Mirabelli and Sterotypes

My first job was server at a small cafe that I still work at now. I had to learn skills such as, working the register, writing down orders, and most importantly, customer service skills. Within the customer service skills, I had to learn to be patient with everybody, time management, and even though the customer is wrong - “the customer is always right.” Some of these were difficult to learn, I quickly learned I work well under pressure, but as an introvert, it took a while to get used to the fact that I will be seeing customers that day and I will have to talk to them even though I don’t want to. It was also slightly difficult to learn how to please every single customer even when they are completely rude to me or obnoxiously wrong. Eventually, I got the hang of things and although at times it gets rough, I manage it. 

Mirabelli’s discussion states how service workers do have a standard of literacy and how they have to have a standard of understanding their customers request and translate that into writing, especially for special requests. In the future, I plan to be a Physical Therapist. Although not required to attend 4 years of medical school, Physical Therapists are considered doctors and have to have a comprehensive understanding of the medical world. This involves having pretty intensive reading and comprehension skills. While working with patient’s it is important to be able to apply their medical knowledge - mostly pertaining to anatomy and physiology - in order to effectively benefit their patients. Physical therapy techniques are constantly changing and developing and as a Physical Therapist, I anticipate having to read plenty of medical articles and being able to interpret those concepts and idea’s into my everyday work with patients. A lack in this are could ultimately harm my patients and weaken my reliability. 

In Mirabelli’s article, it states how there are general stereotypes of waiters and waitresses that, simply put, are not true. These stereotypes include being ignorant, stupid, and have little contributions to society. It even goes to say that some Economists “suggest that interactive service workers lack the necessary education to be ‘knowledge’ workers.” And that “service work is ‘mindless’.” Mirabelli argues that, in fact, the necessary skills to be a waiter or waitress, are complex, and a simple task, such as taking someones order, can turn complex due to the skills necessary to translate that information into the language that is a standard in the workplace. 

According to a study that evaluated the stereotypes that Occupational Therapists (OT) thought about Physical Therapists (PT) (and vice-versa), some negative stereotypes that OT’s said about PT’s are that they are “overrated,” “competitive,” and “strict.” Some positive stereotypes included,  “proud,” “passive” and “precise.” On top of this, the most common thing I have personally heard when I tell people I want to become a PT is “oh, you’ll be able to give me a great massage,” implying that all PT’s do is give massages. Overall, PT’s have a good reputation and looked at with respect. I’m not really sure if there is a way to avoid stereotyping. Stereotypes relate an entire group together, and you, as an individual, can do whatever you can do not fit into the stereotypes and prove to the people around you abasing those stereotypes but it won’t dismiss the group’s stereotype(s).