Thursday, May 27, 2010

Postcards from Podsville #32.

More Harry Hembock hair on chicks.

Janelle Monae.

And there you go, the pompadour has grown to full bloom, and we're officially in the 2010's look wise. Read More......

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Happy Towel Day!!

Towel day.




Read More......

Monday, May 24, 2010

Postcards from Podsville #31.

Hey, Parents Television Council, go fuck yourselves.

Link.

For more on what I think of "parents watchdog groups", click here.

For what I think of "the culture war", click here. Read More......

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Fixed a video.

Youtube took down the Conan speech linked in this old post.

Found another one to replace it.

Ignore the commentary crap though.
Doesn't add anything, IMHO. Read More......

Things that don't give me nightmares #22.



Nobody Loves Harry Hembock!

I don't know why I stayed away from it for so long. Read More......

Thursday, May 13, 2010

'Nother good FGR episode.

Link.

On supernormal stimuli.

Or, why so much of the world looks ridiculous/insane to me.

Also, at the end, a great dissection of Bernie Madoff, sociopathy, conmen, and the "blaming the victim", mentality.

Which, is rampant in our capitalist society, and is quite literally sick. Read More......

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Well, that's enough Podsvilles for awhile....

....sped through those way faster than I thought, and got out of my head what I wanted to.

Hmm...how about some Harrys starting tomorrow? Read More......

Postcards from Podsville #30.

The shining habitrail on a hill.




Okay, so picking up from last time, I compared Podsville to a human habitrail.

And a lot of things make sense when you look at it that way.

Clearly our leadership class sees us this way, and treats us this way.

All you have to do to peek behind the curtain, is look back on how the Egyptians, and the Romans ran their shit.

Ain't hard to find, it's on History Channel constantly.

Yep, lotta things make sense.

Roads, cities, mini-malls, maxi-malls, road laws, road signs, police, jails...etc.

Patriotism, myth-cultism, advertising, schlock movies, mind-numbing television, creepy corporatism, and it's creepy management mentality all make perfect sense if you wanted human gerbils to run through a big habitrail.

And if we're a habitrail, and the leaders see themselves as protecting their little gerbils from the big bad rest of the world, then our horrible foreign policy makes sense.

So, that seems to be the terms, and a lot of Americans seem to have aligned themselves with it.

But, if we're a shining habitrail on a hill, there's a bunch of shit that doesn't make sense.

Foremost, allowing anything resembling the third world to seep into our little tube world.
Cancels out the whole deal.
It's like letting cats in.

And I laid out who some of the cats are.

Let's take it back to prisons.
Doesn't it make more sense, if the prisoners worked together?
For whatever, escape, revolt, whatever.
Not slit each other's throats.
Oh, but that's what happens.
And that's what goes on on "the outside", too.

Makes even less sense "on the outside".

It's as if the plan for some is to kill all the other prisoners, and the warden, and to become king of the jail, and then...it doesn't seem to be thought out much after that.

How the hell can you be king of a ghost town?
Does the instant of victory freeze in time, like the falling into of an event horizon?
By what, magic?
How does that work?

For one, it can't be done, for another, if it were pulled off it'd shoot you in the foot, and third, while the plan fails, and fails, and fails, you just make everyone around you miserable.

And that's it.

All these petty little power mongers, with their delusion of "control", and they just get old, and/or sick, and die anyway.

And all of it for what? The meeting if their petty base desires?
They could've done that anyway.
People in fucking ghettos manage it.

Nope, it was for a special feeling in their heads.
An illusion.

Well, wasn't that so fucking important?

Or, how about the people that want the misery and violence of the third world inside the habitrail?

That shit don't make any sense whatever.

Okay, we wall off from the misery outside, we herd the gerbils...and then we blow some up.

Y'know, for "ideals".

Yeah, right.

Or, maybe they want the gerbils to wake up, and break free.
Okay, noble enough.
Until you blow up some kids.
Then you're fucked, and fuck you.

And gang wars...well, that's just nakedly prisoners slitting throats again.

Slavery, and the Civil War are just absolutely fucking stupid from the habitrail perspective.

Slavery kind of makes sense...but only universal slavery like Rome, the race based shit is just pure fucking nonsense.

