience, it didn't seem unrealistic to think it would be fairly easy to find another job now. With 5 years at Acme, during which my work was deemed satisfactory, and 18 months at a small company before Acme hired me; getting another job should be no problem. The people in the company, besides Betty and who knows else, probably believed that I was going to be offered a suspension in lieu of losing my job. That was the standard punishment. Unfortunately, I wasn't smart enough to keep the form Betty wanted me to sign. That error in judgment would return to haunt me later. Over the weekend, people convinced me that the VP was a fair person that had just misinterpreted my actions. And since I felt comfortable working at Acme because my co-workers understood my speech and accepted my shortcomings, I allowed well-intentioned people to convince me to meet with the VP and talk out our misunderstanding. Monday morning, I called the VP's office to arrange a meeting. The secretary took my name and phone number. 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