tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35248477.post5039791312747508329..comments2024-03-27T14:20:05.905-04:00Comments on Montclair SocioBlog: Accidental BankstersJay Livingstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06652075579940313964noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35248477.post-29604457130494432862012-03-16T16:42:02.558-04:002012-03-16T16:42:02.558-04:00I'm not surprised that institutions dedicated ...I'm not surprised that institutions dedicated to finance and profit both attract people geared toward this kind of work and also change people into acting more in the interest of profit. Peer pressure matters.<br /><br />Absolutely institutions carry their own motivational structures. And while I agree this does change people's behavior. I'm not convinced it changes their soul.PCMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13647097472236933108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35248477.post-25063184870090107382012-03-16T15:16:46.946-04:002012-03-16T15:16:46.946-04:00I recall reading that cops develop a kind of skept...I recall reading that cops develop a kind of skepticism or even cynicism. Rather than accept a statement at face value, they’ll wonder what self-serving motives are behind it. I also recall a quote from a cop about “corruption.” He had started out insisitng on paying for his coffee and other stuff. But merchants would insist on giving it to him for free. After a while, he got so used to this arrangement that if a merchant demanded that he pay for something, he’d feel like the guy had some nerve, and he’d tell the guy so. <br /> <br /><br />I also think that there’s a difference between long-run and short-run perspectives. The way we think about a job when we are choosing it is different from the way we think about it when we are in it and trying to get through the day.<br /><br />As for driving, I agree with you that cars affect our perspective. That’s my basic point. Institutions carry their own motivational structures, motivations that get played out by the people who inhabit those institutions. As you guessed, when I’m on foot or on a bike, I’m much more patient than I am in a car. And I’m a more patient driver in Pittsburgh than I am in New York. But in the same way that driving is different from walking, driving a cab is different from driving a car. I suspect that if I were a cabby, I’d be swerving across lanes of traffic if I spotted a potential fare at the curb. Once I have a fare, the quicker I can get to the destination, the quicker I can get another fare, so I resent anything or anyone that slows me down. As it is, I get pissed off when I miss a light and have to wait for the next green, even though I have no idea why that 40 seconds is so important to me. Imagine how I’d feel if that time were eating into my income.Jay Livingstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06652075579940313964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35248477.post-72588782801337114762012-03-16T13:44:38.391-04:002012-03-16T13:44:38.391-04:00Interesting post. I do think socialization in occu...Interesting post. I do think socialization in occupations is generally overrated vis-a-vis self-selection. Take policing. My PhD thesis was originally supposed to be on socialization in the police academy (a la Van Maanen). Except I didn't see enough socialization to make it noteworthy (and a became a police officer and I had opportunities for far more substantial research). <br /><br />By and large, people in the academy had the same basic attitudes on day one of the academy that they had two years later on the street. And I have hard data to back this up. There were some changes, but mostly related to what they thought of the job. As far as I can surmise, these attitudes haven’t really changed after the following 11 years. <br /><br />That said, there always are some more exceptions who may be much more susceptible, for good and bad, to assimilate and adopt an occupational culture, even accepting it as their core identity. Some of these people are late bloomers, still basically blank slates in their 20s. They were looking for a home and found it. Others may make a very conscious effort to abandon the culture traits of their upbringing. In various circles, this could be ghetto culture, working-class culture, or just a strong Boston accent.<br /><br />I would assume these things happen similarly in finance. And even if this is minority of the workers, a change in occupational culture could come about where it would be easy to imagine a tipping point happening, even assuming (for the sake of argument) that a majority of the workers were pricks to begin with. (And a major event, like going from a private to public company could have an equally major impact on occupational culture.)<br /><br />But the greater point I was making wasn't that everybody who worked in finance isn’t a jerk (though admittedly, I suspect a rather large percentage are), but rather I seriously doubt that the amount of jerks in finance have <i>changed over time</i>. I mean seemingly without fail at Princeton, all the sexist, classist, homophobic, non-studying, stupid, asshole students went from Tiger Inn and the hockey and lacrosse teams and into the world of finance (those labels being merely a product of stereotype and my humble ignorance, of course). I’m sure some nice people did as well. But a summer internship in finance? You don’t just stumble into that by accident. Many of us stayed far away from the recruiters because it wasn’t who we were and wasn’t who we wanted to be. <br /><br />As to Bruce, what he is describing doesn’t seems typical of some drivers in general. Did you ever drive with Bruce when he was driving a private car? I bet he still drove like an asshole and it had nothing to do with being a cabbie and everything to do with how driving changes the personality of some drivers.PCMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13647097472236933108noreply@blogger.com