And the Civil War, beyond fucking ridiculous.
Oh, okay, so you want a smaller habitrail within the big habitrail to be able to smack your darker brown gerbils around that you claim to own with your imaginary money.

In the name of "freedom".

Suuuure.

Yeah, see, all forms of predation don't work in a habitrail world.

Not only does it disintegrate "society", it self destructs the predator.
You end up with a "daybreakers", situation.

Now, what would make sense, again, is if these people picking away at the system were really trying to undermine the whole idea of the habitrail, and crack open the tunnels, and actually bring about, y'know, freedom.
A harsh freedom, like the caves in the Matrix, but still.
I mean, they sure like to vomit the word "liberty", out like a geyser.
Shouldn't that be the plan?

But...you don't see that.
They're not going about things in the way they'd really have to to accomplish such a goal.
In any detail.
Not just slight imperfections, totally off course.

That's why I can't get behind the tea party horseshit.
They just want some other stupid irrational bullshit.

And the militias, they're just more fucking predators.

Nope, if you're gonna have a habitrail, you can't have cats.
Simple as that.

And if we're gonna be a cat & mouse world, then take down the tubes, and let the gerbils out into the field for it to be sporting.

Course, then it'll be the third world, and we'll lose our fucking illusion of being "better", y'know, this "American exceptionalism", shit.

But you can't have it both ways.

Trying to has created absolute fucking ridiculous nonsense, and annoying irritation.

Let me know when you people make up your fucking minds.
Then a real fucking discourse can be had, instead of the dopey schizophrenic blubberings we have now.

Blub, blub, blub.

Yeah, y'know what'd be really fucking great?

If the people who preached the "liberty", shit really meant it.
If the people who preached the "team", shit really meant it.
If the people who spouted the "family", shit really meant it.
If the people spouting "values", actually fucking had some.
If the people spouting "concern", actually fucking had some.
If the people spouting "tradition", were referring to the ones worth a damn.

What an awesome fucking world that'd be.

We really would be shining.

Fucking glowing.

Why can't we?
What's holding us up?
Is it important?
is it really?

Read More......

Monday, May 10, 2010

Postcards from Podsville #29.98.

The real world.



People love to beat you over the head with this phrase, don't they?

Well, I'm pleased to report after much meditation, that there is none.
So lift your head.

I mean, given the existence of bullshit like religion, never mind the bullshit barely gluing the economy together, and the everyday bullshit people use to cope with the day to day, despite the spiel we get about honesty growing up, plus partisan politics, and the "philosophies", those idiot head-butting factions rest on, and....whaddya got?

A bunch of stuff people made up.

But, as I said in a previous rant, this is as real as it gets.

S'all there is.

S'all they got for ya.

Podsville.

Well, not ALL there is.

There's Podsville, and the third world.

And the legion of sociopaths, and they can move to any square on the board, so they're not tied down to a"world".
But, they're a minority.

And then there's us weirdos.

And that's it.

Well, the third world is pretty damned real.
And prison.
Hmm, add up all the prisons, you'd have a decent sized country.
What would you call that, the fourth world?

Yeah, no one wants to live in the third and fourth worlds.
Not even snarky wiseasses like me.

Betcha inmates miss Podsville.

But...people who utter "something, something, out in the real world, bucko", probably don't mean prison.

They mean that "dog eat dog", shit in Podsville.
Y'know, the stuff people have to bullshit themselves and each other about to cope with.

So, it's really a euphemism for "outside your door, people are lying, thieving, backstabbing, greedy pricks".

Well, no shit.

Too much of the thieving greedy stuff, and then THEY'LL be the ones to be acquainted with the REAL real world.
The fourth world.
Special camp.

Wonder if there's Forbes style coping strategies for prison.
"Tell yourself your rapist had a really bad day, it doesn't matter if it's true or not....".
Eh, I bet not.

So, okay, Podsville is really sort of a mix between a mega-minimum security prison, and Dave & Busters.
Sort of a human habitrail.

Fine.
Okay.
Whatever.

I'm just annoyed that you're not told the score, and that there has to be all the brainwashing shit.
The herding.

But, only weirdos seem to be annoyed.
A lot of people seem to think it's all peachy keen.
Or, maybe not.
Maybe weirdos aren't as uncommon as I thought....
Scan the larger blogosphere, and there's a lot of misanthropic misfits out there.

