The Office on Meth Lab Road

It is amusing how cultural differences can affect conversation. Here is a case in point. Back in the last century I went to work for the big company. I was told to find suitable location for my remote sales office. After a quick search I found a great place in an old building on the public square. The five story edifice was once state of the art. It sported a copper-clad awning over the main entrance, now a motley green. The main staircase and lobby were tiled in marble. There were mail slots on every floor that led through the walls to the brass mailbox in the lobby.

The building once was a center for professionals. Doctors, lawyers and accountants roamed the halls. Now the five floors were occupied by an aging attorney who worked a few hours two or three days a week and me. The place was old and worn out, but I got a great deal and a whole suite of offices.

I called my boss in suburban Philadelphia to give him the details. I explained it was an old worn out building, right downtown, near City Hall. I mentioned the owner agreed to paint the walls and replace the worn carpet. Jerry asked me if I thought the building was safe. I mentioned the elevator had an updated inspection certificate and I assumed the wiring etc. were up to code. He asked again if I thought it was safe. I said the walls seemed solid. He said "No, will you be physically safe in a building downtown? Will you get mugged, is the parking secure?"

I could only laugh. I have never felt like such an idiot. It never occurred to me I would not be safe in a building in my little Indiana town of 17,000. For the boss, who grew up in Newark, NJ and lived his life in the Philadelphia area "right downtown" had a much different connotation. He envisioned crack whores and the human debris that inhabits the center of our major cities. Those who live and work in such areas have to be cognizant of their environment.

Later he admitted he had also never felt more foolish, our mutual confusion regarding his question became the lore of future sales meetings. "'I asked is it safe?' and he replied 'I guess it is up to code.'" A perfect example of how two white guys, of a similar age and professional background can have such a disconnect. The confusion all because of where we were raised.

I am glad the question of commute times never came up.