Saturday, August 6, 2011

What's Wrong With Typical Lawyers??? That Response Requires a Miniseries

Now, yes maybe I come at some of this from a biased perspective. Then again, if people kept their mouths shut based on bias no one would ever speak about anything. We're ALL biased in some way.

First off, I read this story a few days ago about a bar exam taker who continued taking the bar exam while in labor.

I know her fellow bar exam takers had to be thrilled about that. Labor is a very quiet event. No one ever screams or cries in agony when they have it, right? If I recall, you're supposed to be quiet while taking the bar exam. Bar exam takers also tend to get psychotic about absolute silence; in fact, it's not uncommon for people taking the exam to wear earplugs while taking it. Earplugs are actually recommended fare just like a sweater or long sleeved shirt.

Let me tell you, they also strictly adhere to that whole "being quiet" thing. You'd probably get lynched if you had a coughing fit or even engaged in something slight like tapping your nails on the table. Quite a few current & aspiring lawyers get pissed over things that the rest of the world would consider trivial. I could see a fist fight result from something like that.

I think if the proctors let this woman finish her exam while she was in screaming pain or disturbing others in some significant fashion, they should be allowing her fellow exam takers get a make-up day or some different scoring to reflect that distraction. I'd have wanted to kill someone for that if it were me. Seriously, the stress you go under & the craziness that comes from taking any bar exam is epic. I can't think of anyone I know in the legal field who'd have been happy taking the bar exam in the same room with a woman in labor or even slightly understanding of it. And this is normal people I'm speaking of, not your typical prick personality types that the study of law tends to attract in droves.

I also can't imagine her score being too great if she did this while in labor since I'd figure the pain would be distracting you from your work. I can't even focus on sex if I'm uncomfortable so there's no way in Hell I could have done this. Maybe that's why I don't work in BigLaw; I've got my priorities in order & no job trumps my family, health or identity. For those who think it should, I say "Fuck you!" and know you won't have any mourners at your funeral.

While on the subject of people who should go fuck themselves, how about dream killers? This blog post sums up the mindset & definition of a dream killer.

I give this guy credit for telling the scam bloggers to get off their asses & do more than bitch about things if they feel SOOOO cheated by their law schools but on this, I dramatically disagree. If you've read this blog often, it's as plain as the nose on your face but here are some reasons why being a dream killer is bad.

1. Dream killers are pussies, first and foremost. They are afraid to take any type of risk in their lives or break out of their self-imposed prisons.

Because of this, they make it their life's work to discourage anyone from standing up to BS or changing the status quo. The people who changed the world were definitely not the dream killers.

2. Dream killers are the first people who bitch about how their lives suck. They'll drive you nuts with it, in fact.

3. Dream killers are lazy. They never bother making changes in their own lives. Heck, we can safely say they don't really live life. They are spiritually dead inside.

If you listen to the dream killers of the world, we'd never have many successful people we have today. Many famous actors who came from nothing would still be unknowns. Lots of companies wouldn't exist since the heads of some well known companies whose services & products we use today didn't come from money.

For that matter, coming from money doesn't mean your life is easy or you never have to prove yourself. Hard to believe for some people but I do know some actual folk from money whose parents made them work hard to earn their place in the world. I knew quite a few who had business relationships with relatives. It's been my observation that coming from money can be just as hard as coming from nothing.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see so many dream killers who are lawyers. There are many who fit those basic categories. I also know 2 very concrete details about the author of this blog based on that post.

First off, he's never lost a close relative close in age to him in a tragic manner. People experiencing those losses know better than to tell a child to aspire to be a tree pusher like his father (to borrow from Dinosaurs). They'd tell you to do the exact opposite.

Second, he's from the middle class. I don't see him telling some kid who wanted to get out of poverty to submit to their future life of poverty. If he would, he should be forced to hand over his human being card (if he ever had one to begin with).

