McDonalds job for long term

[person222]

Dear All,

I have done masters degree from Finland. Now I am working in McDonalds. What do you think about this job for long term ? I am not getting any professional job related to my field so this job for the moment is better than nothing.

thanks

[AldenG]

Masters in what?

[skandagupta]

You answered your own question and got the right answer.

[Pursuivant]

Mitä insinööri sanoi humanistille?
-kerros ja ranskalaiset

[AldenG]

Mitä insinööri sanoi humanistille?
-kerros ja ranskalaiset

So the humanists are working at McDonald's, the engineers are eating at McDonald's, and the engineers are looking down their noses at the humanists because they're sooo much better off? There's a term for such snobbishness over insignificant differences, but my worn-out brain can't remember what it is.

[Rick1]

If you might have seen supersize me; you do not belong to the higher IQ-class in my book if you eat at Mcdonalds.

[Rob A.]

There's a term for such snobbishness over insignificant differences, but my worn-out brain can't remember what it is.

That would be:

"The Narcissism of Small Differences"....attributed, if my memory serves me correctly, to Freud....

[AldenG]

Actually you're right, Rob. I had all but forgotten I once knew that.

And isn't it used a lot to explain phenomena like schisms within churches.

[Rob A.]

Actually you're right, Rob. I had all but forgotten I once knew that.

And isn't it used a lot to explain phenomena like schisms within churches.

There's a wikipedia entry, of course:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism ... ifferences

I like the last paragraph:

"In terms of postmodernity, consumer culture has been seen as predicated on 'the "narcissism of small differences"...to achieve a superficial sense of one's own uniqueness, an ersatz sense of otherness which is only a mask for an underlying uniformity and sameness."

...sounds like the essential "stuff" of the lives of many of us... "if I drive a BMW, and you only drive a, say, Twingo, ipso facto... you know the rest....

And I don't know why it should not be applied to "schisms within churches"....even a casual reading of the early debates of the Christian church would tend to nauseate many of us "moderns"....particularly as we know the subsequent events that these debates led to....

[AldenG]

Maybe it's not exactly the term I was dimly recalling. Or maybe it is.

What I was referring to about churches (and about working or eating at McDonald's, in a way) is that two minimally different types of Baptists may hate each other more than either one hates a Presbyterian or a Catholic, or even a Muslim. Intellectually they might concede that one of these other denominations or religions is more apostate than the Baptist church across the street, which used to be part of the same congregation, but emotionally the preponderance of energy and anger will be directed at the church across the street, which differs in the tiniest of doctrinal details.

[Upphew]

What I was referring to about churches (and about working or eating at McDonald's, in a way)

I wouldn't compare humanists and engineers to two basically same churches. I would compare them to church and martial arts: both can have deep philosophical stuff in them but at least MA teaches you to kick ass.

[AldenG]

Actually I was comparing a worker at McDonald's and a diner at McDonald's.

Whether either happens to be a humanist or an engineer (are these categories mutually exclusive in Finland) is fairly incidental.

[Upphew]

Whether either happens to be a humanist or an engineer (are these categories mutually exclusive in Finland) is fairly incidental.

Btw humanisti doesn't translate directly to humanist, imho. In Finnish humanist is someone studying (or having studied) social sciences. And social sciences doesn't include law when talking about Finnish education. Thus it leaves wannabe indianajoneses, actors, historians, linguistics etc. People who usually get employment in public sector... or McD.

[AldenG]

Btw humanisti doesn't translate directly to humanist, imho.

I think I pretty much agree with that.

If we were having this McDonald's discussion in a US forum, we'd probably be talking about a "liberal arts" graduate or more likely a "liberal arts" major or a "liberal arts" degree. You can still be referred to as a liberal arts major after you've graduated with the degree.

In a less specialized context, I think there's a lot of overlap but I'm not sure I could precisely define the boundaries of "humanist" or "humanisti" or "humanistinen" in either language. I think it's a less "official" term in English. In the US we refer to social sciences and soft science and hard science. Within psychology a "humanistic orientation" and "humanistic psychology" are technical jargon and mean something quite specific. But in other contexts humanist and humanistic represent more of a subjective characterization than a description that will be understood the same by all.

Another common connotation of humanist in English is philanthropist, someone who does work for the advancement of mankind or more particularly for those in need. But that's only one of several accepted meanings for what remains a somewhat loose word in American English.

We have "humanities" as roughly synonymous with liberal arts, and some schools have a "human sciences faculty."

But one of the first words that came to mind when I started pondering this whole question was humanistinen tiedekunta and that has a clearly defined scope, doesn't it? Like humanisti.

[Rob A.]

Another common connotation of humanist in English is philanthropist, someone who does work for the advancement of mankind or more particularly for those in need.

I think the word, "philanthropist" is generally reserved for wealthy people who "donate" large amounts of cash to some cause that is generally perceived to be "worthwhile".... Which I suppose is fitting in a society that seems to think that enough money will solve any problem. In the modern sense, I think the word, "philanthropist", has a slight negative connotation...as often the "donation" has some strings attached... i.e., a desire for publicity for whatever reason; character "rehabiliation"; and, not least, a healthy income tax write-off....

People who actually help the needy "one on one" without any compensation are simply called, "volunteers" or "community-minded"....not "philanthropists".....