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Writer's pictureKristin Lyman

"Friends" and "Folks"...Excuse me?

Updated: Jul 21, 2023

When did elected officials adopt the habit of addressing us as "friend" or using the catch-all "folks"? We, the constituents, are their BOSSES. We "sign" their paychecks and fund everything that they do, whether it's actual progress, complete BS or somewhere in between.

I'm guessing that the majority of us who are employed in the real world do not use the default greeting of "Hi Friend!" when we address our supervisors. This is the luxury of a member of a political oligarchy (rule by the few). This is the language of a comfy incumbent:




Side bar comment: As a nurse who suffered a back injury while moving a 330-lbs. patient so I could remove the feces soaked sheets from under him and clean him before the dialysis transfer team arrived (this is all at 7:15am, right as I came onto shift as other call bell lights are going off and patients need their morning meds and transfers are coming up from the CVSICU), I have some insight into what nurses need to be supported. The issue is not health care workers entering the workforce; it is how to create an environment in which they can stay in the workforce.



This photo was taken at Accepted Students Day 2014. Our cohort graduated December 2015. I completely and honestly say that I don't know of a single nurse that I graduated with that is still working as a bedside RN or in a traditional nursing role. I was speaking with a friend who works with the nurses' union in MI and he said, "Most of the new nurses I talk to say that one of their first thoughts when they start their first nursing job is 'How quickly can I get out of here?'"















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