Re: Carpal tunnel and serials work (2 messages) Birdie MacLennan 15 Feb 1996 17:15 UTC
2 messages, 73 lines: (1)--------------------------------- Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 09:49:49 -0500 From: Craig Fairley <fairley@TAP.NET> Subject: Carpal Tunnel and serials work In reply to Kathleen Thorne's reply to hire male students: I'm astounded! ALL people must be protected from such injury, and males are just as succeptible as females. _________________________________________________________________ Craig Fairley Information Dynamics 2165 Margot Street Oakville, Ontario Canada L6H 3M5 (905) 842-1406 "Services in Information and Process Management" (2)--------------------------- Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 09:05:07 -0500 From: Steve Savage <stsavage@LIBOFMICH.LIB.MI.US> Subject: Re: Carpal tunnel and serials work (5 messages) > What about hiring a MALE workstudy student to do the shelving? I can answer this general question: males get carpal tunnel syndrome, too. I know from experience. And I think I can safely assume that all males would rather avoid carpal tunnel sydnrome, too. Males may be statistically less likely to develop this problem from shelving than females, but that's a generalization that won't matter to a person who has the problem. And imagine how many females - particularly ones applying for such a job - would respond, very justifiably, if they perceived a supervisor hired only males for shelving working. A more precise way of putting the point I think this person was intending would be: try to hire people for shelving who are not noticeably frail or less-strong in the back, shoulders, arms, wrists and hands. Or, at least when talking with prospective hires for this work, be sure to raise this issue with them. I've known plenty of females who were much better physically suited for this sort of heavy, tiring work than a lot of males. Raising the issue in the terms mentioned above would also prevent any possibility of sexism entering the hiring decision, by concentrating on the work to be done and the physical requirements needed for it, without making a generalization based on gender, which should have nothing to do with the hiring decision. I'm sure the person who originally offered the question above didn't intend any sexism, but this is a good example of how subtle and pervasive are the biases (not just one of the more extreme forms, prejudice) we teach each other in this society, whether it's bias based on gender, race, age, sexual orientation, weight, appearance, height, national or ethnic background, religion, physical abilities, marital status, etc. This was also an example that virtually everyone in our society learns these biases, both the "perpetrators" and the "victims." Within the lesbian and gay community, the "victims" version of this is called internalized homophobia. From lots of people and situations I've known over the years, that concept is paralleled with virtually every type of bias. Anyway, I hope my message doesn't offend the person who asked the original question. That question has offered a good context for making possible discussion of important issues, and I'd like to thank the person for asking the question so the issue could be addressed. Silence, or lack of response to opportunities like this, just perpetuates situations that cause some people to silently suffer. Steve Savage Michigan Newspaper Project Library of Michigan