Unmentionable politics

Growing up, my parents were hard working people. Regardless of how I got along with them, or secretly dread every single encounter with one of them like Charlie Sheen in "Two and a half men", they're hard working people.

My mother used to come home, a face loaded with crap written all over it. Finds that I have escaped my simple 9 year old duties of doing homework, and find an excuse for why she's pissed beyond belief. Finally one day I had a chance to ask her why she REALLY looked that angry. I knew I had done my homework, I knew they were tastefully correct (that means, I copied the answers from the back, but left perhaps one or two mistakes on purpose to show that I'm still human, instead of the genius I really am). And I knew I've done nothing wrong of the sort or the mistakes were already covered up until she finds them sometime during the upcoming week. I knew I had all the elements of requirement to strike the topic without her saying "You're why I'm mad everyday for the last 9 years."

Me: Why are you pissed?

Mom: Me? Pissed? Oh no, I'm fine and dandy.

Me: Well, you look pissed.

Mom: I'm not, you did your homework and they're mostly correct (me snickering during moments when she had her eyes fixed on the tv), you showered, and you did all that before the clock struck 11 p.m.. Should I have a reason to be pissed?

Me: (Frightful I might slip out something wrong) No.

Me: (continues) But you seriously don't look like you're in great shape, mom.

Mom: It's just grown-up stuff. Things at work aren't going well.

Me: Is it the money?

Mom: Obviously not, you had fish for dinner didn't you?

Me: Yeah, but I thought that's just because it was cheap at the market today.

Mom: No, it's not cheap. And it's not about money. It's about politics at work and why people get in arguments at work.

I never understood why she said politics back then. But since I was a kid, I naturally didn't care enough to ask her to explain to me what I thought politics mean, which was the basis of our Taiwanese governing system, and what's the difference between our uncle being a senator or a congressman. Until years later, when I had encountered myself.

I've always pride myself in dedicating myself to a leader, or a company, or an organization. Whichever I was fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to work for, or work with. This came from an upbringing where I was to accept anything my dad shoved down my throat when giving me piano lessons (to defend my dad, he really is a pretty laid-back person) and to question, but obey the authorities if they were to make a decision. This tradition was communicated to me in my early years of studio work as an intern, assistant, and eventually...the authority. I've come to accept this method of discipline, yet never afraid to question my past and current authorities their reasons of going about things. Worst case scenario, I can learn what NOT to do. Yet until a few years ago, I still never really had to deal with "politics".

I've seen politics, among other co-workers or friends who are in the working field as well. But I can't honestly say it really ever affected me. Since my bosses knew I'd always bust my fat behind to get something done on schedule and miles beyond that, they never troubled me. And I've always had enough leverage to say "Hey, I did my job, and I helped you with the ones you couldn't do, what's your complaint?". Until a couple days ago...

I will not go into details to show my very basic act of general kindness and respect (God only knows at what level of my respect I have for this person). But I'll just say. If you're going to file a complaint about me, do your job and do it well. Do not make me have to work on weekends for your very preventable and predictable mistakes. And do not make me think I need to work weekends waiting on some files to arrive at 6 a.m. and disappear without even a puff of smoke. I'll take this as a humbling experience to continuously remind myself that, until I become the role of authorities sometime down my path of careers, I will always need to accept how my authorities deal with situations like this. Sometimes though, I just wish somebody at work would stand up for me and tell someone else "Hey, Tony's saving your ass, you don't have to be grateful..but shut the hell up and don't get yourself into any more mess. Oh, and quit backstabbing him, because he IS essentially more important to us than your fresh-out-of-college ass is."

This is a rant, take it with a grain of salt and let me go on my merry way. That jerk ain't worth my time anyway.