Do you ever get the feeling that a career in automotive repair turns you into Rodney Dangerfield? "We don't get no respect."
The term "grease monkey" is still in use, and a lot of people still think the only reason we work on vehicles is because we're not smart enough to get a "good" job. It seems that high school guidance counselors all over the country are still trying to discourage the bright, hard-working kids from entering our vocation.
Our job title has even been changed from mechanic to technician in an effort to gain respect. My grandfather was a mechanic, as was my father. As a matter of fact, I still prefer the term mechanic. Grab a good dictionary and compare the two words. Which one best describes us? Even so, changing our job title won't change the public's perception of us. We have to do that by presenting a positive image of what and who we are.
Having said all that, I'll now climb up on my soapbox. I was in Las Vegas for Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week again this year, and once more, I noticed one reason why we don't get much respect. I didn't have time to get to the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) show, but I walked the Automotive Aftermarket Product Expo (AAPEX) on Tuesday, attended the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) meetings on Wednesday, and then spent the rest of the week at the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS). I couldn't help but notice the attendees sporting lip rings, nose rings, mohawks, pony tails and T-shirts. I can guarantee you that the aforementioned people who were at AAPEX weren't there as manufacturer's representatives.
I'm not saying that we should all spend the week in three-piece suits, but how about wearing a shirt with buttons?I know that I'm an opinionated old fogy, but I can't help but wonder what the people working in the booths at these shows and the non-automotive people in the hotels and on the street thought about us and our industry. We were easy to spot because we all had those badges around our necks. I'm not saying that we should all spend the week in three-piece suits, but how about wearing a shirt with buttons? At the very least, tuck the T-shirt into your pants. For some of the younger attendees, that means that your pants need to be up far enough to be able to tuck the T-shirt into. After all, it's called a waistband, not a butt-band.
How can we expect the public to quit perceiving us as a bunch of slovenly "grease monkeys" that don't deserve their respect when some of us project that image? Some will say that a person's appearance is not important, that it is not an indication of their character. I contend that it is. Your appearance speaks volumes about your character and who you are down deep.
Whether or not you agree with me, at least think about it. If we can't all project a professional image at the premier automotive aftermarket event of the year, what kind of image do we project back home in the shop? And how can we expect John Q. Public to give us the respect that we think we deserve?
