Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Revolution

Well, I finally had the chance to see Michael Moore's latest movie, "Capitalism: A Love Story." As you might expect, it was definitely educational & one of those movies where you see one's biases shining through.

Despite that, there are some grains of truth to this one. First off, have you ever heard of something called "dead peasant insurance?" Check it out.

Had a chance to read up on it? Shocking, but it confirms my continued esteem for big business (sarcasm dripping like a wet sponge here). I didn't see any company I'd worked for or any that my family members worked for on there but next time I interview w/a major company, I think I'll be asking the interviewer about that. Either the interviewer will be completely confused, think I'm crazy or figure I shouldn't work there b/c I'm way too smart for the top brass to deal with. Or maybe someone will be impressed that I had the gall to ask about it.

Second, Michael Moore goes to some companies that apparently operate under a democratic system. The workers ALL have an equal vote on how things are run & pay is equal w/increases for more effort. Sounds good, huh?

Well, when I saw this part I asked my husband what they do when some worker is completely incompetent at the job? If their big concern is not firing people or leaving them homeless, what about the situation when someone is breaking a good, common sense rule like stealing? What if the person isn't even putting in any effort? Or what if there's absolutely NOTHING in the company that the person's talents can be used for? Maybe you could give someone more training or move him/her to a new department but what if absolutely nothing works? They should be out the door, right?

But I wonder how companies like that handle it. You can't have a successful, viable business or even a good company atmosphere if you're letting one person break the rules, not do the work or be lazy. At the end of the day, XYZ job isn't an entitlement.

While I think the concept in its simple form might inspire less hatred for big corporations, if you aren't cutting the dead weight regardless of position or who they know, you've got the same problems you always had. Sorry but if you're working for me, you're going to have to do the job, not steal and not go around picking fights. If you violate those basic rules, you're out & I won't shed a single tear for you if you're lazy or think my company owes you something. We don't!!

Finally, Michael Moore was discussing people who finally got off their butts to protest. I have a few observations worth noting on this:

1. When it's all said & done, I'm really somewhat of a radical at heart. I believe in following rules/laws that serve a useful purpose but at the same time, some rules/laws have to be broken. They might conflict with some basic legal principle, be completely arbitrary &/or have no rational basis for being followed.

So I'm all for civil disobedience in certain situations. If my husband & I had no quality of life, you can bet we'd not be sitting around bemoaning our fate or giving up like so many other people. Likely you'd see us leading protests & organizing people to get off up their butts to improve their situations in a more dramatic, noticeable fashion.

2. If you've been reading this blog for a time, you know that I'm not going to have kids. I have my own reasons but a big one is people use parenthood to become complacent. Certainly not ALL parents but I think many abdicate social responsibility & trying to improve their lives by claiming their kids need a "good role model."

Tell me, what are you teaching a child when you let life crap all over you & don't fight back? When you continue to blindly follow arbitrary & stupid laws or "company policies" when a boss is not behaving rationally? I'll tell you.

You're teaching that child not to EVER question authority, that employers should treat them like garbage & that they shouldn't dare to dream or get out of a miserable existence. Certain schools also reinforce this by having extreme punishments for minor behavior that doesn't fall in lock step with the administration's public image or that of the school.

So I think society's prodding of people to breed is an attempt to make the populace into sheep who blindly follow instead of wild horses who can't be tamed.

The parents, schools & others who encourage creativity, self-employment & assertiveness deserve praise. The sheriff profiled who refused to evict people & be the financial industry's lap dog kicks ass in my book.

Anybody who stands up & says "enough" in the face of bully tactics or arbitrary behavior deserves praise, respect and admiration since I know the nay-sayers are too chicken to get off THEIR butts and rock the boat.

3. The majority of people in politics should just be killed & cleared out so younger people can come in. The old are far too corrupt & anyone with a hand in things from back in the day to now should just be executed publicly for the public's own good. I think a new guard w/new values & who don't come from money would be far better at handling things--granted, not everyone w/money is an asshole but I think you need socioeconomic diversity before anyone's going to care so much about politics.

The current president hasn't really had a shot to do anything & if you got rid of the trash, I think you could see real change. Enforce some damn laws & enact Roosevelt's 2nd Bill of Rights if you want to see some actual improvement.

4. Some religious leaders aren't corrupt scumbags. I was shocked to hear some Catholic priests & a bishop of all sources saying that the current US economic system was evil, against Jesus' word, etc. I noted that these weren't people trying to get on TV every 5 seconds or involving themselves in politics.

5. Finally, being poor doesn't excuse you from personal responsibility. Maybe Michael Moore would disagree w/me on this but poverty means you work harder. It means you are aware of what might happen & if you really want to go somewhere, you rage as hard as you can against things that will hold you back.

I'm still aware of what could happen if I started drinking; since I know I'd very likely become addicted & end up like my father, I don't drink. Take someone's negative views of you & do you damnedest to prove that person wrong. No matter how hard something seems, make it your mission in life to do it. Don't become a single mother when everyone's expecting you to do it. Don't become a drug addict, an alcoholic, a criminal; it's more gratifying & fun to prove someone dead wrong. To make someone have to eat their words & look like a fool for counting you out.

I did that sort of thing so much, no one who knows me well bats an eyelash when I say I want to do something. No one ever tries to talk me out of it if they know I've succeeded at doing multiple things that were close to impossible.

So basically, I think there will be a major revolution sooner or later. For now, I've just been sitting back & waiting to see what happens.

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