General Musings Part 25

Wow, can't believe I've done 25 of these. This will be a mix of articles & rants you can read more detail on elsewhere.

* First off, thank you Jerry Lewis. I totally agree with him on this & I'm over 50 years younger. Reality TV and being on these competition shows does NOT make you a star. It just doesn't. I'm not the only one who feels this way, either. Do you honestly think the average film company executive is going to cast some reality TV star as the lead in a feature film?? If you think that person's getting anything more than a brief cameo, you're sadly mistaken.

That is because legitimate companies & agents know better than to try to make us think a reality TV star is in any way an artist. See my earlier post on reality TV & its "performers." That explains it all.

* This article asks "Is There a Way To Become Layoff-Proof?" I'll give you my answer. It's very glib & simple. Ready?

The best way to be layoff-proof is (drumroll, please)...to work for your damn self!!!!!!!!!! If you aren't competent to do something on your own, get some partners who are just as passionate & dedicated as you but who have skills/competencies you don't. Then you'll have to be voted out instead of laid off. You'll also be able to give scuzzy employers the proverbial middle finger if you so choose.

Yeah, reading articles like this confirm that I'm long past working for a major employer. I don't have the capacity for the bullshit & I don't get those who want to grovel to assholes who could care less about them. Relationships, jobs, friendships, where ever.

* This "career advice" article also makes my super cynical side come out.

In the law firm associate world, you can do all this stuff & STILL get laid off. There are countless stories about total lack of loyalty and barracuda behavior. In fact, you have a better chance at staring on Broadway or winning the lottery than you do at making partner at the average big law firm. A friend actually told me about associates having to become indentured servants to the law firm partners at one firm or having zero chance at being considered for a partnership (yes, doing personal favors for a boss qualifies in my book as becoming that person's indentured servant). I'm also willing to bet there are many female law firm partners who had to perform sexual favors or put up with serious sexual harassment from the partners to get there, especially in the past.

Let's also talk about government jobs (at least locally, I have no clue if this applies to federal). The only way to get promoted in those is by being the biggest incompetent on Earth. Seriously! I say this based on what I have personally seen and heard with my own senses in various venues, especially when my husband's being treated like garbage. You want to kill employee loyalty & get folks to leave in droves??? Operate your business like a government job or a large law firm.

In fact, the attrition rate at major law firms is extremely low. Particularly among women & minorities. Good thing I'm not in the minority in wanting a quality of life & some recognition for a job well done. If someone's not going to give you any, you may as well give it to yourself.

This author has obviously never worked in either atmosphere so I can't take this "advice" seriously.

* Some more BS career advice can be found here (half of this is contrary to what I've heard from actual employers, plus I'm not going to thank someone for rejecting me)& here (some of this is good but #2 doesn't account for some poorly worded job descriptions I have seen).

* Thanks for the obvious, University of Amsterdam researchers! Now could you somehow get business owners to stop promoting these nuts to managerial roles & allowing them to make major business decisions? Society would owe you an eternal debt of gratitude if you did.

* This should have you outraged, just as it outraged me when I read it.

First off, have you pricks forgotten about something called the Constitution? Have you forgotten about "freedom of assembly" and "freedom of speech?"

Second, let me clue you in on something. Crime has always existed & it will continue to exist. The laughable punishments you get in America for breaking the law is one big reason for this. Another is the fact that if someone is motivated enough to do something, they will do it no matter what type of barrier you put in place for it. Consider terrorist attacks. How many did the TSA actually stop?? NONE!!!!! That agency is a mere dog & pony show designed to give the illusion of safety & violate the rights of law-abiding citizens. Personally, I consider going through a machine that exposes as much as if you saw me naked or a "patdown" more graphic than that of the standard police arrest procedure a violation of my rights, thanks very much. It's why I refuse to fly unless it's on a private plane.

I hope the ACLU wins this one & doesn't allow these people to behave like corrupt forces in countries where democracy is a total joke. The US is heading more & more down that path. Just wait. Sit around & let folks take your rights, basic liberty, etc. away & you will be left with totalitarianism. Take a look at history & remember that saying "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

* It's too bad Warren Buffett isn't running for President. If he's got some sane viewpoints aside from his economic stances, I'd consider voting for him. Perhaps he & his rich friends should make sure the prick politicians who are not in favor of raising their taxes by even 0.0001% while breaking the backs of the poor & middle class get NOTHING in campaign funding. If it were me, I sure would.

