I opted fairly early in "my career" to abide by a set of standards that met my personal goals more so than those dictated by professional "etiquette." Not to say that I don't understand or undertake the professional standards of behaviour, but I don't strive to uphold them as much as I do my personal ones. This topic seems to have gained a lot of ground with the Twitter apps and other microblogging tools letting people make more fools of themselves than they already have chance to.

 

Do I post items that might annoy. Yes. Do I post items that I feel deeply about that may offend. Yes. Do I attempt to offend or annoy, or act oblivious to the potential to annoy and offend? No.

 

YouTubing yourself crapping into people's pizza's is not only offensive, but patently stupid. Writing about how I wish to crap in some people's pizzas is offensive, but not necessarily stupid. But maybe it is, and since it is personal it don't matter cause it weren't no real pizza after all. Just a metaphor. Anyway...the point is that one's ability to produce professional level work may not be entirely connected to your ability to uphold professional codes of conduct all the time. Being a loungy slob by inclination often does spill over into unprofessional work, but not always.

 

So, if you are a loungy slob who knows NOT to let your slobiness spill over into your professional endeavors, remember that "spill over" usually is dictated by the other party and not you. What you may consider fine - especially considering what "normal" is for you, slobboy - may in fact be offensive. See, you can't win. So, move off into another field or get cleaned up and look "normal" (ish). Or don't bother and just fight your way through every meeting that you have to attend. Now that was a digression...