I Swear That I Don't
Grabbed sushi with Yangstar today and we got on the topic of mingling into the right crowds. In the context of work, getting to know the right people and relating to them on personal levels may bolster your professional future as well. As we surveyed our place in our companies and reflected on our own personalities, Yangstar shared this insight:
"You are too squeaky clean. People like to have a little bit of dirt on others. That helps them relate better."
What he was getting at was that, because I don't swear and rarely get crass, I will have difficulty bonding with others who favor such characteristics. I see what he means. When you are at your most comfortable, you typically don't watch your language and you get silly and stupid. A person like me, who doesn't swear nor has a "frat" version of myself, can seem a bit too pristine for anyone looking to just kick back and be beer buddies. It's like pairing up Homer Simpson, a casual, laid back, man's man, with Ned Flanders. They're from different worlds.
Rule No. 1: Coworkers that swear at each other, stick with each other.
Another characteristic I lack is any contemporary knowledge of sports -- and particularly college sports. This is one of the core subject areas of any sort of off-duty guy mingling.
Rule No. 2: Sports is the lifeblood of alpha male conversation.
This particular challenge has surfaced quite often - most recently in Japan. I was hanging out with some of the guys on the trip and the topic of last year's Cal football roster came up.
Guy 1: Yeah, next year is going to be tough. You guys are losing a lot of key players
Guy 2: Definitely. But you know what, at least you'll have that running back. Hmm, what's his name...
Me (only guy from Cal, representative of the "you guys" in this conversation): Hmm...yeah, what was his name.... [feign deep thought ... I actually have no clue at all]
Guy 2: Mark? Marshall?
Me: Hmmm .... yeah, maybe that's it.
Guy 1: Marshawn Lynch. I think that's him.
Me: AHHHHHHH. right-o.
It's unfortunate that my knowledge of sports came to an end after the mid 80s, when I loved the Lakers (real showtime), Bears (superbowl shuffle!), and A's (bash brothers!). If I knew now what I knew then...maybe I'd be joshing with the fellas around the proverbial watercooler, rather than eschewing the latest twist in Desperate Housewives.
"You are too squeaky clean. People like to have a little bit of dirt on others. That helps them relate better."
What he was getting at was that, because I don't swear and rarely get crass, I will have difficulty bonding with others who favor such characteristics. I see what he means. When you are at your most comfortable, you typically don't watch your language and you get silly and stupid. A person like me, who doesn't swear nor has a "frat" version of myself, can seem a bit too pristine for anyone looking to just kick back and be beer buddies. It's like pairing up Homer Simpson, a casual, laid back, man's man, with Ned Flanders. They're from different worlds.
Rule No. 1: Coworkers that swear at each other, stick with each other.
Another characteristic I lack is any contemporary knowledge of sports -- and particularly college sports. This is one of the core subject areas of any sort of off-duty guy mingling.
Rule No. 2: Sports is the lifeblood of alpha male conversation.
This particular challenge has surfaced quite often - most recently in Japan. I was hanging out with some of the guys on the trip and the topic of last year's Cal football roster came up.
Guy 1: Yeah, next year is going to be tough. You guys are losing a lot of key players
Guy 2: Definitely. But you know what, at least you'll have that running back. Hmm, what's his name...
Me (only guy from Cal, representative of the "you guys" in this conversation): Hmm...yeah, what was his name.... [feign deep thought ... I actually have no clue at all]
Guy 2: Mark? Marshall?
Me:
Guy 1: Marshawn Lynch. I think that's him.
Me: AHHHHHHH. right-o.
It's unfortunate that my knowledge of sports came to an end after the mid 80s, when I loved the Lakers (real showtime), Bears (superbowl shuffle!), and A's (bash brothers!). If I knew now what I knew then...maybe I'd be joshing with the fellas around the proverbial watercooler, rather than eschewing the latest twist in Desperate Housewives.
posted by dodger | 12:31 AM
1 Comments:
Sounds like you're a prime candidate for Straight Guy for the Straight Guy or a sports version of Hitch. It might just be time to put down Di's subscription to Jane and pick up a Sports Illustrated / Sporting News (I prefer the later because it's a quicker read - a lotta nutshell-type articles).
For starters...
Step 1 - Browse through the following 4+ times a week
Chronicle's sports page (http://sfgate.com/sports/)
Yahoo's sports page
sports.yahoo.com
You'll get the main stories without needing to be completely knowledgeable about everything.
Step 2
Pick 3-5 sports (Baseball/Football/Basketball/Tennis/College/Golf/Soccer)
Know which teams/players are doing well / favored.
Step 3
Pick a team/player to support. Locals are usually safe.
As a fellow Bear - follow your school! Or at least know about football and hoops.
And that's the curriculum for - How To Be a Sports Fan 101
We'll slowly ween you into a frothing-at-the-mouth, body-painted, stanfurd-hating sports fanatic later :P
Post a Comment
<< Home