Quote of the Day

That kind of thinking is spreading, because our pop culture priests have succeeded in filling the population with shame and nervous self-loathing to the point where they think of anyone who isn't an employer as a parasite, and anyone who isn't rich and famous, or trying to be, as a loser. People even think of themselves this way, which is why there are so many down-and-out people voting to give tax breaks to the same bankers who've been robbing them for years, and booing when the mere concept of unions shows up for a few seconds in a football game. It's sad, and a lot of it's the fault of mean little assholes like Cowherd. Shame on him. - Matt Taibbi

Reading the whole post is worth while.

It's also struck me as weird the way working class people have been turning on unions. Doug posts derogatory stuff about unions all the time and he drives a truck... but then he advocates against his own self-interest frequently. It's the same reason he is subservient to "god" and why he's subservient to corporations, etc. It is a pretty strange phenomenon we're seeing. A lot of it has to do with the onslaught of media I suspect.

I don't see any problem with a person being "successful" and owning a company and such. I don't see any problem with a person working a low income job. I don't find any "value" difference between the two positions. The difference in "power" between the two jobs is pretty extreme though, which is why workers banding together to improve their own relative position is a good thing. It's the same with the NFL, or any major sports.

The economics of certain industries has gone bonkers though. For example, I understand why Miles Austin got a 9 million a year contract. Do I think what he does is deserving of 9 mill a year? Not at all, but the owners make so much money off what he does, he should get his worth out of that. The owners just make too much money.. because they charge too much for tickets, and other revenue generating activities such as selling games to networks that in turn sells advertising at high prices, which in turn charges consumers more for their products to pay the advertising bills.

Jerry Jones can charge as much for a ticket as he wants.. and I guess there are people willing to pay the price to see the game. I prefer to record it in high definition, and play it back on my 73" high def teevee an hour after the game starts so I can skip through all the commercials and half time. I get to watch the game, and that's it. That's all I want.

Got a little side-tracked there on football.. but the larger point is, one's job does not define one's value in life. For most people, a job is just a way to earn money to do the things you enjoy doing, and that's great. For other people, it's an obsession and their passion. That's okay too.

I just don't understand the way the American culture has become fame and wealth worshippers. I guess the teevee has done that.. with an assist from the basic stupidity of Americans in general. I know all of you who read me have very sophisticated world-views, and IQ's that are not Doug-like (172, I just love that), but way above normal. Bright people are less effected by things that move the masses.

You know what I've always thought would be a cool job? This will sound kind of hokey.. but I was in Switzerland, and we were in a small watch store and the guy there fixes mechanical watches and he's sort of doing it out where people can watch him. That seemed really cool - but a dying art. I think it would be cool to fix watches for a living, and I'm sure it doesn't pay all that well. Watch mechanics don't design the watches.. or engineer their inner workings.. or market them, or sell them.. or own the watch companies.. but what they do is something of an art to be admired.. like a guy who can cut a diamond.

Taibbi thinks American culture defines anyone who isn't rich and famous, or trying to be, as a loser. I'm not rich, or famous, and I don't even want a promotion at my job. I've already told them not to bother offering one. I solve really intricate logic puzzles for a living.. probably similar to fixing watches. I don't have to interact with people much. I don't have to "manage" anyone. I get paid a nice upper-middle class wage to do it, and I'm not trying to become rich.

I'm not a loser, despite what an ever-increasing population of Americans think.