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EmperorofIceCream

Join Date 09/2004

No Wonder This Country is as F*cked as it is

Hire a fool, hire a jerk - who gives a damn if he can do the job?

Something that has impressed me in the worst possible way is this nation's preoccupation with what can only be called 'getalongness'. So long as everyone likes each other, so long as everyone gets along with each other, so long as everyone feels part of the team (no matter how utterly incompetent any given part of the team is), American employers would rather hire the getalong guy rather than the guy who knows how to get the job done.

"Despite a labor shortage in many sectors, some employers are pickier than ever about whom they hire. Businesses in fields where jobs are highly coveted -- or just sound like fun -- are stepping up efforts to weed out people who might have the right credentials but the wrong personality. Call it the "plays well with others" factor." (Link)

So. In order to please the idiots you've already hired - and who that works doesn't realise that most of his co-workers are idiots - you're going to hire yet more idiots, so that the idiots who presently work for you can continue to under-produce, rip you off, and generally fuck up your business, without feeling unhappy and so produce even less, rip you off to ever greater degrees, and fuck your business with an even greater sense of self-satisfied injustice than they already experience.

You people are incomparable imbeciles, and you deserve the utter destruction of everything you profess to believe in that's headed your way.

Tell me something, you unspeakable dumbasses, which is more important? That your co-workers like everyone they work with, or that those who work in your business are competent, reliable, and able to produce within deadlines - no matter how abrasive or 'unsuitable' their pesonalities happen to be?

"With the national unemployment rate low, at 4.7 percent, and the Baby Boom generation heading into retirement, employers from Microsoft Corp. to rural hospitals are worrying about finding enough workers. But companies like Rackspace Managed Hosting are bucking that trend, working hard to find reasons to turn people away. Rackspace CEO Lanham Napier said, "We'd rather miss a good one than hire a bad one."

We'd rather miss a good one than hire a bad one. What constitutes a 'bad one'? The kind of innovative, controversial, chance-taking thinking that used to typify American self-confidence, American industry, and American power. Not any more. Now, you're all so scared of causing offence that you'd rather accept second- or third-best choices, so long as they are uncontroversial and palatable to all, then pick the best and the brightest and most talented; just so long as no one in 'the team' feels uncomfortable.

Fuck the team.

"There's a possible downside, however. In a Harvard Business Review article titled "Fool vs. Jerk: Whom Would You Hire?" Tiziana Casciaro of Harvard and Miguel Sousa Lobo of Duke University point out that people generally like people who are similar to them, so hiring for congeniality can limit diversity of opinions. One venture capitalist told the authors that a capable manager he worked with built a team that "had a great time going out for a beer, but the quality of their work was seriously compromised."

Business is a social activity - but not a social club. Conflict, difference, spark original thinking and creativity - the kind of creativity for which Americans were once famous. Not anymore. No, now you pass the future of this country over to your competitors hand over fist - because you piss your pants whenever difficult decisions that involve choosing one option and rejecting another rear their ugly heads. God forbid you actually risk offending someone.

By all means, molly-coddle yourselves to destruction because you can't tolerate the idea that those who innovate and create productive and profitable change may not fit into your precious whitebread conceptions of what's acceptable. And meanwhile the rest of the world will laugh its ass off at you - laugh all the way to the bank.

You've became a nation of cowards and incompetents, and you don't even know it.

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I can imagine some of the responses I'm likely to get to this.

"If you don't like it here then leave". Leave? Leave, you stupid son of a whore? I've spent the better part of five years and 10,000 dollars in the process of becoming a citizen. A process I've undertaken because I both love and believe in this country - despite its bizarre obsessions over race and sex (to name but two), and despite the incomprehensible habit its native citizens have of constantly speaking ill of the country of their birth.

I love America because: it's the home and birthplace of the last great dream of equality and justice left in the world. Because it's the last refuge left to the independent spirit. And because its people are the most generous and charitable and honorable I've ever known.

Unless the authorities force me to I'll never leave. This is my home.

None of which means that I'm unaware of the incomparable follies you people subject yourselves to, nor that I will refrain from pointing them out whenever the manifest stupidity of the life of the body politic in this country oppresses me to a point where I cannot stand it any further. I believe that Amerca's day has not yet come. I believe that this malaise of corruption, of political cowardice and indecision will pass. I believe that America has a greater mark to make in the history of the peoples of the world than any she has yet made, a greater mark than any her people can presently imagine.