Could you imagine someone telling that to me, especially at a young age? First off, you'd have given me zero motivation to do a damn thing. Let's take the dream killing philosophy to its logical conclusion if you come from a lower class background: you don't want to be a teen mom & you don't want to live in a slum, be a drug dealer, whatever is characteristic of your upbringing. If someone figures there's no way out, they'll either commit suicide or lash out in a big way.

Second, you'd have given me encouragement to become a serial killer. Because if God or whoever is going to screw me over by my having no way to move ahead, I'm sure not going down without taking some people with me. Did this jackhole or some other one like him pass on this sage advice to the Columbine shooters? If you can't leave your condition or do anything you find productive (and not everyone wants the little white picket fence & 2.3 kids), why would you give a damn about law & order? What is your incentive to abide by the status quo? There's also the whole self-hate issue. If someone hates themselves, why would they care about anyone or anything else? They're not going to consider how you or anyone else would feel about being robbed, killed, etc.

Here's my thought on doing things:

Encourage people to dream & tell them to seize the day. However, they need to go to the professionals. Go see a legitimate talent agent/manager. Talk to legitimate figures in whatever you want to do. Let them tell you if you have what it takes, not some has been or never been who doesn't know anything about what you want to do. Professionals, especially in the entertainment business, are not shy about telling you if you haven't got what it takes. Some do, some don't. Sports aren't my forte, for instance. I also can't lift heavy stuff or flirt.

Dream killers really piss me off b/c as far as I'm concerned, it's not some random jerk's place to tell anyone about their potential & what they can or can't do. Unless you are a professional at what some child wants to do, you can keep your damn mouth shut!

In one of the last comments on that blog post, an anonymous dream killer told another poster who had my views to commit suicide. Personally, dream killers are doing the world a favor if they kill themselves. It's probably inevitable anyway since they'll just die as broken people or victims of their own misery.

I have been asked to give advice about going to law school & the like. I never tell anyone not to do it since it's not my place to say that (though I may advise you against certain schools). I just state the cold hard facts about employment, debt, etc. I mention my own career path is not something you'll likely get to do yourself. Then, I mention that I beat many odds to get where I am & wouldn't change it at all. Essentially, I tell people what they're getting into & that it's hard but not impossible if you're driven, ambitious & determined enough.

Lastly, I'm shocked some blogger used the FX show Wilfred as an example of an accurate depiction of the average lawyer.

I didn't see the first episode but I have seen the rest of them. They are about Ryan, Wilfred and their adventures with the presence of Wilfred's owner, Jenna.

I'm in disagreement on this since the lead graduated from Stanford. STANFORD!!! Not some little school in CA that's not ABA accredited or even a 3rd or 4th tier school. Not realistic to me, thanks.

I also caught some episodes of the Australian series on IFC & taped the ones they aired since we were gone part of the day IFC played them. Not seen enough of that series to assess that one but the American one is great. It's great casting, great writing & Wilfred is just hilarious. He's also the same actor as in the Australian version, which I like. My husband even said "Who else could play Wilfred?"

There was no Ryan in the Australian version, by the way. I'm not doing a show summary here but I think people should watch Wilfred because it's a great show, not because Ryan's a realistic portrayal of a lawyer (though I can relate to his hatred of it). If you want that, I'd consider Marsha Owens from Mr. Belvedere. She didn't go to a fancy law school, wasn't on law review or even in the top 25% of her class & only got a job at this big law firm because a partner there wanted to sleep with her. They go out of town for a case & he tries to proposition her at a hotel. Then she ends up working at the "legal hut" at the mall after spurning this guy. This was an 80s show, I might add.

For that matter, do all attorneys of the world want to be thought of as pot heads who make fools of themselves in front of women & hear talking dogs? That's one to ponder.

1 comment:

  1. I've been in labor 3 times and up until the final hour, I wasn't even in "pain" just a little discomfort that wasn't any more painful than a nervous stomach while taking the bar. In fact, had to be told by a doctor that I was in labor before I believed it all 3 times. I went grocery shopping, made dinners, took showers, got ready for work, etc... all the while preparing for childbirth. So it's possible.

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