
Unprofessionalism - shawndumas
http://www.allenpike.com/2013/unprofessionalism/
======
TamDenholm
Unprofessionalism is an opinion. I'm a contractor and so its common for me to
work in 3-6 different offices a year, depending on the amount of engagements i
take. I've been doing this for around 10 years now. So as you can work out
i've worked in a lot of different offices, in ALL of them, i've never once
worn a suit, i've never worn a suit to an interview and i have the luxuary of
never having to wear a suit because its just not the norm in this industry.
Then i went to an interview at a bank, the first financial sector client i've
interviewed at. The feedback was that while they thought i'd was absolutely
qualified for the role, they viewed me as unprofessional because i didnt wear
a suit.

At first i was kinda pissed off, because to me, wearing a suit has no bearing
on whether i can do a coders job or not. But afterwards i came to the
realisation that if a company judges my suitability on whether or not i'm
wearing a suit, its not a place i want to work in.

Dont be professional, be authentic. - 37Signals

~~~
hkmurakami
I just dropped out of business school because I realized that if I went
through with it, I'd be paying an additional 6 figures to get into a job where
I'd have to put on my corporate persona again. I've done this in the past, and
it was just unnecessarily draining and stressful.

After weeks of internal debate, I decided that I'd rather have a significantly
lower pay but be able to the same self both in and out of the office.

(Helps to have almost died earlier this year. Makes decision making a bit more
straightforward than otherwise)

~~~
mvzink
Funny; the article has me thinking about being more open with our humanity on
the web, then you reference an apparent brush with death as a sort of
backstory—something many, myself included, would be uncomfortable sharing.
Thanks for being candid!

------
tptacek
This was a fun read but I think the author is overthinking. How about: there
are people in the world, quite a few of them, who like Nickelback. A "Refuse
to play Nickelback" feature mocks and insults them. It's a little weird to
feign surprise over that.

~~~
killwhitey
For me, it's not that the joke is offensive, it's that it's offensively lazy.
Nickelback is a band that gets regularly shit on and putting that option in
your app just says you wanted to make a joke but weren't creative enough to
think of one. I'm surprised they didn't throw a mother-in-law joke in there
for good measure.

Relevantly lazy xkcd: [http://xkcd.com/528/](http://xkcd.com/528/)

~~~
Crito
I don't believe that there is such a thing as _" offensively lazy"_. The sets
_" lazy jokes"_ and _" lazy jokes that have the power to cause offense"_ are
not equivalent.

Have you ever seen somebody appear offended by _" Why did the chicken cross
the road?"_ _" So how about that airline food?"_ _" 'Knock knock.', 'Who's
there?', 'Banana.'"_ _" Can I has cheeseburger?"_

Those are all lazy jokes. As lazy is as is possible. Yet their laziness lacks
the power to offend. No sane person is going to become _offended_ by somebody
dredging up some lame 10 year old joke about cats that like to eat
cheeseburgers. Wherever you find an example of a _" joke that is so lazy, it
is offensively lazy"_, there is without fail a more plausible explanation for
the offense the joke elicits.

For example, _" Australians are upside-down"_. Lazy, and makes many people
upset. Are they upset because it is lazy? No, they are upset because it is
picking on other people (themselves or others).

~~~
killwhitey
>For example, "Australians are upside-down". Lazy, and makes many people
upset. Are they upset because it is lazy?

Are you saying there is no joke so bland, overused, and by the books that it
would make people groan and say "that joke is so bad I feel offended you would
think I would find that funny"

People don't dislike fart jokes because they're offended by farts. They
dislike fart jokes because they're usually bad.

~~~
Crito
> _Are you saying there is no joke so bland, overused, and by the books that
> it would make people groan and say "that joke is so bad I feel offended you
> would think I would find that funny"_

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. A joke cannot become so lazy that it
actually _offends_ people with how lazy it is. In the most extreme case
realistically imaginable, a series of sufficiently lazy jokes may _anger_
people if they shelled out a lot of money on tickets to hear jokes, but even
then they would not be _offended_ unless there is something besides just lazy
jokes at play.

