Apples to Oranges
I believe every person in this world has one pet phrase which causes a rapid increase in their BP levels. It can be as simple as "I told you so” to some folks or a sentence filled with four letter words to some others. But for me the one phrase that has me gnashing my teeth is "You are comparing apples to oranges". As you may have rightly guessed I am in the IT Sector of a Financial company and on occasion have to interact with a certain overpaid and under qualified group of human(?) beings who go by the name of "Senior Management”. For some unfathomable reason this queer bunch always resort to using the phrase "Comparing Apples to Oranges" whenever anything faintly negative is to be conveyed. If you don't like somebody's solution to a problem a simple "Not feasible" will do , but alas simplicity is reserved only for low-life forms, superior beings need to always start their sentences with "Uh uh, cough-cough.... You are comparing apples to oranges”. Why one needs the help of the fruit kingdom to put across an opinion remains a mystery to me!
I thought that listening to such idiotic phrases repeatedly was part and parcel of living the "American Dream" but once I returned to my own country and starting working with my own people I realized that I had got it all wrong. It is our very own "Indian Management", in an effort to mimic the superficiality (or should we call it "presentation skills") of the business world in the West, who use the phrase over and over till the very sight of an apple or an orange will lead you to the doorstep of an Anger Management class.
During a recent tête-à-tête I had with the senior management I put forth my concerns as to why I was being treated condescendingly by my American counterparts and was paid considerably less when I am delivering the same quality of work from India as I was when working in the United States. A response consisting of a simple rupee to dollar conversion or a lesson in the difference between the blessed soil of a developed country to that of a third world country would have sufficed but to my never ending misery the response started with "Ah! Well you see, we are comparing Apples to Oranges here ....blah blah".
I thought that listening to such idiotic phrases repeatedly was part and parcel of living the "American Dream" but once I returned to my own country and starting working with my own people I realized that I had got it all wrong. It is our very own "Indian Management", in an effort to mimic the superficiality (or should we call it "presentation skills") of the business world in the West, who use the phrase over and over till the very sight of an apple or an orange will lead you to the doorstep of an Anger Management class.
During a recent tête-à-tête I had with the senior management I put forth my concerns as to why I was being treated condescendingly by my American counterparts and was paid considerably less when I am delivering the same quality of work from India as I was when working in the United States. A response consisting of a simple rupee to dollar conversion or a lesson in the difference between the blessed soil of a developed country to that of a third world country would have sufficed but to my never ending misery the response started with "Ah! Well you see, we are comparing Apples to Oranges here ....blah blah".
Comments
I like the way you channelized contempt into blog energy. Wish the "over-paid & under-qualified ones" do some self-introspection after reading your blog.
Keep it coming!