I had quite a few interesting ideas for a post this time. Walking to work the last couple of days I have been musing, thinking, turning them around, and writing them within my head (crazy person, I know). Then I realized there was no point to post any of that, since I won’t be around this weekend to read any potential comments.
I’ll be heading out to a cabin in the middle of nowhere in southern Sweden. The plan is to spend the weekend with my cousin indulging in our girlhood live – horse-back riding – combined with tea-drinking and some serious gossiping. The place where we’re going doesn’t even have a TV, so there’s no chance of internet.
So instead of a long rant inspired post, I’ll leave you with this snippet I found in yesterdays paper about a survey on the professions with highest status according to people in Stockholm:
1. Medical doctor
2. Architect
3. Scientist
4. Lawyer
5. Finance analyst
I’m happy to find scientist so high up in the list, especially after reading Steffis recent post on how to explain science – maybe people actually do care what we say, at least a little bit! The finance analyst has me more surprised though, with the finance crisis and everything. But maybe it’s true that “all publicity is good publicity”?
Have a great weekend!
People probably admire scientists because they know how special it is for a scientist to be able to stay in science against all odds.
Or that is what I would like to think of course.
People admire us for being stubborn? I’d have hoped it was because we were brilliant and out to save the world, or something :) But you are right, it’s definitely something special to stay in this world, it takes a lot of pure interest in what you are doing.
Wow, Stockholm must have better lawyers than the rest of the world! That’s a surprisingly high rating!
I wonder where politicians fall on the scale?
I’m willing to bet if you did that survey in Australia it would come out something like this:
1. Captain of Australian cricket team
2. Vice-Captain of Australian cricket team
3. any member of Olympic swimming team
4. Anyone else
Ok, maybe I’m being a little overly cynical, but you get the point. I’m hearing strong rumours that HMR funding in Australia is about to be slashed in next years federal budget, while funding for sports is about to get a boost.
I once went to a lecture given by a forensic pathologist – it was the best lecture I’ve ever attended, and certainly the funniest – in which the speaker enumerated the people most likely to be murdered, broken down by profession. In decreasing order, they were
1. Prostitute (female).
2. Prostitute (male).
3. Used-car salesman.
No doubt there’s a highly rated TV show about Swedish lawyers :)
I have a feeling “high status” means that people are impressed by the profession (thinking that they could never do it, or that the people that do are very smart)…not sure if it translates to being listened to or respected though ;)
Unfortunately I think Alyssa has a point – and this may explain why finance analysts make it to the top of the list. People are getting that they are making serious money…
@ Darren – I think people got to choose from a list of professions, and maybe “football player” and “member of the jury of the Idol show on TV” wasn’t options you could choose from…
@ Henry – I’m not that surprised actually. Maybe I’d have thought broker or middle-man for second hand housing contracts would have beaten the used-car salesman though…
@ Ken – No, we don’t even bother to to make them ourselves, we settle for being impressed by the American ones :)
@ Cath – Or we are just slightly more gullible and get more impressed by said American TV show…
I suppose it might depend on how you interpret “high status”, it’s ambiguous enough even in one language let alone via translation.
(Two interpretations of “high status” that probably are negatively correlated more often than not: “Valued”, “Powerful”)
I agree that it’s a difficult phrasing, and may well have meant different things to different people asked. When it comes to translation it was pretty straightforward, the Swedish term was “hög (high) status”. Still, even a word that is actually the same may have different meanings in different languages (although not in this case, I think).
In Santiago,in decreasing order, they were:
1. Economist
2. Lawyer
3. Medical Doctor
4. Political
5. Civil Engineer
6. Dentist
7. Psychologist
8. Architect
Politicians have a good place in my list.
Wow, Economists and lawyers are popular! Are you being sarcastic about the politicians, seeing as you just totally dissed them over at Erika’s blog just now?
Anna – It is a presumption?
Hmm, I’m not sure I follow? I presume that you are being sarcastic, since of what you wrote on Erika’s blog. But my comment above was more of a question? Or are you pulling a joke on me that I’m not getting :)
Dear Anna: is no a Joke, and sorry I be sarcastic. I finally understood what I wanted to say. Thank you.
hahaha ok, I’m glad you did :) Always good to have you around, it makes things more interesting!
Thanks you Anna!