The Kleptocratic Empire

[pan]

Stealing us blind.

[pan]

I've been renting my water softener for seven years - paying more for it than if I had bought it outright.  Last year it had to be replaced....I guess it was fortunate I was only renting.  Have to look into how to close the account when I move.

[BO]

Yeah, the renting shit business model. A pretty ingenious scheme cooked up by the vulture class. They 'bank' on people forgeting what they've signed up for. My neighborbor recently figured out that he had paid over a thousand dollars for a cheap-ass modem he rented from the local phone company. Imagine the evil shits that devise these business models in corporate conference rooms between golf games. Pure sociopathy at work.

Had a discussion with my wife yesterday about our son -- a millennial -- and his lack of ambition. Smart kid, actually. But, he's sees and knows how corrupt the system has become. Lots of millennials are rejecting the idea of striving for the 'good life' because they know the game is rigged and they understand the concept of being indentured by credit. The PTB call 'em slackers. A lot probably are. But there's also a growing number who simply reject what the PTB want them to become. It certainly puts we parents of millenials in an akward position. Got to be empathetic about the lack of opportunity, yet somehow try to convince our kids not to completely give up.

Generation x-ers seem to have become Reaganites -- slimy little greedy pricks/prickettes. The millennials reflect more of a 'sixties' mentality. Then again, I may just be having a romantic dellusion based on wishful thinking.

Gotta finish watching MM's video tonight. I wonder if they show that in schools. They should.

[pan]

Generation x-ers seem to have become Reaganites -- slimy little greedy pricks/prickettes.

And thus the popularity of Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.  That generation didn't grow out of their immature infatuation with Ayn Rand "greed is good" nonsense.

[BO]

Witnessed the sea change at work before they ousted me. The younger generations replacing the boomers were aggressive and morally flexible, just what the corp wanted. Also very evident was what I call 'Little Eichman Syndrom' where coworkers whom I thought were previously decent people, would be offerred jobs in management and would come out of their training completely changed -- ready to commit to any amoral act asked of them. Qualification for management was never about knowledge or leadership ability. Candidates were selected based on their ability to lie and screw people over without guilt. If an employee grew old and projected higher levels of integrity, your career was over -- no matter how well you did your job. Managers resented most, those who did their jobs well but who rejected the idea of becoming managers. It was the ultimate insult. 

[waldopaper]

I am woefully behind on my age-group taxonomy, but I think most of the compliant female dullards that have replaced us in what is now being called the "purge of old white men" are intimidated by "Ms. Disrespectful." They are largely X-ers methinks.  But I love this new crop of students and will miss them.

I guess they are "millennials"  but not sure  I have been called "disrespectful" by my "boss"... probably because she does not know the korporat term for "insubordination," which got stuck on me whenever I encountered an incompetent lying fuckhead in the korporat world.  .   

Good thing I am getting out.  Thoughts are not homicidal like they were in the korprat world, but must admit... I have thought of whipping out Mr. Dink and pissing on Ms. Disrespectful while saying, "No. THIS is disrespectful."  Would this be considered "assault?"    Probably.  I don't even "respect" them enough to even remotely consider taking their head.  I pity my wee spiders who must deal with incompetent dullards in the future... but they can handle it.  They're used to it.   Far cry from the Hitler Youth who reported me to the Gestapo for asking them to read and write about Socialism.  

But back in those days, the Dean was my friend... not some sock-puppet with a Victrola in their mouth.  

 

[pan]

Back at my tenure line job over ten years ago, Dean BigPipes berated me for saying that I didn't respect his friend Dr. Bipolar.  It was clear that was my crime.  I made his friend feel bad because I had integrity and refused to prop up his ego by undermining the discipline and making sure that the students weren't empowered.

[waldopaper]

All this recent shit reminds me of Idiocracy. I am an arrogant  co.  cending asshole.  

No.  I am brain-damaged and stupid.  So maybe that's why we do not understand the difference between knowledge and wisdom.  

[BO]

Knowledge vs wisdom. Big difference between knowing shit and knowing when it's applicable. Without wisdom, knowledge ain't worth shit.

[pan]

Donald Duck and Ayn Rand and other propaganda aimed at children.

[waldopaper]

God how I miss Joe Bagent and George Carlin.  Joe was right about the audacity of depression.  It is bold.  Most of us knew the mask was off in 2000  CE at least in the USA.  Y2K to 911, numbers and words used to mean something.  Even some of my favorite blog sites winked out.  Doktor Fruit nailed it and Orlov wailed it.  Cool AD aint got shit to say. Peak everything.meaning nothing. 

[BO]

Peak people. The NY Times dispels the myth of over-population. James Howard Kunstler dispells the myth of honest reporting by the Times.

What the fuck is wrong with those people?

[pan]

from the comments:

“It’s hard to make a man understand something when his pay check depends on his not understanding it”

Upton Sinclair