General Musings Part 18

So, I was going to integrate the events of my day along with a story on The Consumerist that pissed me off as much as many of the people who commented on it but my husband had to go & point out more things for me to rant about. If I had multiple people pointing me to rant topics, I think it would make my head explode.

It seems like I go from either having nothing to write about to having things pile up on me to such a ridiculous level that I can't possibly rant about them in this lifetime. Extremes!

Now that I've got all this stuff to rant about, I'll do it as general musings. Let's face it: they are.

Yes, I know the ABA actually posted this story on their site but I have some remarks.

Basically, I hope this guy gets a killer 1st Amendment lawyer that slams the airport & the authorities for this. If I ever have to fly, I swear I'm going up in a bikini. I admit I wouldn't be wild about the leering by men if I did that but I'm the same person who wore a tiara for a week in high school as a protest to my high school not allowing senior pranks, a skip day or anything traditionally associated w/high school seniors that even hints of fun. Not to mention I hated that place's obsession with stupid crap instead of addressing real problems like pathetic teachers, drug selling, bullying, etc.

The rise of defending crybaby types also disturbs my psyche. I'd love to rip these people apart in a debate in person & still think they need to be shipped off to some totalitarian government since freedom is wasted on them.

For more high school administrative idiocy, go here. I would be SUPER pissed if I were one of these kids. How come?

For one thing, I hated gym w/a passion. Perhaps my getting a grade based on my lack of athletic ability one year when I didn't even sign up for gym had something to do with it but essentially, I'd had it with being trashed for not being a sports person + hated being in any gym class where I didn't have friends to talk to. At that point, I started sitting out when I was getting harassed for missing the ball. If I hadn't done that, I'd have probably started hurting people.

Second, you had the option of gym or dance at my school. I actually liked dance since it wasn't so competitive, it suited my creative purposes well & I was actually decent at it. Plus, my friends were in it & you weren't graded on your abilities but factors like creativity + effort. I also felt that class taught me things that would be useful in the future. I wish we'd had yoga or the use of a professional gym. Again, I really think self-defense should be offered in schools (especially for young women) but that's just me. I'd have even been okay with swimming since I like doing it.

Third, I was done with that mess after 10th grade. When I was a senior, I was taking 2 AP level classes; one was in Chemistry. Adding gym to that mix would have been a disaster.

On the topic of high school, I found this story interesting as well. I must say I have to respect Dave Grohl's view on this one. If people don't want their music on Glee, then Ryan Murphy should do what the rest of us do: think "Well, fuck you!" and then find someone more desirable who will let him use their work. Don't tell these people you're going to hold it against them & make a public scene; do it privately. Share those tales with behind the scenes people like myself so we know to avoid those folks if we do a similar project. Part of networking is telling your contacts when someone is a jerk or wants too much money or other good/bad things that could determine someone's fit for a project.

And here's a real life instance of the movie Falling Down. Michael Douglas stars in it as this guy who loses his mind & is trying to get to his ex-wife & young daughter for the daughter's birthday. Great film; see it if you haven't.

I thought the film was just like what most of us would do if we suddenly snapped. Perhaps this real life incident is a warning to all restaurants who raise their prices. I still laughed when I read the story, though.

Moving on, it's my fervent belief that Neel Shah will be alone for the rest of his life or get cheated on. If you believe the comments that follow, he's apparently some hipster but if he actually believes that vegetarians & non-drinkers should subsidize the bar tab & steaks he ordered, I'm willing to be he also believes a woman should pay on the first date.

I'm not going to repeat my rant on that issue but in short, expecting me to pay for any date meant you'd never get another one with me. Even if I became single again (God, I hope not), I'd never tolerate that shit. Part of it is the code of the hotties/law of economics but another part is basic gentlemanly treatment.

Sorry, but you can't expect someone with this type of view to be a supporter of paying for dates. If he were, I'd die of shock. Hope that right wrist doesn't wear out or the rules for dating gay men are different than they are for straight women.

Finally, here's how you don't hire for interns:

Film Production qualified interns wanted (Upper Manhattan)
Date: 2011-03-18, 1:52AM EDT
Reply to: job-wwcej-2271817495@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Film production company seeks experienced interns trained in aspects of film making to work on two feature film projects and a couple of short films at various stages of development/ pre-production. General organizational tasks will include the organization of a forthcoming film festival.
This is an internship position. There is no pay. However, following a successful internship period a paid position may be offered to the successful candidate.
Also, a commission on sales and compensations will be discussed once a satisfactory trial period is completed.
Length of internship may range from 1 to 6 months.
Credit will be given on the films as appropriate.

PostingID: 2271817495

Now apparently, some people were stupid enough to prostitute themselves for free because this was above the ad today:

THIS POSITION IS NOW FILLED - Please do not apply now. We will reopen internships in the summer.

Know what we call an "experienced intern?" Someone with marketable skills & experience!!!!!!!! In other words, they're not an intern. Interns have NO skills or experience.

That means...you have to pay them for their work. Otherwise, it's called being a volunteer.

Ads like this reek of no legal counsel or involvement. No sane attorney would let a company post such ads on their watch. You can bet my company sure wouldn't.

I actually told off the author of this one since this crap makes my business & that of my colleagues look like a bunch of law breaking scumbags who exploit people. I don't appreciate that categorization & refuse to wear it.

This is just as bad as ads asking interns to send in pictures, another sleazy practice that screams "no legal counsel works here." I hope people like this get hammered in lawsuits so legitimate companies can rise up and take their business.