Disliking fart jokes and being _offended_ by fart jokes are two different
things. If you are actually _offended_ by fart jokes, chances are it has
something to do with the scatological nature of fart jokes and your
puritanical mentality towards such things. If you merely dislike fart jokes,
chances are it is because you are not twelve.

------
ef47d35620c1
Every time you go out in public or post something online, you're going to
offend someone, somewhere. You'll wear the wrong clothes, have the wrong
haircut, have a beard or not have a beard, have different beliefs, eat the
wrong food or have the wrong opinions.

So don't sweat it when people get offended. Do unto others as you would have
others do unto you and you'll have no regrets, but you'll still offend people.
Just accept it and move on.

Also, I did not think your stunt unprofessional, I thought it was cute and
funny. That band offends me ;)

~~~
rmc
Of course, sometimes people actually are arseholes.

~~~
ef47d35620c1
There are those who seek to intentionally offend others. Those people are
indeed arseholes.

~~~
rmc
Y'know, I don't like the word "offend" or "offence". It puts the blame on the
victim for "getting offended", it means the perpatrator didn't do anything
wrong, it means the victim should just "grow a thicker skin".

I prefer "being an arsehole". Rather person A saying something that "caused
offence", person A acted like an arsehole.

~~~
jpttsn
You could use _offensive_ , as is commonly done. Some ban offensive speech
etc.

I incidentally disagree with you completely. The blame is rightly on the
victim. What offends is usually personal, vague and often illogical. It's not
reasonable to hold anyone responsible for doing perceived offensive things
(provided they don't actually do anything otherwise illegal; I shouldn't have
to point this out but I'll hedge).

------
IvyMike
In the next release, "due to popular demand", he should remove the feature and
add in an "only play nickleback" feature.

~~~
jebblue
That would be OK with me if I used his app, I like Nickelback.

------
emiliobumachar
Put yourselves in the user's shoes. I don't think this is about offence at
all, or even about how funny or not the joke is.

Not everybody goes through the settings on their apps before use. They will
notice the "feature" when it manifests itself. That's annoying in a generic
setting. If it happens at that special moment crafted to cue for a song in a
wedding, it's much more than annoying.

Even after the first manifestation, how clear and persistent is the in-app
explanation? Because I wouldn't guess it's a feature at all.

------
mcdowall
I think professionalism bores down to basic communication skills, be punctual,
responsive and considerate.

I've recently hired 2 "developers" from the freelancer HN thread to find them
utterly unprofessional, requiring constant chasing and inconsiderate of the
projects needs.

Thankfully I didn't spend a significant financial amount on them, but, for
anyone looking at using that thread I would seriously consider oDesk or
something similar with professional validations as a valid alternative. It
really is a crapshoot with little or no comeback, and the quality certainly
isn't top end from my experience.

------
FrankenPC
There isn't a human alive who is immune to internet blow back due to a
creation of any kind. And if there was no internet, you'd get it in the mail.

Lesson: Grow a bullet proof hide. It's a totally unavoidable consequence of
living with 6+ billion people.

~~~
seiji
Develop a hater radar and keep your grind in the dark.

------
andrejewski
This is not unprofessionalism; it is poor UX. The sensible backlash to the
Nickelback feature is that is was set "by default," not that ripping on
Nickelback is a humorous, widely accepted activity. This app could have
retained that "cleverness" and "easter egg" vibe by keeping the setting but
not having it be active by default. With proper UX considered, the backlash in
this case could have been avoided.

~~~
Crito
Having it not set by default may have decreased the amount of hate they
received but it would also have likely decreased its effectiveness at getting
people to talk positively about the app.

