Is "professionalism" synomnymous to superficiality

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When I went to the bank today, one of the customers in line looked really wealthy. Nice suit, clean shaven, etc. And the teller acted as exceedingly friendly to the guy as possible. However, with me I was just treated with procedure and policy as usual. Sort of reminded me about James 2:1-4... my advice to a wealthy person, to find out who his real friends are: dress thrifty and grow a beard.

More to the point though, just about every coworker or manager who is concerned about everything being professional is really just concerned about superficial appearances. Looks and impressions are everything. Reality is irrelevant. It just smacks of superficiality and hypocrisy like nothing else can, at least in my opinion.

This reminded me of a news story years back of a man who was refused having his parking validated by a teller at a bank because he looked like a working stiff, the teller refused to validate so the man called the bank manager over and closed his
multy million dollar account.

Professionalism requires that the bank teller treat all customers with respect and kindness. Sounds like she failed at that one.

Professionalism can have superficial components, but its mostly a formula for how to act and make decisions in ways that advance the goals of the business. Swearing at a client is not professional, and its bad for business. Dressing in a suit in certain occupations meets the expectations of the clients and, thus, conveys that you take their business seriously. And so on. It means knowing the standards of the job and applying them as best suits the business, instead of any personal agenda. Keeping personal issues and preferences out of business decisions and presentations.

Image is also very much part of reality. Because how we groom and dress is reflective of our personal realities it is essential to carry a democratic presence into our public realities. Impressions affect future realities. They are a useful tool as is speech.

Her behaviour sounds typical. If I cross the border in my work van the border guards are tough and gruff. When I cross the border in my car (cadillac) they are friendly and conversive and usually wave me through with minimal hassle.

For people such as us who may have differences in our social behaviour it is an uphill battle. We must fight to make sure that we are not discriminated against over superficial details. As much as I'd like to ask the world to adapt to my needs and accept me as I am I have recently started to understand that I must work also adapt to the needs of others.

Professionalism means being skilled at ones profession or trade.

ruveyn

Welcome to modern Western culture - individualist ill-educated utopia. the trick is life's moving too quickly for any real substance to exist in daily lives. that's why it takes so long to develop relationships with new people.

I noticed if I replace my tshirt with a shirt and waistcoat, instead of nearly pushing past me in the street, people walk aside, and at the same time say "pardon me", even though they didn't touch me.

yeah, try wearing casual clothes one day and a suit the next...the difference is ungodly, especially if you're young. not really a good thing though... it FEELS good, but what does it say about people's attitude's towards class.