So...whence then this "real world"?

I keep looking for it, can't find it.

For something as pervasive as a WORLD, you'd think it wouldn't be small enough to lose.

Yeah, I'm done looking.
If it turns up behind your couch, lemme know.

Otherwise, I'm gonna go ahead, and assume "blah, blah, blah, real world", is a fear based "motivation", to stay out of prison, and not be homeless, oh, I mean, "to contribute to society".

Yhep, 'nother euphemism for the pile.

Well, there's a coping strategy for ya.
Next time someone throws "the real world", at ya, take them at their word, and assume they mean a Turkish prison.

"Here in the Turkish prison, we have something called 'responsibilities'!!".

Assume they mean salad tossing, you won't be far off.

Speaking of "the real world", is that horrible show still on?
No, don't tell me, I don't need more to get gloomy about....

Okay, y'know what's really real?
Nature.
Get out in the woods, or out in a field now and then, folks.
That'll get your hardrive back to factory condition.

Then come back, and see how "real", you think humanity's shit is.

Yeah, you won't see "the real world", the show in the woods.
Just as well.

Now, a Turkish prison, that'd be a good season.
I'd un-delete MTV from my channels if that happened.
Talk about a laugh riot.

Don't look for it to happen though.

That shit's for premium cable.
Gotta pay extra for the fourth world.

The third world though, they'll put that right on the network news for ya.
They mop up all the guts first though.

The entrails, that's for the dogfood commercials.
Now there's "dog eat dog".

Everything in it's place.

Organization.

Like a habitrail.

Sealed off from the real world.
And pumped full of corn syrup and fry oil.

God bless America.

Read More......

Postcards from Podsville #29.95.

Oh yeah, this one got a little angsty.....

Forgot the antidote to those moods is this one, and this one, and this one, and these ones.

Sorry 'bout the lapse, folks.

But, that shit'll happen when you look at the world too long without welding goggles. Read More......

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Postcards from Podsville #29.9.



So, the Fountainhead was on yesterday....



Haven't seen it in awhile, couldn't help but notice, the mustache twirling villains out to ruin Howard Rourke with lying smear campaigns....sounded an awful lot like...Fox News.

And the guy demanding Rourke virtually literally get on his knees, and churn out mediocre uninspired creations...reminded me of the producers of daytime talk TV.

Wonder why stuff like that sails past Rush and Glenn...oh, right, they're idiots and liars...

So, yeah, illuminating stuff, even if I didn't agree with everything.

"300", was on the same night, gave it a chance, found it to be equally creepy propaganda around the edges....but, meh.
Take it as a fairy tale, and not real history, it ain't so bad.

Like I said, gave it/them a chance.
At least they both had stories to engage with.
I wouldn't give "the passion of the Christ", a chance, because...what's the story?
Jesus get's the shit beat out of him for 2 hours? Pass.
I pass on the Saw movies too for similar reasons.

Speaking of hideous almost-snuff, here's Ebert's review of "the human centipede".

I would gladly watch "the fountainhead", or "300", in a heartbeat over that one.
Wouldn't anyone?
Man, I hope so.


Read More......

Postcards from Podsville #29.89.

Captain Beeble, 4 extra lives, killed in energy crystal mine explosion.


Whistle-blowers complained of horrible safety conditions for years, nothing was done.

Reports included such problems as cheap rocket-packs with touchy controls, that explode when they run out of fuel, plus the company skimping on rocket-pack fuel, allowing for only 199 seconds of burn time to retrieve a crystal, to the consistent, seemingly deliberate placing of Crystal Processing Units at the other end of the tunnel from the crystal, allowing only 32 seconds to stabilize the volatile element.

Of particular complaint, the swarms of man-sized insects infesting each mineshaft.
"They just gave him an old antique raygun, and said 'you can handle it'", sobbed Beeble's widow, Sarah Beeble.
"What do we have the fucking Colonial Marines for?! He was just a miner!".

When asked about his title, "Captain", she replied "oh, that, that was just an over-inflated title the company gave him. Something to do with meeting quotas, or shooting bugs. He was so full of himself after that promotion, but in a good way, I didn't want to burst his bubble".