~~~
001sky
isn't being a douchebag for PR purposes the problem?

~~~
Crito
That is what I am inclined to identify as the problem. Not poor UX.

------
protomyth
Thinking your tastes and opinions are shared is one of the easiest ways to
take your logical, thoughtful argument or product and turn it into a visceral
hateful experience by your users or the person(s) you are trying to convince.

If being true to yourself involves "attacking" someone's loves and interests
then you might want to evaluate your own character and definition of self.
Going to effort to show a lack of respect will result in people rewarding that
in kind.

Nickleback sells a lot of music and, by accounts, does a pretty good concert.
The option in the preferences[1] was stupid, and having it on by default was
asking for trouble.

1) most folks don't look at the preferences on iOS apps unless there is a
problem

------
exo_duz
This paragraph really resonates with me:

"Resistance: Developing a thick skin. A better way of describing it is
learning how to filter feedback in a way that helps you grow, but discards
trolling and lashing out. Usually this involves only paying attention to
criticism when it comes from somebody you know and trust. If a celebrity comes
off like a jerk, this is often what’s happening."

I've always been taught that the first option of developing a thick skin and
filtering out trolls would be the best way to deal with trolls and such but
never heard of the 2nd and 3rd way described in the article.

The 2nd option of split personalities sounds interesting to me as this allows
a channel to release vent. Will have to try it out.

------
jacalata
I'm a little unnerved by someone who lists honesty as "unprofessional".
Perhaps he meant tactlessness or lack of a filter?

~~~
nknighthb
Or perhaps their experience with the dishonest suits (redundant, I know) who
whine about professionalism matches my own. "Professional" and "pathological
liar" have been synonyms for me since my first job.

~~~
marcosdumay
In my experience, "unprofessional" is synonimous with "honest", but
"professional" has several different meanings, "pathological liar" is just one
of them.

------
PhasmaFelis
Actively hating a band/musician is faintly embarrassing in anyone old enough
to vote. I mean, when you're 15 everything is either the shining heart of the
universe or the worst thing ever, sure, but there comes a time when you have
to realize that Justin Bieber is completely harmless and anyway nobody is
forcing you to listen.

~~~
mikro2nd
> nobody is forcing you to listen

Not entirely true.

I grew up in the Abba years. I loath Abba's brand of (imho, of course)
bubblicious pseudo-music. _" Dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen.
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah."_

Nauseating.

But there's no denying they were very popular. Particularly, it seems, the
adults around me who wanted to appear hip and happening. Abba were clean, and
nice. White. Blonde. No swearing, no harsh guitar riffs, no screaming
feedback, no weird waily Moog solos.

And you can tell me I didn't have to listen to them, but you'd be wrong.
Everywhere I went, every party, every shopping mall,... anywhere a radio
played, there was Abba. There was no escape.

Do remember that the bliss and privacy of a Sony Walkman was a thing yet to be
invented. It was, I admit, the 1970's, and there's no known cure. So no way to
remove yourself by virtual means when your space got invaded by _" You can
dance, you can jive, having the time of your life; See that girl, watch that
scene, diggin' the dancing queen,"_ except by actually running far, far away.
Even then chances were pretty good that all you'd achieve would be _" Hasta
mañana 'til we meet again, Don't know where, don't know when"_. No, there
really was no escape.

The worst was getting stuck in a car with some people I was staying with (as
an exchange student) for several months, getting taken to on some rare treat
expedition. Need I say they were huge Abba fans. The sheer torture of sitting
in a metal box, hour after hour, locked in with, _" Do you hear the drums,
Fernando?"_ They'd even sing along! Now, I've been stuck on long car journeys
with other people whose musical taste I fail to share. I've endured Slim
Whitman, Diana Ross and the Supremes and even Tom Jones (second incarnation),
and though I never did get persuaded round to their view, I nevertheless came
away from each of those trips a richer person. I'd learn to appreciate
something, no matter how small, in the music I didn't really like much. Once I
was taken, at, I assume, considerable expense, to a live concert of Harry
Belafonte. I'd never heard of him. The ticket was wasted on me, but my
generous and gracious host clearly thought that Harry's brand of music and
entertainment was the best thing since Astroturf. And though, aged 16, I
lacked the context, the cultural background to truly love the music, I came
away forced to confess that I had actually quite enjoyed it. Not something I'd
run out to do again, necessarily, but as a one-time thing, I had a good time.
_" Day-O. Day-ay-ay-O. Daylight come and me wanna go home."_

But Abba, I fear, no matter how harmless, no matter how sweet and innocuous
just made me want to bite the heads off kittens.