But Christ, you people are slow on the uptake.

WAKE UP.

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Idiocracy is looking to be a prophetic movie, rather than a comic one.

Sad, really.

"It's what plants crave!"

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Well I have to say that since I "failed" a personality test there is a certain company that will not have to tolerate my employment and that same company will also not have to tolerate mine or any of my family and friends business.

Really, I don't think that there's anything wrong with my personality but what do I know. I know that I would work hard and be there everyday with bells on but that's not good enough if you can't even make it through the first hoop.

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Idiocracy is looking to be a prophetic movie, rather than a comic one.

Yeah...the near future, unfortunately.

~Zoo

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The Japanese, the Chinese and the Arabs are buying up some of these companies, so many under our noses....I don't think half of us are even smelling the coffee yet!

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'Idiocracy' is a wonderful movie, and horribly accurate in its depiction of the present state of American society.

The present state of American society. Why else would you idiot sonsofbitches consider a 17 year old incapable of deciding who she will have sex with? While, of course, allowing those 14 and up to marry.

There are days I'm forced to consider the possibility that, as a people, you're too stupid to be allowed to live.

And while I'm on the subject of your incomparable stupidity, what is this shit with racial prefixes? I'm an African American. I'm an Irish American. I'm a (insert favored racist stereotype here) American.

Don't you imbeciles know yet that you're all Americans?

WAKE UP. GROW UP. GET OVER YOURSELVES.

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To: Locamama

There's nothing wrong with your personality. But there's an enormous amount wrong with American society.

You're hopelessly weak. You're convinced there's some connection between political reality and morality. You're convinced that sex is evil and that something called 'race' matters. Except it's not 'race' that freaks you out, it's skin color. But none of you dare say that because you're terrified of offending somebody, anybody, anywhere. You vote for your 'leaders' because they're cute, not because you believe anything they have to say. You tolerate political venality and corruption and incompetence because you're too lazy to pull your thumbs out of your asses and do something about it. You tolerate the worst kind of political incompetence because as long as you have a welfare check and food stamps and the patronage of your political masters you're happy to watch your country disappear into the sewer. You fawn slavishly on the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton because you don't have the balls to confront petty demagogues who use race to feather their own nests.

There's no limit to your paranoia about sex. There's no limit to the endless, pointless 'debates' about religion because you have no idea what religion is. You worship celebrity as though it were the sum of all virtue. You pay millions to brainless brutes who can throw a ball while leaving the veterans of your wars homeless on your streets (wars which you mostly lost because you have no idea what power is or how it's to be used).

You get into bed with the foulest tyrants on the face of the earth, and then lament hopelessly when those same tyrants bite the hand that feeds them. You give aid and succor to despicable regimes such as the Saudis because they control the supply of oil, and do nothing to make yourself independent of them, because the detestable zealot you elected as President is hopelessly beholden to them.

You sacrifice your influence in the world to the mad idea that 'democracy' is a one-size-fits-all suit that the rest of the world can be forced to wear, and you watch while the patrician incompetents that rule your lives drive your country into the dirt. AND YOU DO NOTHING. Nothing. Nothing at all.

You tie yourself in knots because foolish, uncivil children hung a noose in a tree, and sit idly by while equally foolish, equally uncivil children beat another child half to death in the street. And in terror of being thought 'racist' you sit mum while one of these same thugs is feted as a hero of the 'struggle for Black consciousness'. You waste billions on 'the war on drugs' while the worst addiction imaginable, oil, corrupts every phase and aspect of your cultural life.

The list is endless. And unless you, collectively, as one people, do something to redress this abominable situation, your nation will collapse into squalor and poverty and you will be remembered as the greatest collection of fools ever brought forth on the face of the earth.

Deservedly so.

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unless you, collectively, as one people, do something to redress this abominable situation, your nation will collapse into squalor and poverty and you will be remembered as the greatest collection of fools ever brought forth on the face of the earth

Hey Rev. Emp.

