A recipe of blurbs by a hungry dad-filled with sarcasm, truth, and a dash of that rare ingredient, common sense.

Friday, July 1, 2011

What Ever Happened To Quality?

Have you noticed that quality is not job number one in American anymore? No one seems to take pride in the quality of their work.

You can see it all over the place from the board room to the person working at the drive through at McDonald’s. One of the places you can see it most frequently are in newspapers and the quality (and lack thereof) in their writing. Don’t bash my grammar mistakes; I am not paid to write for a living where other people are reading it.

Take this picture that a friend of mine from Facebook took here in Houston a while back.


Who is the nimrod who put both of those signs up? Maybe one sign went up before the other which I could see happening. But why not take the other one down? And how much do you want to bet that the city ordered one of those two signs for another location (which wastes money by the way). I mean which sign is it correct because it sure as fuck can’t be both.

Is not there not someone who even looks at what they are doing while on the job?

I have a sneaking suspicion that if people put more quality into what they do for a living maybe our country would be a better place. And maybe, just maybe America would be a better place.

35 comments:

  1. Not just in America. Same things happen here in Aus

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  2. We have a Chicago newspaper (the RedEye) that has a mistake or two in it every single week. To be honest, it pisses me off, b/c with so many unemployed editors out there, you'd think they'd hire someone to fix that.

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  3. That sign is just ridiculous!

    I am curious if anyone else feels this way:
    Since so many Americans are not performing with stellar workmanship (in just about every field), is there a burden on the rest of us to demand more/better/top notch quality? I believe there is.

    Our local t.v. news posts bits on their web page and Facebook. Almost every day there is a typo or some form of poor grammar usage. I ALWAYS jump on that! It may be annoying to some that I do it, but they need to know that people notice their errors. In the interest of getting it right they ought to proof-read, being first to report news means nothing if you look like a dumb-ass because you screwed it up!

    Sometimes I let things slide in stores, BUT no often. If I walk up to a cashier and they don't acknowledge me, I am totally going to force them to. I can say that nearly every scowling cashier is smiling for the next customer when I leave them AND I don't have to be mean to make it happen. I just treat them nicely and they seem to perk up. I believe that there is a lack of upper level kindness that makes these folks act as if they don't care.

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  4. I know you may think the following statement is suspect (because it's coming from me), but I swear to you that this is true:
    I once saw a magazine ad for Ford Motor Company (it was several years ago) which read:
    "At Ford, Qualty is Job #1"
    If that's how they treat their advertising, wonder how they treat their cars.
    That's why I own a Subaru.

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  5. I think pride in the quality of one's work went the same place as manners. And they are both doing a damn good job of hiding out.

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  6. @ Mynx, I am glad to know that.

    @ Chio, I could not agree more with you.

    @ Mama, yep.

    @ Lurker, good point.

    @ Momma, I agree with everything you have said.

    @ Al, that does not shock me at all.

    @ Sally, yep you said it.

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  7. I agree wholeheartedly. Newspaper writing is God awful in my little town. The editors on the local paper run things that would never qualify as news anywhere else and they can't spell.

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  8. We aren't a quality-minded country. Government contracts go to the lowest bidder, not who is going to do the best work.

    It's not as polarized as it was in the 80's and 90's, but look at foreign vs domestic cars. Do you remember the Chevy Nova? The Dodge Dart?

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  9. It is clearly a double negative. Which means you CAN park there 8am - 4pm. Duh :)

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  10. This is why Japan will be the dominant power soon.

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  11. come on up to canada, oilfield daddy, you'll be much happier here. we don't even have road signs, since none of us can read.

    eh?

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  12. @ George, yes it sure is.

    @ Lost, you are so right.

    @ Texa, is that so?

    @ Drake, I hate to say it but they have already been a power.

    @ Kage, I know better than that. Remember I have been to Edmonton and I saw lots of street signs there.

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  13. OT, I couldn't say it any better than you just did. Been saying it for years.

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  14. Sad to think that people who take pride in their work (which is everyone here) is considered an anamoly.

    I have been frequently critcized for being hard on myself because I get upset when I make a mental miscue or just a miscue in general. I take pride in my work, so when I screw up it bothers me.

    And I'm a double rare breedd. Not only do I take pride in my work but I work for the guv'ment as well.

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  15. Wow. Just. Wow.

    I'm always grumbling about the lack of quality these days. I'd rather quality over quantity any day of the week. It really has been going downhill for years. It boggles the mind why such simple things are done so poorly these days.

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  16. MyLove and I discuss this very subject at least once a week.

    Let me explain it to you..you can only park between 4pm and 8 am LOL! But regardless, you will be towed!

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  17. i completely agree with you but on the bright side i did get a good giggle out of the picture


    Everyday Life

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  18. Look here, you bitching about mediocrity may actually make some boss-type person realize it and then I'll really be up a creek. Then again I work in public education, the den of mediocrity.

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  19. In some cases people use spell check and not proof-read. They get lazy and then put out advertising that says "Come hear for the best deal". Too many people can't spell or they don't care or they are just really stupid and think it's all good. But, all makes for a good laugh.

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  20. As Mynx said it happens here too just so many lazy people around or maybe it is because with signs there is one person to put them up and another to take them down.

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  21. Dude! Have you READ the Chronicle lately? I read it online and get he actual paper, there are ALL KINDS of typos, grammatical errors, incorrect information! It's ridiculous!

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  22. At the end of my street a road was changed to make it one way. The sign that was placed there said 'No Entery'... :)

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  23. You are super observant, OFT! I think you ought to send in the location to the city of Houston, and see if you get a response.

    Hey, it might make for more blog fodder, at the least?

    Have a good weekend!

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  24. @ Barb, thank you.

    @ G, yes you are a rare breed indeed.

    @ Virgin, exactly.

    @ Cajun, and that is why I won't be parking there.

    @ Becca, thanks.

    @ Anna, ok I will stop just for you.

    @ Ruth, yes it does make for a good laugh.

    @ Jo-Anne, you are probably right.

    @ Yvonne, yes I have and it sucks with all of the errors.

    @ Sex, that does not shock me at all.

    @ Janie, well in all honesty I didn't take the picture or find it, one of my facebook friends did. I just wrote about it.

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  25. yees - I think there are more mistakes in newspapers but that's what you get when management lays off a whole tier of copy editors to save money and then gets a couple of people 800 miles away to check names of places they've never heard of.

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  26. I am always thinking about this type of thing! There is a car wash place on Kirby near the Rice Village that offers "FREE VACUUMN". It's more than I can take.

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  27. Amen brotha! In fact, I think that if people were just to think twice about things once in a while, we'd be a lot better off.

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  28. Nice post and awesome pictures.
    Have a nice independence day!
    +Follow

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  29. They should put up signs downtown informing people that parking is free after 5 so I won't waste my money. That's a sign I would have appreciated.

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  30. I agree. It always makes my blood boil when people get paid to write crap or when taxpayer dollars go into this kind of crap.
    PS Sorry my posts are still not showing up in your google reader. I have in fact posted since Memorial Day. (Damn blogger.)
    Be well.
    xoRobyn

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  31. @ David, so true.

    @ Kelley, true true.

    @ Cheeseboy, exactly.

    @ Inews, thank you.

    @ Jen, I agree.

    @ Robyn, I am glad to know that you are still around.

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  32. I'm pretty sure no one has been concerned with quality since the 50's. At least not in the States.

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  33. I am right there with you on the CCR and the Rolling Stones.

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