People in my organization have been strongly suggesting that we start a podcast to discuss whatever is hot in workers’ compensation. Apparently, podcasts are the latest thing, and we, according to the marketing department, should always be doing the latest thing. We have acceded to their knowledge on the subject and are in the process of developing a podcast series that will (hopefully) both entertain and inform.
We’ve even come up with a very catchy name for it, but I cannot share it today. Since everybody and their brother is starting their own podcast these days, we wouldn’t want someone to steal it.
While the details are not yet set in stone, we are considering a weekly podcast that would run just 20 to 30 minutes in length. It would feature guests and discussions centered on important topics related to workers’ compensation and the employment risk industry. However, as many of you may already realize, anything I’m involved with simply cannot conform to the expected platform. Like the Cluttered Desk blog, we have to be quirky and, at times, irreverent.
Or irrelevant. Whichever.
So, while most of the episodes will be dedicated to the workers’ comp topic du jour, the final episode of every month will be based on the recurring theme, “What Kind of Moron Does That???” It is proposed that in those episodes we go out beyond the industry to review the news that reflects truly stupid behavior; performances that are so outlandish and ignorant that we are prompted to ask, what kind of moron does that? After all, we in workers’ compensation deserve a little laughter now and then.
For instance, we might discuss a news story from Wisconsin a couple of weeks back. That event involved a young, inebriated woman who picked up a laser pointer in a friend’s apartment to entice a cat to play. The problem was the laser pointer was actually a laser gun site, attached to a handgun. While trying to coax kitty to join in the fun, she accidentally shot her friend in the thigh. She told authorities that she thought the magazine had been removed from the gun, and it was therefore unloaded. She was apparently unaware that a round could still be resting in the chamber.
What kind of moron does that???
It could have been worse, of course. She could have shot kitty, bringing a harshly dramatic end to the fun and frivolity of the moment. For her friend’s part, he was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. He was also charged with violating the conditions of his bond by possessing a firearm. It seems he was already facing felony charges of some type. It’s a good thing having stupid friends isn’t illegal. The charges would really be piling up for him.
In another story of equal oddity, a manager of a nationally known fast-food operation became renowned with her response to a customer complaint (captured, of course, on video). The customer was complaining about the time it took to prepare his meal. The manager apparently summoned all of her professional decorum to develop a succinct response to his comments.
She threw a pair of scissors at him. And they say professionalism is waning in America.
Once again, we must ask: What kind of moron does that???
Doesn’t she know that scissors lack the aerodynamic properties needed to truly “stick” the landing? If she had thought it through, she would have had a much better chance of landing her shot if she had selected a well-balanced knife; thrown, of course, from the point of the blade. As it stands, she just looks rather stupid, flailing away with scissors randomly flying by the guy’s head. She also called the customer “bitch.” Her company Congeniality Award may be in jeopardy this year.
The whole thing was somewhat cliched, and not well thought out at all.
And speaking of not well thought out at all, we should be announcing our new workers’ comp podcast in several weeks. I look forward to getting it underway and hope that you will enjoy it. At the very least it is hoped that after you listen to it you don’t think, what kind of moron does that?