Don't Call Me a TV Star & Some Sanity Returns to the Workplace

Okay, seems I did make it onto tonight's episode of Gossip Girl. Didn't watch it & didn't tape it (to the shock of my mother). But as predicted, my sister called me to tell me where I was. It was the scene where I & a few other extras were personally directed by Andrew McCarthy. My dress also apparently looked black on TV b/c my sister claimed I was wearing a black dress.

It's NOT black: it looks dark but it's actually sparkly & more purple/red/blue. Apparently, I was facing right at the camera & since I was the only redhead there I'm definitely noticeable.

This prompted more from my family than the things that really do count in the industry like my being a lawyer or working with a film company that got distribution for some of its films.

God, I'm really hoping no one contacts me out of the blue about it. I know finding natural redheads is very difficult & if I ever star in anything, finding me a stand-in will be a total bitch. You can't even dye your hair my shade of red.

Really don't want the surrender of my private figure rights, either. If you become a public figure, it means you have fewer rights when it comes to negative statements made about you in public forums. It's much harder to sue people for it & win if you're a public figure or public official. I may lose those private figure rights anyway because of my behind the scenes career but being a big time performer of any stripe would definitely cause me to lose them & in an instant.

Let's face it, I've had flack without being famous. One of my guy friends also said something interesting to me on Friday: he claimed that I don't have to flirt b/c guys are simply attracted to me "like a moth to a flame." I'd need not just one but a team of bodyguards if I were famous. Did get that shirt I felt was perfect if you want to avoid the paparazzi or just piss them off for fun. Any aggrieved actors I meet who I like will find out how they can get such a shirt for themselves.

Once more, don't you dare call me a "TV star!" Seems I have to say this more to family & people outside the business, though I bet they won't watch other projects where I'll be speaking & doing much more. Call me a TV star when I start getting stopped on the street for TV work & not just b/c some people think I'm pretty.

And finally, the feds have decided to return fairness to the workplace.

I'm hoping this will create new regulations for non-union jobs as well. Thank you, protected speech. Getting butt hurt b/c you didn't like what an employee said about you on Facebook & then firing them is immature and asinine.

Hardly the same thing as sharing trade secrets or confidential information under a non-disclosure agreement concerning a business transaction. Have the balls to talk to the person in real life about their comments; for all we know, there could be something illegal or shady going on that the law, top brass & others can't help you with or are simply ignoring.

Social media has an important use as a leveler against corruption. I have no sympathy for companies that get called to the carpet for cheating investors, lying to the public on safety matters, willfully ignoring potential lawsuits, etc. if they are guilty. You can't sue if you are guilty of this stuff since truth is a defense to defamation, as I remind the corporate cheerleaders who are more than happy to throw someone under the bus for not being a shiny happy face about their job when they go home. Those sheeple need to be exiled & dropped off in some dictatorship & those who want to live in a free country should be brought back in their place.

Thank God someone's thinking like a human being instead of a machine.

Debt & the Inevitable Public Outcry

Okay, I found this story on debtors going to jail a bit of a misnomer. It's not really "debtor's prison" but more like "don't miss your court hearings & if you didn't know about them, yell loudly about lack of service." I don't have the official source b/c of MSN's stupid attempts to make you do Bing searches to get anything.

One time, my late brother in law was taken to court by creditors over an unpaid debt. The judge asked him if he could pay; he said no. Creditors didn't get their money & because he had no income, there was nothing to garnish. Not to mention that by law, you can't garnish more than a certain % of someone's pay & you can't garnish wages to the point of the person becoming homeless.

So stay out of Minnesota, Arizona & Washington where the court system is apparently pro-creditor & wishes to avoid pesky little things like due process toward the average person. Any police officers who refuse to jail people on stuff like this will deserve esteem in my book. You can't blindly follow orders on everything or you end up just another drone. Have some of these judges lost their rational sense or a duty to uphold sane laws as opposed to being mercenaries for the aristocracy? You're just encouraging a debtor to go kill a man so he'll have a real reason to be in jail or prison instead of a few grand in credit card debt.

Will student loan providers be far behind? What good will putting bright minds in prison do? You don't want people like me in w/the general prison population b/c I tend to give others ideas & would likely attempt to organize a prison riot to make the one in Natural Born Killers look like a minor scuffle. We were also the classic "good kids" in school & I think lawyers would be doing lots of prison breaks.

Hearing about this already ignites my righteous indignation but I believe in not going down without a fight unlike some people.

So reading about this as well also interested me. Had shades of my family relationships, oddly enough.

I can also see that happening even though most people (presumably not living in dysfunctional families but we know it's a crock) would find it off. A lot of blood relatives hate each other.

I tell you this: if I was her, I'd tell the father to piss off permanently & disown him. He'd have been dead to me ages ago. When your family life was not Leave it To Beaver, that word doesn't have the same meaning for you. Family in my book are those people who are there for you no matter what, don't have an angle every time they talk to you & accept you for who you are. They might not like when you do something but they won't ditch you for it.

I have a somewhat shaky relationship w/my father in particular but I will give him this: he's never let me push him away. I know I've pushed him away pretty hard & in my experiences in the legal clinic, I saw fathers give up. This father is apparently another one who didn't bother to have that relationship & gave up.

I still don't have a perfect relationship w/the man but I appreciate who he is much more than I did as a kid. I could never see him trying to do that & I know he's not trying to ride my coat tails. However, I don't delude myself into saying he'll change or that his addiction is okay w/me; it's not.

When you hear about stuff like this, though you appreciate what you have a little more than you did. That's one reason I think working in the legal clinic was so valuable to me; it made me appreciate my family, screwed up as it may be, a little more.

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.