    
    
      Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war
      Waterloo - promise to love you for ever more
      Waterloo - couldn't escape if I wanted to
      Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you
    

Time is the great healer. All things pass, and so did the 70's. Abba, along
with covers of their songs too numerous to mention by artists too talentless
to remember, endured astonishingly longer than deserved. It must have been
well into the era of Ian Drury and Sid Vicious before Abba finally - blessedly
- began to fade from the public mind.

Just when I though it was safe to once again listen to music in random public
places, some idiot decided to cash in on the nostalgia of an older generation.
Yes, they made an Abba musical. Dear gods. How do I escape this madness. This
sickness. My life has been subjected to an on-going cruel and unusual
punishment from which, it seems, I am unable to flee. What devil's work is
this, this Abba Life?

Finally I can return to the present. We'd survived the all too enduring
Madness, some of us by chewing limbs off to escape. Thankfully by the time of
the Return of the Madness we had some better options. We stuck earbuds in our
ears and cranked the volume on our iPods to deafness inducing levels, drowning
out _" Chiquitita, you and I know How the heartaches come and they go and the
scars they're leaving"_ with the symphonic grandeur of Iron Maiden. Oh yes, at
least we had an Abba block plugin.

At last Abba fades. Some of us who passed through the Uncanny Valley live on
in fear and terror that the Vikings may yet raid again. After all, how many
time did Tom Jones managed to get himself resuscitated?

    
    
      Mamma mia, here I go again
      My my, how can I resist you?
      Mamma mia, does it show again?
      My my, just how much I've missed you
    

No. Sometimes they really _are_ forcing you to listen.

~~~
copx
Upvoted for sympathy. You just defined a new meaning of Stockholm Syndrome:

Post-traumatic stress disorder caused by being forced to listen to Swedish pop
music for a prolonged period of time. Symptoms include being able to recite
silly, meaningless lyrics even decades after exposure.

~~~
mikro2nd
Just to reassure you, I really have nothing against the Swedes or Swedish
music. I listen to lots and lots of Swedish musicians. Just so long as it's
Metal.

------
sitkack
I have done things like this, like adding "get your war on" to the svn repo
navigator page,
[http://www.mnftiu.cc/category/gywo/war81/](http://www.mnftiu.cc/category/gywo/war81/)
I thought it was hilarious, they paid some dude to "work the weekend" to
figure out how to remove it. In retrospect, I should have DONE EXACTLY WHAT I
DID, but also add a button to hide the artwork. We need to be human and
express ourselves. Nothing of interest happens by consensus.

The nickelback feature should have popped up a dialog, the problem would have
solved itself. I see you are playing nickelback 0_o ...

I put this right here, [http://funkatron.com/posts/empathy-is-our-most-
important-att...](http://funkatron.com/posts/empathy-is-our-most-important-
attribute.html)

------
cromwellian
I think there's a difference between being whimsical, and being a d-bag, or
disingenuous. I don't find the ban feature bad it's obviously meant as an in
joke. However, I don't think the realization that someone will always be
offended by something you do lets you off the hook from being an honest,
authentic, reasonable person.

There are many pundits who read an article like this and think "yeah, I
resonate with this. All of my snark filled, douche-baggy, disingenuous blog
posts are equivalent to a Nickelback setting, and so I don't need to worry or
adjust my behavior. I'm OK, it's my detractors and haters that are the issue."

I think being professional boils down to being honest and fair.

------
infinity0
TL;DR: haters gonna hate

------
seanhandley
There's no such thing as "offensive", and I'm offended any adult could come to
any other sane conclusion.

