Banana Time:
Job Satisfaction and Informal Interaction.
Maybe a little humorous, but certainly not misguided.
What he means that during boring work activities, that people will develop amusements to break up the monotony of repetitive and non-thinking actions. The workers were really not enjoying themselves, even though they made a game out of some of the routines with "times" and "themes."
Ritualized "games" to help make it through the day, are not restricted to work. What happens to a worker that retires from a life of meaningless work? Well, many retire and sit around
bored and try to
suck the life out of anyone that passes by. But they have their "times," also. My retired neighbor washes laundry everyday, watches the 'Price is Right," and then it is "My News time," when everything on the news causes a lot of, "Oh My God," "those dirty bastards," and "Oh No!" But all is not
lost, because then it "Mail Time."
The lesson from "Banana Time" is to lead a life of purpose, and don'
t sell your
soul for a paycheck.
Maybe it is good for
America that those types of manufacturing jobs are getting scarce.
During the day the workers had "Peach Time," Coke Time," and other'
s including the famous "Banana Time."
One of the themes might be childishly repeating incoherent words or sounds, like "Sammy is a bad
man. George is a good
man. Sammy is a bad
man." This theme might be repeated many times with or without any seemingly provocation. Or another worker might ask someone twenty or thirty times, without expecting or wanting a reply: "Are you a
man or a mouse? I asked you, are you man or mouse"
