Congress Dude chilling all over the stairs?
Posted by TGeneral1992@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 22 comments
Hi guys! German dude here :)
I just recently started watching the American Congress to get a better understanding of your politics and the mood in the country. One thing I can't really wrap my mind around is this dude who is always "chilling" on the stairs next to the presiding officer. Why is he sitting there? He keeps handing out transcripts, but why doesn't he get a table or at least a chair? At one point there were even 3 dudes sitting awkwardly behind the podium desk and 6 other guys on the other side :D Why is that? What are these "homeless" dudes doing on the stairs?
Link with timestamp for reference: https://youtu.be/KXkTGFFhprE?t=9698
dwhite21787@reddit
Holy cow, TIL Congress and the Bundestag have a work exchange program - https://culturalvistas.org/our-programs/internships-fellowships/congress-bundestag-youth-exchange-for-young-professionals-cbyx
TGeneral1992@reddit (OP)
Thats crazy! Guess thats a TIL for me too! But i can tell you for sure, they are not going into the main area in Bundestag. They might be sitting at the top where press and guests are seated.
seifd@reddit
Why don't you apply?!
dwhite21787@reddit
It’s weird that on the US side it says you don’t need to speak German to apply.
I was an exchange student in the early 80’s, Tübingen area, and I went to a bunch of the pre-unification meetings being held. It would’ve been amazing to see those going on at the Bundestag level.
mooch_the_cat@reddit
You’re probably referring to the Reading Clerk who reads everything out loud.
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/98-396
TGeneral1992@reddit (OP)
Thanks for your answer! Not sure about that though... you guys tell me 😃 If this is a official position why not have a chair for that guy? The "Page-Reasoning" makes a little more sense to me but i dont know 😉
FunTricky903@reddit
“Why” are “you” 😅 typing like “this”? 😉
TGeneral1992@reddit (OP)
We do this in German with neoloisms/"neologismish" (see like that:D) but might not translate well to english 😃
MyUsername2459@reddit
Yes, it does not translate well to English.
Normally, in English, quotation marks are used for two things.
Direct quotes, where you are quoting exactly what someone or something said.
So-called Scare quotes, where by putting something in quotation marks you're implying something isn't really that thing and you're just quoting someone else saying it's really that thing. Like if you said that a building was a "shelter" (with the quotation marks) you're implying that it isn't really a shelter, even if you're quoting other people saying it is.
2-Ns@reddit
If you mean the people literally sitting on the steps, yes, those are the pages.16-17 year olds, they run errands, get water, collect papers, etc.
The people at the marble desk below the presiding are the clerks. They do get chairs and a table :)
Why do the pages sit on the stairs? I have no idea! I agree it’s weird.
mooch_the_cat@reddit
It’s tradition dating back to the 18th century; Congress never updated the furniture to match the job
shibby3388@reddit
They’re Senate pages. The Senate has used pages since the 1820s. The House also had pages, but the House page program was ended in 2012 because too many representatives were being inappropriate with these high school kids.
Here’s the most important senate page. https://www.senate.gov/art-artifacts/exhibitions/isaac-bassett.htm
MsPooka@reddit
I'm pretty sure they're senate pages, basically, high school kids who are working as interns.
TGeneral1992@reddit (OP)
Very cool! We dont do that in our "Bundestag" but thats such a good idea to give the little ones a chance to find out if they see their future in politics
colliedad@reddit
It’s not all been fun. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_congressional_page_sex_scandal
GSilky@reddit
It's what rich people do for child care.
StillyMcDaniels@reddit
In the past, some reps have also used it as a dating service.
swishkabobbin@reddit
And the present, surely
chewbooks@reddit
It is! The only issue is that it's only available to those who live nearby, and because of the low stipend, it is often unaffordable for those of lower income.
chewbooks@reddit
Here's the info on the Senate Page program https://pageprogram.senate.gov/page-program/
TGeneral1992@reddit (OP)
Thats awesome! Must be very nice to have the chance to be in the senate if you are interested in politics!
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