He's said some astute things in the past. Perhaps the people in power should start listening to him & applying some of these tactics instead of whining about the other party or trying to outlaw abortion.

* Finally, saw this yesterday about some mega-church pastor being dead.

Personally, anytime I hear "mega church pastor" I think "corrupt, hypocritical asshole who won't do the right thing unless you pay him/her." Can you blame me? Look at how many of those types were involved in sex scandals, stole money from their churches & have campaigned for politicians!! I hate people who wear religion like a robe while promoting some Republican's presidential campaign. I'd hate to see it for any candidate from any party but more often than not, it seems to come from the Republican side of the fence.

Churches are supposed to be neutral! I shouldn't have to be a Democrat or a Republican to be welcome in a house of worship! Talk about being un-Christian.

Otherwise, you should just turn the church into a political club or some politician's campaign headquarters. This is why I would never in a million years become a member of one of these "mega churches." You might end up going to Hell by association. Got a problem with that? Read your Bible. It says that God doesn't like people who make a big show of being religious & use prayer or other religious rituals as a public sideshow or circus. You should be following the faith without engaging in the "I'm more devout than YOU" pissing matches. Taking money to do the right thing or political canvassing for someone is the same thing. I personally think that when a church acts more like a lobbyist, it should immediately lose its tax exempt status. It's only fair to the other lobbyists.

I hope this fellow wasn't one of the corrupt jerks who seem to run mega churches. If he wasn't, then that truly stinks since cynics like me would love to see more mega churches headed by people who live by their faith. If he was, then I have no sympathy. See my earlier posts on deaths of people I don't know.

Sums it up, I think.

More Links to Stories & Thoughts

Realized I have another mass load of links to stories that I want to comment on but don't want to have sitting forever. Plus, one just goes back to a rant I've done a few times here. So, here goes:

1. Reality TV Star Gets Jail Time

My thoughts: stop doing stories on these stupid reality TV idiots. This moron doesn't deserve media coverage b/c it just encourages more people to do stuff like this. Oh, yes & a newsflash.

Being on a reality show does not make you an actor or a star.

It makes you a common idiot. If you acknowledge this, then I can have a tiny bit of respect for you. This is common knowledge among industry professionals. You will not be known in a good way if you start out on a reality show, trust me.

2. Lawsuit Filed Over Arizona's Ethnic Studies Law

I don't really get this. I think there are free speech issues on this & why in God's name would you exclude people from one of these classes b/c they're not of that particular race/culture? If you're excluding people who want to actively participate & learn something new, you have no right to cry racism or complain about intolerance b/c that's just what you're practicing. I have also never heard of such a class being closed to people who weren't members of that race/culture.

3. 9 Ways to Ensure You Don't Get the Job

I just know there are worst things to do. Say scratching your back with a fork, performing any type of bodily function during the interview, talking about the aliens coming to get you, talking to yourself like some homeless person on the subway or doing your best imitation of Filburt Turtle from Rocko's Modern Life.

Now, I love the show Rocko's Modern Life but I think references from that show would fly over the heads of most interviewers. If I ever meet a hiring person who loves that show & understands references from it, I'll die from shock. I'd also have to work for that person b/c that would be evidence of a personality.

4. Meet the Unemployable Man

I'm the first person in favor of reforming the education system. However, I don't notice the author discussing the sexism factor in more women being employed. If this keeps up, it will be interesting to see how women handle dating. I wonder if more will become single or will they just date other women if they want a mate w/money?

5. I just saw this one today, after returning from my day trip to my old stomping grounds in CT.

This goes back to a rant I've had for ages & ages. Personal time = Personal time. Work time = Work time. The two do not meet unless false or confidential information about the business is being spread or personal activities are done on company time. Read the comments to this story. A lot of people seem to assume this pizza place in Charlotte of all places had a written policy on this type of thing. I'll bet they didn't. Not to mention that we're treading on some dangerous ground here. If there needs to be a court ruling on anything, I think this issue is screaming for one. Namely, do employment at will clauses extend to what people do in their private time?

If they do, why doesn't everyone just tell these employers where to shove it & quit working en masse? I bet you could shut down some businesses if all the workers of the world or in the US did this in protest. Who will you enslave if no one's willing to work in the world of Big Brother? That kind of movement would grind the economy to a halt. I see far too many complacent people who are bound to "rules"; they'd have been good little Nazis back in the day.

That's it for now. Hope those rants made you happy.