"Every night, I stayed awake, fearing getting the call. I begged him to quit, he wouldn't listen. Damn him, and his fool pride... Now I'm all alone...why? Why, Bob?", Sarah moans before collapsing once again into tears.

"Every other mining operation I've ever seen has inexpensive portable CPUs available to the miners, so that crystal explosions are never even a problem!", states Mylo Steamwitz, crystal miner from the Altairian star system.
"Also what's this with time limits? And one hit deaths? What, they don't even have heart-bar belts? Geez, they really need to get a union over there".

"The families of the lost 5 miners will be fully taken care of financially", stated Bob Connell, owner and operator of the facility at a press conference.

"Yeah, I'll believe that shit when I see it", said grizzled adventurer, turned activist, Dana.

Read More......

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Postcards from Podsville #29.875.

Inside the zombie mind!

Think the 4 I's are destructive, and unprofessional?
Let's see what some "pros", say!

Link.

The Worst Words to Say at Work

9 common words and phrases that will make you sound noncommittal, undependable, and untrustworthy.

Some words and phrases are often used to buy time, avoid giving answers, and escape commitment. If you use these words and phrases yourself, take a scalpel and cut them out of your thinking, speaking, and writing.

"Try"
"Try" is a weasel word. "Well, I'll try," some people say. It's a cop-out. They're just giving you lip service, when they probably have no real intention of doing what you ask. Remember what Yoda says to Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars": "Do or do not--there is no try." Take Yoda's advice. Give it your all when you do something. And if it doesn't work, start over.

Put passion into your work, and give it your best effort, so you can know that you did all you could to make it happen. So if the outcome you were expecting didn't come to fruition, it's not because you didn't do everything you could to make it happen. It just wasn't the right time for it or it wasn't meant to be.

Yeah, and then you can get a bunch of shit from your supervisor.
Now, you can't even cushion things a little bit, this piece is telling 'em "give 'em shit anyway!".
Nice.

And as for Yoda, he was asking for Luke to raise an X-Wing with his fucking brain.

Without the force, that shit really is ridiculously impossible.

And sorry kids, there's no force.
Legions of geeks would be real Jedi by now.

Now, imagine the boss wheels up a shopping cart full to the brim with shelf pegs, and "asks", you to mold them into an attractive and large display sculpture in the next 45 minutes before lunch.

How to even proceed? Bend 'em with a blowtorch? Is there a blowtorch around?
Can a blowtorch be MacGyver-ed out of office supplies?
By the time you've reasoned through how to even start, you've lost the first 30 fucking minutes.

Now, do you think he/she wants to hear "no fucking WAY!".

Hell no.

No, and now you can't even say "I'll try", which is true, but you'll fail, cuz it's crazy.
Nooo, now you've gotta fucking lie.

"I sure will!! :D".

Or, even "I'll give it my all! :D", with fake optimism.
Insincerity, that's nice.
Great values so far.

"Whatever"
This word is a trusted favorite of people who want to dismiss you, diminish what you say, or get rid of you quickly. "Whatever," they will say as an all-purpose response to your earnest request. It's an insult and a verbal slap in the face. It's a way to respond to a person without actually responding. When you say "whatever" after another person has said his or her piece, you have essentially put up a wall between the two of you and halted any progress in communicating. It's a word to avoid.

What if the "earnest request", was some toxic shrieking?
What if you were getting the inevitable rash of shit for failing the "display project"?
"Whatever", is the nicest thing to say, now they're taking that away.
So...I guess they WANT you to last-resort to the list of 7 from the "insouciance", rant?

"Maybe" and "I don't know"
People will sometimes avoid making a decision--and hide behind words and phrases like "maybe" and "I don't know." There's a difference between legitimately not knowing something and using words like these as excuses. Sometimes during a confrontation, people will claim not to know something or offer the noncommittal response "maybe," just to avoid being put on the spot. If that seems to be the case, ask, "When do you think you will know?" or "How can you find out?" Don't let the person off the hook so easily.

