Manual made jokes about sick atomic workers

[LeighAnn]

Source: CBS News

Advocates for U.S. atomic workers sickened by radiation exposure say they're stunned that a manual used to train people who screen applicants for possible compensation and medical benefits featured character names lifted from horror movies.


The undated Labor Department manual, which offers case examples involving nuclear industry workers, referred to one hypothetical claimant as "Freddie Krueger," evidently taken from Freddy Krueger, the horrifically-scarred, homicidal villain of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies.

<snip>

The Labor Department's Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, established in 2001, provides compensation and medical benefits for atomic workers whose illnesses are shown to have been caused by occupational exposure. To date, $7.4 billion has been paid in compensation and medical bills for more than 86,000 claimants.


Prior to the program, however, the Energy Department claimed that none of its workers was sickened by exposure to radioactive materials.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/27/national/main20112345.shtml

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More at the link to put it all into context

[CopingBarker]

1. A Technical Writer's attempt a slipping in some black humor

assuming the boss would have no idea who the name referred to

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. yep. n/t

[whathehell]

4. Why would the tech writer assume boss wouldn't know who it referred to?..It's popular culture.

[CopingBarker]

7. I can guarantee you my mom doesn't know who that is

And when Obama first mentioned something about Snookie last year, I'd never heard of her either. You'd be surprised how little some people know about pop culture once you get over 30.

Because, you know, who gives a crap.

[whathehell]

9. Ha!

You may have a point and I don't know how old your mom is, but I'm over sixty and I

know who Freddy Kreuger is...That being said, I'd set the bar over the age of thirty!

[Taverner]

6. Yep. They have a thankless job.

Usually pays well, but is thankless nonetheless.

[whathehell]

11. Awww...Poor widdle tech writers..

If you want "thankless" try being a waiter.

[Taverner]

12. Dude, it's not a competition

[whathehell]

13. Dude, it sometimes is..

and besides, you seemed to be giving them a "pass"

for being insensitive shitheads.

[Taverner]

14. I'm giving them a pass for gallows humor

[whathehell]

15. I'm not and neither would they,

were it THEIR friends or family who were

victimized and then "joked" about.

[whathehell]

3. Ewww....Ugly and Cruel.

[quakerboy]

5. Another one was named Jack Bauer

Also cruel and ugly?

[bread_and_roses]

8. It's dehumanizing and totally inappropriate for the usage

It is hard enough for most to apply the boundaries of professionalism without falling into objectifying those they are serving, without "training" materials that do exactly that. The first rule is genuine respectfulness of the person in front of you. This violates that precept.

[whathehell]

10. No, it's highly complimentary

Whatever.:eyes:

[quakerboy]

17. Reading the article

it sounded like the only commonality between the examples was that they were pop culture references. Which was not quite how the article was presented, and leads me to think differently than the post I responded to. Ive done technical writing, in small amounts, and it gets boring. Someone thought they were being cute, and that someone is probably sans job now. Oops for them. But the details in the article do not sound like malice to me

[whathehell]

18. You might be right.

[gratuitous]

16. I guess it's a step up

After all, what's worse: Existing as Freddy Krueger or being denied existence at all?