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Your "Frank Grimes" experiences.

  • 20-08-2009 11:30PM
    #1
    tech77
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,736 ✭✭✭


    OK i'm constantly baffled at how some people (often in positions of seniority/authority) got where they are today.
    You know the one- when you ask someone some fundamental questions about their area and they don't really have a clue, possibly passing it off as unimportant.
    And you think WTF?
    I can only describe it as having a "Frank Grimes" experience.
    So what's yours?


«1

Comments

  • #2
    thomond2006
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 45,433 ✭✭✭✭thomond2006


    I'm Homer Simpson!!!!

    *accompanied with insane laughter*


  • #3
    jumpguy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,962 ✭✭✭jumpguy


    Frank "Grimey" Grimes. Hahahaahaha. Wish I could watch that episode now...I miss the old Simpsons...


  • #4
    Adamcp898
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,477 ✭✭✭Adamcp898


    IBT Grimes


  • #5
    phasers
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,159 ✭✭✭✭phasers


    You mean that stupid dog that became executive vice president?

    Or Tibor?


  • #6
    LadyJ
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,122 ✭✭✭LadyJ


    These people are the absolute bane of my existence. People who just end up getting everything handed to them and they're just utter morons. I have no one experience to share but thinking about all of these pissants boils my blood.

    I'm very angry lately....... *heads over to ranting and raving forum


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  • #7
    tech77
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,736 ✭✭✭tech77


    Ah lads, it's not meant to be a Simpsons reference thread.
    I just can't think of a better way to express this phenomenon.
    I'm interested in the phenomenon not the cartoon character. :)


  • #8
    This_Years_Love
    Closed Accounts Posts: 133 ✭✭This_Years_Love


    I used to work for a confectionery company last year and the Accountant couldn't figure out how to do the payroll. She kept getting it completely wrong everytime. The Advertising manager had to take over doing the payroll. How the fcuk did that girl manage to pass her accounting exams if she can't even do a simple task like payroll??? I have payroll experience and it's not something that is very hard to do!


  • #9
    LadyJ
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,122 ✭✭✭LadyJ


    I remember my cousin telling me about a science teacher he once had that threw a lighter on the ground and was shocked when it exploded.


  • #10
    grenache
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,477 ✭✭✭grenache


    You apply the 'Frank Grimes' theory to a good deal of the teachers in Ireland. (i know there are some great teachers out there too) Half of the teachers in my old school were nowhere near fit for their jobs. It showed in our schools rating, we weren't even in the top 800 in the country, and our school was not in a disadvantaged area. The job of a teacher is not a very senior position but its an important job all the same.


  • #11
    rhapsody!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 529 ✭✭✭rhapsody!


    tech77 wrote: »
    OK i'm constantly baffled at how some people (often in positions of seniority/authority) got where they are today.
    You know the one- when you ask someone some fundamental questions about their area and they don't really have a clue, possibly passing it off as unimportant.
    And you think WTF?

    It's because they were brother's of their uncle's of their son's daughter's husband's 15th cousin, twice removed - the boss of the company.


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  • #12
    davyjose
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,287 ✭✭✭davyjose


    Get over it, Grimey!

    BTW: My son owns a factory!


  • #13
    R.D. aka MR.D
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,643 ✭✭✭R.D. aka MR.D


    grenache wrote: »
    You apply the 'Frank Grimes' theory to a good deal of the teachers in Ireland. (i know there are some great teachers out there too) Half of the teachers in my old school were nowhere near fit for their jobs. It showed in our schools rating, we weren't even in the top 800 in the country, and our school was not in a disadvantaged area. The job of a teacher is not a very senior position but its an important job all the same.


    Very true!!

    Since finishing my degree and seeing the people who went on to be teachers explained a lot about my secondary school experiences. It was a small class and the two of the worst people in the class went on to do their HDips and are now teaching, and the worst didn't get in to do his HDip! I pity the kids who have to be taught by them, they don't have a clue!!
    They got there because they had no ambition to be anything else and well the actually intellegent people decided to do something interesting with their lives.