I have been saying these same things for a looong time albeit in a less blunt words. Then i realized something strange but true. There is a rule-of-thump in the Busn management circles that says, in reality 20% of the people do 80% of the work. This country is moving ahead on the back of those 20%, at least half of whom are recent immigrants. so those 10% who really know how this country works are at a loss of what to do. they are very small minority but along with the new arrivals make this country what it is now. They scream on Blogs, at work, in the streets, at campuses, everywhere really ..... but who is listening to them? They either called idiots, lefties, unpatriotics (love it or leave it ... you know the slogan), elites, morans, sometime unamericans, and all other kind of choice words.

wait till the next generation comes up to the plate. Just today i watched a Tv program about the new and improved philosophy that they are now propagating at schools and even in businesses. They say this coming up generation, the XGames generation, are so self-absorbed and fragile that they cant accept criticism because they were raised on the idea that "Every one is a winner". If you treat them a little harsh, they will just quit and go to another job that is more accomodating to their work'n'play thing.

I am really scared for the future generation .... hope my sons and grandsons are not like that. i know my sons are not, as for the small boys .... God knows how they will turn out. among the 10% or the 80%.

They dont read anything Rev Emp. how can they learn? They have instant gratification, how can they learn to struggle and solve problems? the Gov protects them from their parent's old-fashion deciplinary actions, how can they learn to behave properly or accept a Boss's criticism for fooling around at work and produce shoddy output. How can they?

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cactoblasta

Join Date 04/2004

+48

If you treat them a little harsh, they will just quit and go to another job that is more accomodating to their work'n'play thing.

Why should you put up with abuse in the workplace? I don't see why moving when threatened or treated badly is a negative thing. Then again, I'm in that generation, and all the figures suggest cooperation and making improvement enjoyable leads to better productivity and personal growth.

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The problem is, a little harsh now is saying "You got this wrong" or "You need to actually do your work." It's not abuse, but today's workforce thinks it is.

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I'm in that generation, and all the figures suggest cooperation and making improvement enjoyable leads to better productivity and personal growth.

good that there is, at least, one of them here. Look around you, can you tell me that the quality of anything done now is better? everything done now is way belw standard be it services, products or even simple proper conduct. and what productivity are you talking about? and what personal growth? when you are over 25 and you cant figure out what you want to do, that is growth? that is retarded. that is dragging your feet. that is NOT taking responsibility. your boss tells you that your work stinks, and you quit? that is growth?learning the news from John Stewart is growth? read a news paper for God's AND your country's sake.

In other words, Grow Up. leave your video game for a while and read a book. and while you are at it, stick with it, dont run away whenever you encounter difficulty. that is how you learn and grow up. not by quitting.

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cactoblasta

Join Date 04/2004

+48

The problem is, a little harsh now is saying "You got this wrong" or "You need to actually do your work." It's not abuse, but today's workforce thinks it is.

It's true that labour mobility is higher than it's ever been, but there's been plenty of success stories involving young people. I don't think things are quite so bad as you would like them to be.

Look around you, can you tell me that the quality of anything done now is better?

Better than when? Pick a year and we'll compare. It's a bit tricky though when you could be talking about any time between the stone age and last week.

everything done now is way belw standard be it services, products or even simple proper conduct.

Presumably education at least has improved - we now know, for example, that there is no such thing as proper conduct. Morality is not a constant but changes as society changes. As for the rest, I have my reservations about the quality of services and products in those mythical old days. People have always been people. There's not much evidence to suggest your generation or any earlier were nice to others, let alone good service-providers or producers.

your boss tells you that your work stinks, and you quit?

Better to quit than be fired! In any case if you can't do good work you shouldn't be in that industry. You should be actively trying to find something you can do well, not reducing the quality of whatever you do by being bad at it.

read a news paper for God's AND your country's sake.

You're not to know, but I actually write for a newspaper, which means I read a lot of newspapers, all the time. Knowing current affairs and a little history hasn't made me think fondly of the sado-masochistic and alpha male dominated workplaces of the past though.

In other words, Grow Up. leave your video game for a while and read a book. and while you are at it, stick with it, dont run away whenever you encounter difficulty. that is how you learn and grow up. not by quitting.

That's how you learn, maybe. But I'd rather move onto something I might like better than 'stick with it' in an environment of abuse and incompetence in the slight hope I'd get good eventually.

