CaliforniaMan
Full time employment: Posting here.
Another sea story and a peek at a dark side of that era.
My first trip we drove a ton and a half stake truck full or oceanographic gear from San Diego to Puget Sound, must have been around 1968, three of us, me, a first year graduate student (who later became a director) and a high school student under some study program, who never told anyone until we were well underway that he had never driven a stick shift, much less a ton and a half truck, loaded to the gills with heavy equipment.
My first oceanographic cruise, a young man of 20 living his dream. I think it was in the summer of 1968.
On the trip out of Puget Sound the captain and crew were telling jokes. While at that age I enjoyed the "farmers daughter" jokes, when it got around to the racist ones I spoke my mind no matter who I was talking to, as a foolish 20 year old often does. It got into quite a heated argument between me and the captain, raised voices, and the captains bulging blood vessels, and only me arguing my side.
Finally the chief scientist, who had graciously invited me to participate in the cruise, took me aside and told me there was a time and a place for everything, now was not the time or place to argue with the captain of the ship. He was the captain! He realized as I didn't, how important good relations with the captain were to a successful outcome. He agreed with my positions but not my hot headed techniques.
I remember one thing the captain said, "wait till you start paying taxes, then you will understand." I guess he thought somehow paying taxes would make me see the light and become racist like him and the crew. It is an example of how outwardly racist society was during that period. You were the odd ball if you were not racist.
As with computers, office equipment, women in the workplace and race, it was a time of change and transition from the old world, old ways of thinking, old ways of doing things, to more like the environment we have today.
It was an interesting time to be a part of.
My first trip we drove a ton and a half stake truck full or oceanographic gear from San Diego to Puget Sound, must have been around 1968, three of us, me, a first year graduate student (who later became a director) and a high school student under some study program, who never told anyone until we were well underway that he had never driven a stick shift, much less a ton and a half truck, loaded to the gills with heavy equipment.
My first oceanographic cruise, a young man of 20 living his dream. I think it was in the summer of 1968.
On the trip out of Puget Sound the captain and crew were telling jokes. While at that age I enjoyed the "farmers daughter" jokes, when it got around to the racist ones I spoke my mind no matter who I was talking to, as a foolish 20 year old often does. It got into quite a heated argument between me and the captain, raised voices, and the captains bulging blood vessels, and only me arguing my side.
Finally the chief scientist, who had graciously invited me to participate in the cruise, took me aside and told me there was a time and a place for everything, now was not the time or place to argue with the captain of the ship. He was the captain! He realized as I didn't, how important good relations with the captain were to a successful outcome. He agreed with my positions but not my hot headed techniques.
I remember one thing the captain said, "wait till you start paying taxes, then you will understand." I guess he thought somehow paying taxes would make me see the light and become racist like him and the crew. It is an example of how outwardly racist society was during that period. You were the odd ball if you were not racist.
As with computers, office equipment, women in the workplace and race, it was a time of change and transition from the old world, old ways of thinking, old ways of doing things, to more like the environment we have today.
It was an interesting time to be a part of.