On Tuesday morning, the new batch of interns made their way to the metro for their second big day of awesome responsibility. But this was the first day they could use their Red Badge of Courage to their advantage. Naturally, one female intern couldn’t wait. On the Red Line, she confidently approached the turnstile and swiped her red badge over the SmartTrip reader. When nothing happened, she assumed that the machine was broken, so she moved to the next turnstile, cutting in front of the crowd to do so. When that one also failed to yield for her, she cut in front of the next group of people. Each time, she made an exasperated face, completely at a loss as to why her ID badge wouldn’t overcome any obstacle she encountered, much less a metro turnstile. She made her way down the entire line of machines until she shoved me out of the way in order to try one last time, angrily swiping her intern badge back and forth across the reader to no avail.
Someone suggested that she deserves the benefit of the doubt, being such a neophyte and all. I might be inclined to agree, except the thought process must have gone something like this: “It’s a good thing I got this ID badge from work. They recognize that I’m so important to my office and this city that I get to use my free ID badge from work to ride the metro while all of those other people have to pay!”
So, for any interns reading this, here’s my bit of advice: try to remember that your Scarlet Letter doesn’t have any magical powers, metro or otherwise, and keep it tucked away unless you have to show it.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
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25 comments:
I have to admit, I've done this, and I'm not an intern. I swipe a badge to get out of the office and swipe my smarttrip card to get out of the metro. There have been times when I used the wrong card, and it took me about four machines to figure out why my card wasn't working.
or maybe she pulled the wrong card from her purse?
I keep my SmarTrip card in the same plastic holder as my work ID badge, and as we all know it is not difficult to end up with the dreaded "STOP - See Station Manager" message when the gates fuck up. Is it possible that's what this intern was trying to do?
Hey perhaps you should give interns the benefit of the doubt rather than just try to be an @sshole and ridicule them for any mistake that they may make.
you were most likely an intern too, and you made the same mistakes, and yes you yourself now have an all important job on the hill. perhaps you were once a tool of an intern who learned the system and worked their way up.
in stead of writing about each weakness, perhaps you should get to know the interns in your office and guide them, rather than watch from the side as they make mistakes.
--not a dbag hill staffer
wow buddy...looks like everyone thinks you're the tool
Where were you standing watching this whole thing? You stopped your commute to see how many times she tried to get through?
Yeah, I've made this mistake too--it's easy to grab the wrong thing out of your purse when it's early and you're not awake yet.
But cutting lines and shoving aren't things you can blame on caffine defficiency.
Interesting that you have the ability to read minds. Or at least you are pretentious enough to think you can...
Calling all Interns,
Sick and tired of stuck up staffers making fun of your menial tasks and red badge of honor?
YES? Well then, why not consider the DoD? Not only will we give you a badge that opens doors (literally and figuatively), you get another one for those tricky computers, you get paid and clearance to boot. How's that for making you feel important?
Some come on down (from the hill), and find out what it's like to do work that matters.
Sincerely,
RMG
i think all staffers should tell their interns on the first day that their badges double as metro smart trips, that would be pretty funny.
Yes most of us have been interns and make mistakes. However, this story isn't just about using the wrong card, the intern pushed her way to new turnstiles. Let us not forget the point of this blog is "to submit any absurd intern stories you are bound to acquire."
The intern may have seen people who keep their SmartTrip card in the same holder as their badges, which seems pretty common. This, paired with being from a college where your ID doubles as a transit pass, could easily lead to confusion.
Isn't this site dedicated to the lighthearted hazing of interns? Why is everybody getting in a tiff over this story? Jesus Christ, calm down and enjoy these stories for what they are...a laugh during your lunch.
Dude, you capitalized red line, smarttrip and red badge of courage and used the word "neophyte". I'm all for proper grammar and fancy words, but you sound like a douche.
hey interntards, you all must be abused.
it's better to assume that you are Tracy Flicks and D-bags and subject to ridicule. why? because there are a lot of shitheads on the hill and you will be a better person when you realize that no, you're not that smart or special.
I've done it once. Maybe tried to re-scan the card. Wouldn't someone who isn't an entitled little twit maybe look at the card in her hand after the first gate, much less after 2, 3, or 4 of them? And perhaps not cut in front of people and push people?
This would not have been posted without the rudeness and inability to adapt.
>could easily lead to confusion.
If she's stupid
something tells me that the people that read this blog are actually interns.
Just want to concur, the poster of this story is the real asshole for not helping the kid out. And "keep it tucked away unless you have to show it"? My office got 50 applications for four spots, none of our interns should have shame in their job.
oh my God!!! This must be, like, the totally worst blog everr!!
hey interns-who-keep-anonymously-posting-righteous-indignation-at-the-cruel-and-nasty-washingtonians-who-make-fun-of-them: if you learn nothing else during your summer here, learn this: if you are stupid, we will definitely point it out. there is no "benefit of the doubt". sink, swim or get the hell out of this city.
Everyone who doesn't think this funny = intern. You fool no one.
Also, line-cutting and shoving people out of the way? Hmm, yes let's give that a pass WAIT HOW ABOUT NO. And yes, it's totally plausible that someone would stop and watch this spectacle, or at least turn around and watch it after having passed thru the turnstile successfully. So nice try calling bullshit on that one, doesn't fly, FAIL, etc.
And as for "nice try buddy, everyone thinks you're the tool ..." Um, nope. I think you are. And, hey, look, you are!
Publicly hatin' on interns: About damn time. Kudos, and keep it coming. These idiotic idiots are like, what, locusts? No. Some combination of locusts ridden with swine flu and drunken post-teen Visigoths, only actually worse, and for many, many mroe reasons than I have time to go into here.
Oh! And I think I'm going to have a little chat with the IT and ethics folks and see how many congressional offices are pissing away their time looking at this and posting anonymous defenses of idiot interns, because they're idiot interns.
In closing: Eat it, interns. You suck. Learn some humility and maybe you'll turn into actual human beings rather than arrogant nutsacks.
I'd congratulate the good interns for doing their work, but they're not reading this, because they're doing their work.
Lol - nice. I agree with "Anonymous" - Interns should be told on their first day that their passes unlock everything so we can sit back and watch hilarity ensue.
I think the angry, faceless responses possibly make this even funnier to me. We're all gluttons for punishment, but isn't it great to laugh at newbies sometimes too?
from an intern, well so um while your still making shitty wages in a go nowhere position,the interns that do have the brains go on to finish law school or whatever and are now making more money then you! who feels like a d-bag now? oh yeah you have a good job reference, so? Have a nice day and hope you can get another job when your boses term comes up for election!
Look people. Even interns think this funny. yes we are the ones reading this, because most of our bosses give us tasks that shoud take us 'days' and we finish in minutes. There are reasons we are here. For every one hill intern there are about 50 other well qualified college students who were rejected from these positions. So no, we're not that important compared to "You", but just be glad you got us and not those thousands of other applcants who obvously fell short for whatever reason.
ps- when you call someone an 'idiotic idiot', the redundancy kind of takes the sting out of your name calling.
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