It's been a while since I've blogged about work, but tonight put me over the edge. Judging by some of the phone calls I received tonight, it seems that many people are absolutely incapable of thinking for or doing for themselves.
One phone call was from a guy who wanted the phone number to a local SPCA shelter. Somehow, he managed to find the number to the TV station, but I guess he never thought about using that same method to find the number to the SPCA in question.
Another guy called to let us know that the poloticians need to do a better job of keeping the sidewalks clear and ice-free during the winter. Because, you know, if the politicians were doing their job like they're supposed to, there wouldn't be so many lawsuits.
Fairly late in the evening, the intern answered a phone call from a third guy. He wanted to know why there was a squiggly white line at the bottom of his television screen. He wanted to know if it was a problem on our end or if it was a problem with his cable company. One look at the screen told me it was actually his problem. As in he had no clue about what he was watching. The squiggly line was part of the "enhanced" episode of LOST. It appreared at the bottom of the screen and explanations of plot points in the show popped in above it. If he can't figure that out, how in the world is he ever going to figure out what the damn numbers mean?
Speaking of numbers, a woman who called wanted the number for PennDOT. I was ready to give her the toll-free number for road conditions when she added that the number she wanted was for maintenance - the guys who plow and salt. I didn't have it and wasn't about to look it up, so I told her to look it up herself in the phone book. Her call came well after 5 p.m. If I had given her the PennDOT number, just which state employee did she expect would be answering the phone when she called?
And, let's not forget the woman who wanted to know why the teacher who's accused of having pounds and pounds of pot in her house hasn't had that house taken away by the government. Oh, I don't know. Maybe because she's not actually been convicted of anything yet? And even then, was drug money used to buy the house? I don't know. The woman was just arrested last week so it's a little early to be talking about seizing her house - even if that is a potential consequence.
Well, here's my question. What gives people the idea that a television station has the answer to all their questions? And, what gives them the idea that we have all the time in the world to look up those answers. We may be in the information business, but we are not information!