Pet Peeves but its a mess


When it comes to conversation, I’m not really much of a grammar Nazi. Sure I’ll poke fun at people for using the wrong your, but I’m not one to be bothered by little nuances. In my day to day life, I mean. However, when it comes to working in customer service, my “English” changes, and so does everyone else who has a job in that field. Customer service members have to speak in a perfect, unoffending language that can seem impossible to always keep up in. 
When I am working at the zoo, I represent the whole zoo itself. So, I have to speak, act, and dress in the best way possible. Part of this is a strict vocabulary that I am expected to follow. When speaking to guests, certain words become taboo, and I am not allowed to say them under any circumstances. “Cage” becomes “habitat”, “toys” become “enrichment”, and even words such as “pet” become “touch”. These changes in vocabulary exist at stores and workplaces around the world. They exist for a good reason though, as they make things with a negative connotation seem positive. However, they aren’t words that one would use when talking to their friends, and this makes them easy to forget. This can make it awkward when one is trying to remember a word to use, and they have to stop their conversation to think, and then continue on. This unrealistic way of talking that is set up for workers is one of the pet peeves I have about speaking. 
When speaking, workers are also expected to always be happy. This is usually easy, but sometimes it can be hard for the worker. This also makes the conversations feel more forced, and sometimes even awkward. Forced conversations are quite possibly the worst thing in the world, as both parties often know they don’t want to be there. But, workers have to be there, and they have to be happy when speaking to people. This false joy is another pet peeve of mine, since it makes conversations more difficult than they should be. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The death of a celebrity through the eyes of someone who never watched basketball.

I have never, and most likely will never, been an avid viewer of basketball (or any sport for that matter). It’s not that I dislike the sport, I just never understood how one could sit and watch other people play for hours and be entertained. So, when I heard about the death of Kobe Bryant, I ignored it, and I kept scrolling down on Twitter. But I continued to see his face, no matter how far I scrolled. As I saw how many people cared about him, about their hero, I wondered: “What differs a celebrity from a hero, and why should this impact me?” Over the past week, I have been able to answer those questions, and I found the answers to be quite surprising.  Sure, I knew of Kobe before I saw the headlines on Sunday morning. I had heard his name on the television in my parents’ room, seen people yell “Kobe!” before shooting a paper ball into the trash can (and inevitably missing), and occasionally I’d catch a glimpse of the number 8 on the back of a jersey. But I had no idea how mu...
Read more

Technical Divisions

    Danny Creelman     Mrs. Dunsten Hoover     AP Language     2nd October 2019 When one thinks of theater, their mind might often travel to dramatic monologues, massive dance numbers and final bows. However, there is much more to putting on a show than acting. Numerous technical aspects can be found in a show, from set pieces to costumes. While managing the technical aspects of a show might seem complicated at first, it can easily be split up into multiple categories. No one category is more important than the other, but some are more visible than others.  The most noticeable technical aspect of the show is often the set. The set provides a backdrop for the show to take place in, as well as a place for the actors to interact and bring the show alive in. It is designed, built, and painted by the scenic crew. Designing a set takes time, for each piece often is made with thought for what the show is about. After...
Read more

Process

    Danny Creelman     Mrs. Dunsten Hoover     AP Language     19th September 2019 I have volunteered for the Cincinnati Zoo for the past four years. This past summer, I was given the ability to take animals out on encounters throughout the zoo. While the animals were relatively simple to handle and were rather small, the process of taking one out into the zoo was much more complicated than one might think.  Before being allowed to handle animals, I had to go through multiple trainings. I was trained on how to hold the animal and how to take it in and out of its enclosure. Finally, I could  start to take the animal out into the zoo and interact with guests.  Sanitation is always the first step when it comes to handling an animal: no matter if it is a small snake or a large falcon. After I entered the animal holding, I would step into a small foot bath next to the door to prevent any bacteria or dis...
Read more