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There's not much evidence to suggest your generation or any earlier were nice to others, let alone good service-providers or producers.

for you of course there isn't. You never saw it or experienced it. and keep in mind i didnt say my generation is better. in fact my generation is the one who produced yours. WE did such a lousy job. I know that. I am not blaming you as you can see if you read my comment in full. We got you to this sorry state of affairs. we gave you gold stars when you failed, and applauded you when you messed up and we said we love you when you deserved a spanking and we said go to your room when you needed a sit-down.

I am not blaming you. I am blaming my generation. The 80% of it that i referred to above.

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cactoblasta

Join Date 04/2004

+48

for you of course there isn't. You never saw it or experienced it. and keep in mind i didnt say my generation is better.

When? If you're going to be a drama queen and say the sky has fallen, please base it on at least a date - what year do you think things were better for people than they are now?

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Better to quit than be fired! In any case if you can't do good work you shouldn't be in that industry.

how would you know to do a good job if you dont stay, learn and pay the price to get your experience? and why would you get fired unless you refuse to learn?

we now know, for example, that there is no such thing as proper conduct. Morality is not a constant but changes as society changes.

sure, we taught you that too. the great relativism. The false liberty and the irresponsible attitude.

who said the consumer is always rigth? to heck with that. We told you dont worry about what other people think. do your thing.

who said you can't get something for nothing? to heck with that. we said everyone is a winner and you got your gold star no matter how many times you failed. even you got a trophy even when your team lost.

who said think before you speak? to heck with that. we told you, express yourself, dont hold your tongue, you will get depressed if you do.

and guess what, your generation are more depressed, more suicidal and less thoughtful. we produced that.

look at the writers of the TV shows nowadays and compare them to the writers of the 70' and tell me you dont see the difference. of course you wont if you dont watch.

what do you have now to watch? Friends? two and half men? the Simpsons? reality shows? .... shall i go on?

as for news papers, your profession, you see how many corrections and retractions and phony stories they had to apologize for nowadays? even the NY Times, the paper of record, do you know it is called that? that same paper is now full of errors, false statements, biased news coverage. They led the way to this fantastically tragic war ..... knowingly ...... based on false pretenses .... on purpose?

would the old guard have done that? i doubt it.

They stood to great presidents and brought them down because they didnt tell the truth to the people, but NY times, washington Post and Cronkite did. That was the old Guard, who is doing that now? any of the idiots you see now can or willing to do that?

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cactoblasta

Join Date 04/2004

+48

So you're talking about the 1970s, right? The 1970s are the golden age?

sure, we taught you that too. the great relativism. The false liberty and the irresponsible attitude.

It's not relativism. That's something else entirely. As an example in the 1970s it was fairly acceptable to consider women incapable of working as well as a man. That's no longer the case. That's a moral shift and not really the result of moral relativism because it's pretty clear that in many jobs gender doesn't play a huge difference in results or efficiency.

who said the consumer is always rigth? to heck with that. We told you dont worry about what other people think. do your thing.

So long as you're not a communist. Or black. Or Muslim. Or gay. Or foreign in any way, shape or form. But otherwise sure, do your thing.

and guess what, your generation are more depressed, more suicidal and less thoughtful. we produced that.

Really? Or is it just that depression, suicide and 'thoughtfulness' have only been measured in the last twenty years ago, and even now aren't measured particularly accurately?

Also, what do you mean by thoughtfulness? Do you mean that there is actually less breadth of thought today when you can read, speak and do things from any culture on earth nearly anywhere on earth? Or is it just the decline in traditional American culture, with its own relaxing mix of injustices and intolerances, that you think has been reduced?

as for news papers, your profession, you see how many corrections and retractions and phony stories they had to apologize for nowadays? even the NY Times, the paper of record, do you know it is called that? that same paper is now full of errors, false statements, biased news coverage. They led the way to this fantastically tragic war ..... knowingly ...... based on false pretenses .... on purpose?

Simple answer? 30 years ago they didn't have to retract anything. They just reported and people believed. Now we're more discerning and have other sources of news, there's more retractions. As for the phony stories count please feel free to back that up. I'm sure some academic somewhere has done a study on it.

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