Indeed

Posted by Lewis on June 16, 2003

In Reply to: Indeed posted by Bob on June 14, 2003

: : : Is there a special phrase/term to describe habits that people have developed because of their jobs, e.g. an English teacher always wants/likes to point out the English errors of others, a social worker always wants to give people advice, a lawyer who only uses legal standards to judge if behaviours are right or wrong, etc.?

: : One expression is "it's an occupational hazard" and the other I've heard is "it comes with the territory". Both explain why someone does this.

: The Japanese proverb is "to the man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." And there's a memorable passage from Robert Frost's "Two Tramps in Mud Time" that goes
: Men of the woods and lumberjacks,
: They judged me by their appropriate tool.
: Except as a fellow handled an ax
: They had no way of knowing a fool.

Stereotyping - no not two people writing the same thing. Lawyers - do not habitually judge right and wrong - they are more likely to cross-examine people in conversation, pick out errors and want the detail correct - when I find myself doing that I say "occupational hazard" or "forgot I'd left work".

I liked the Japanese adage - I may use that.