    On other Homer Simpsons: The most stupid people i've encountered tend to be the people who went to good schools and got where they are because mammy and daddy pushed them into it/paid for it.

    Otherwise, nepotism.


  • #14
    AnonoBoy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,559 ✭✭✭✭AnonoBoy


    thomond2006 wrote: »
    I'm Homer Simpson!!!!

    Yeah. You wish!


  • #15
    brummytom
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,572 ✭✭✭✭brummytom


    If he's got to this position at such a young age, something's up:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bqlv-QEOVI


  • #16
    anniehoo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,597 ✭✭✭anniehoo


    A conversation in our lab recently went like this:
    Girl: mm..i have a graduated cylinder that goes up to 900ml,but i need to measure a litre.
    Principal technician(on €65k):...oh god..i dunno...maybe get a litre of water..like one of the water bottles you buy and measure it that way
    Girl:oh...right...thanks,but its too far to go to the shop is there any other way?
    PT:...let me go ask someone and ill get back to you.

    I think i still have the bruises on my head from banging it on the table repeating under my breath "900ml+100ml, 900+100ml..unreal!


  • #17
    irishleedsfan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 196 ✭✭irishleedsfan


    This is actually true. My old religion teacher told the class there is no such thing as god.


  • #18
    Seaneh
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,300 ✭✭✭✭Seaneh


    I have worked with some senior chefs who had the knife skills of a chimpanzee and the food knowledge of a 15 year old, they had just been at the Hotel/Restaurant for so long that by default they were in a position of management.

    Like, they could follow a recipe grand but when they had to think on the fly they fell apart and myself and the commis would have to run the place while they imploded.


  • #19
    waitinforatrain
    Closed Accounts Posts: 267 ✭✭waitinforatrain


    Only a moron would give a job to a moron. You've got to wonder how high up the chain goes?


  • #20
    pablomakaveli
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,752 ✭✭✭pablomakaveli


    I reckon the thread title would have been more suitable for a thread about an annoying person you know who you really hate but thinks they are your best friend.

    But back to the topic at hand. I think you'll mostly see this happen to people who are related to the boss. i.e Daddy gives his son a management job in a company but the son is useless. Unfortunately nepotism is rife in this country.


  • #21
    tech77
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,736 ✭✭✭tech77


    pablomakaveli wrote: »
    I reckon the thread title would have been more suitable for a thread about an annoying person you know who you really hate but thinks they are your best friend.

    But back to the topic at hand. I think you'll mostly see this happen to people who are related to the boss. i.e Daddy gives his son a management job in a company but the son is useless. Unfortunately nepotism is rife in this country.

    The most prominent theme in the Frank Grimes episode was the success of an idiot (Homer) vs the (ultimate) failure of a clued-in (bright even?), by-the-book hard-worker (Grimes).

    I know it's called "Homer's Enemy" but the successful idiot/inexplicably unlucky, bright guy is essentially what the episode is about.
    It's all about Grimes' disbelief at the successful idiot.
    The annoying (and misplaced) friendship that Homer has for Grimes is secondary, just adding to the humour.

    Incidentally, it's regarded as one of the darkest episodes- one of the best though.
    Anyway, back OT.


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  • #22
    shane86
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,584 ✭✭✭shane86


    tech77 wrote: »
    OK i'm constantly baffled at how some people (often in positions of seniority/authority) got where they are today.

    They werent exactly in a position of power, but had passed enough exams to get into university and get one in the future, so I guess the below is a root cause situation.

    Had these English birds as roomates in a hostel, anyway we are getting the drinkage on and I was pretty shocked at exactly what level of intellect is required to get into university in England. Iit was me, 3 English birds, a yanik girl and her brother. Somehow a bit of political debate came about and 2 of the English girls asked the yank what the difference was between Democrats and Republicans. After she failed to understand the yank girls explanation, I tried to localise it and explain that the Republicans were essentially like the Tories in the UK, and the Demos were Labour (well, before Labour sold out the working class, but anyway). I then discovered they hadnt ever heard of either party, never heard of Thatcher and hadnt a clue who Gordon Brown was. I wouldnt mind if they were skangers/ chavs or whatever, but they are college material ffs. How easy are the exams over there?

    Worked with another guy who got promoted twice in as many years despite the fact he is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most useless knobend I ever worked with. Spent more time down the canteen than doing his job, which just increased the workload I had. 10K a year more than me he was getting and I was working 4 times harder for it (since I left he got promoted, 35- 40k by now). It was primarily a female run office so he used to get away with it playing the gay best friend card with the female managers. It would drive you fookin spare.

    Around leaving cert time a young, religious, slightly mad religion teacher advised us not to let the stress of the exams get to us, as one poor kid committed suicide in the middle of an exam by sticking pencils up his nose causing brain damage, I sh1t you not. I had trouble holding my laughter.


  • #23
    orourkeda
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,916 ✭✭✭✭orourkeda


    Reminds me of the old kitkat ad in which the band were auditioning. They were told you cant sing, you cant play, you look awful you'll go a long way.

    Reminds me very much of most of my time in work. So much so that I've really lost interest in any form of career progression. I'd just turn up take the money and concentrate on the important things in life.


  • #24
    Mr Hyde
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21 ✭Mr Hyde


    Speaking of teachers... only last week I encountered 2 of them over here who told me quite proudly they hadn't a notion of what they were doing.
    One was instruncting kids in the hindu religion telling them ganesh was the god of elephants, Shiva was blue because he was cold and Khali was the god of stealing things. The other teacher let me know she had her class convinced she was a witch who lived under her desk. These people were drawing a wage.

    Also, I work as a web designer, i won;t even go into the absolute epic fails I've seen at the workplace from IT types...


  • #25
    mathie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,103 ✭✭✭mathie


    I used to work for a Government Department and my boss would write me emails to do things that would take less time to do than to write the email.

    Then one day I was at his desk and he was trying to do the most basic fundamental thing and he couldn't do it. It was like trying to drag and drop text and it was beyond him.


  • #26
    Long Onion
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,342 ✭✭✭Long Onion


    "Going Forward"

    "Matrix Management"

    "people focused"

    "adding value"

    Learn to master the random use of these and you too can be CEO


  • #27
    cathysworld
    Closed Accounts Posts: 378 ✭✭cathysworld


    I think there will always be a degree of contempt for someone higher up than you who is earning more money and has more power but there does seem to be a lot of morons running companies!
    My last boss was totally clued into what was happening, knew how to run his business, kept an eye on all aspects of it etc. But my current boss(es) dont even know my name, Ive been here for a year and a half, they keep implementing stupid new systems to make sure we're doing our jobs as quickly and efficiently as possible but in reality these systems are slowing us down further!

    PS I hate my job/bosses :(


  • #28
    helimachoptor
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 21,917 Mod ✭✭✭✭helimachoptor


    I passed him the ball at a match.. she stuck it in the onion sack.

    also he's really fond of his motivational half time pep talks :)


  • #29
    _blank_
    Closed Accounts Posts: 41,926 ✭✭✭✭_blank_


    helimachoptor wrote: »
    I passed him the ball at a match.. she stuck it in the onion sack.

    also he's really fond of his motivational half time pep talks :)

    Top scorer for us this season too

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/member.php?u=48785

    And I don't remember you ever getting an assist :confused:

    A couple of flukey goals though :pac:


  • #30
    adamski8
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,503 ✭✭✭adamski8


    I have never encountered these kind of "frank grimes" like people in my life.....well i think its about time i sneak outta work early, go back to my mansion and eat some lobster.


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  • #31
    komodosp
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,657 ✭✭✭komodosp


    Surely a "Frank Grimes" experience is the opposite, the real hard worker who gets no reward?

    But anyway...
    Once worked with a guy who was two pay grades above me, but did nothing. He was the only person I've ever worked with who could get away with telling the bosses he just didn't want to do it. Never did figure out how...

    Actually a proper "Frank Grimes" one,
    We had flexitime - there was a clock which measured how many hours a week and we had to make sure it averaged around 39 hours a week.
    One girl was so busy one month she worked up over 120 hours up on the clock (i.e. in addition to the 39 hours a week), but since the maximum you could carry over to the next month was 16, she lost the rest!


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