Maybe "maybe", is the correct answer.
Oftentimes "I don't know", is the correct answer for sure.
Sure, a lot of pricks dodge and delay, but sometimes a clear black and white answer isn't forthcoming.
"When's the package going to get here?".
"I don't know".
I mean, really, who knows?
Maybe the trucker bringing it is getting a bj at a truckstop.
Who fucking knows?
It'll get there when it gets there.
A lot of things genuinely do have "maybe", and "I don't know", for an answer.
Now they want them gone from the vocabulary.
Okay, what do they want, more lies?
"When will the package get here?".
"Floonsday!! :D".

"I'll get back to you"
When people need to buy time or avoid revealing a project's status, they will say, "I'll get back to you," and they usually never do. If people say they will get back to you, always clarify. Ask them when they will get back to you, and make sure they specify the day and time. If they don't, then pin them down to a day and time and hold them to it. If they won't give you a day or time, tell them you'll call in a day or week and follow up. Make sure you call and get the information you need.

So, you've MagGyver-ed a blowtorch, and are bending the metal of the shelf pegs, and are making some headway with the sculpture, but it's ugly as fuck, and you've burnt yourself 60 times, and the crummy company hasn't put you on their insurance yet, and you're swearing your head off, and begging for the sweet release of death.
Then, you're paged on the company phone.
"How's it coming?".
Half of the thing crumbles before you.
"I'll get back to you".
Oh no, now they want to know WHEN you'll get back to them.
"Floonsday! :D".

"If"
Projects depend on everyone doing his or her part. People who use "if" are usually playing the blame game and betting against themselves. They like to set conditions, rather than assuming a successful outcome. People who rely on conditional responses are fortifying themselves against potential failure. They will say, "If Bob finishes his part, then I can do my part." They're laying the groundwork for a "no fault" excuse and for not finishing their work.

Well, maybe Bob is building the fucking arms, and you can't put the arms on until Bob fucking makes them.
Nope, it's "making excuses".
Okay, I'll just wish the arms into existence, or put temporary invisible pantomime ones on so I "look busy".
When will Bob's part be done?
"Floonsday! :D".

There are always alternatives, other routes, and ways to get the job done.

Well, I could help Bob build the arms, but you're insisting I work on the ribs to "maximize output".
It ain't fucking working.
But they don't wanna hear that shit, do they?

Excuse makers usually have the energy of a slug and the spine of a jellyfish. You don't want them on your team when you're trying to climb Mt. Everest.

Sure expect an awful lot for minimum wage, don't they?

"Yes, but . . ."
This is another excuse. You might give your team members suggestions or solutions, and they come back to you with "Yes, but . . ." as a response. They don't really want answers, help, or solutions. You need to call the "Yes, but . . ." people out on their avoidance tactic by saying something like "You know, Jackie, every time I offer you a suggestion you say, 'Yes, but . . . ,' which makes me think you don't really want to solve this problem. That's not going to work. If you want to play the victim, go right ahead, but I'm not going to allow you to keep this up." After a response like that, you can be assured that the next words you hear will not be "Yes, but . . ."!

"Yes, but Bob hasn't finished the arms, and you won't let me help him with the arms, because you keep insisting I do the ribs, and also, we only have the one torch, and we used up all the paperclips in its construction".

"You know, Mike, every time I offer you a suggestion you say "yes but..."".

"Yes, but you keep trotting out the same unhelpful unreasonable bullshit".

"I guess . . ."
This is usually said in a weak, soft-spoken, shoulder-shrugging manner. It's another attempt to shirk responsibility--a phrase that is muttered only when people half agree with you but want to leave enough leeway to say, "Well, I didn't really know. . . . I was only guessing." If you use this phrase, cut it out of your vocabulary.

Yes but, they just shot down "I don't know", so what else are you supposed to say when you genuinely don't know?

They WANT "sir, yes sir!! :D".

That would be a lie.

It's not going to get done in 45 minutes.
They're nuts, and they're trying to kill you.

"We'll see . . ."
How many times did we hear our parents say this? We knew they were buying time, avoiding a fight or confrontation, or really saying no. It's better to be decisive and honest by saying, "I need more information. Please present your case or send me the data--both pro and con--so I can make an informed decision." That way, the interested parties will contribute to an in-depth, well-researched "verdict."

"It can't be done, we've tried our best, and broken our backs, and fricasseed our appendages, and it's just not going to happen, but you don't want to hear that shit, and you've shot down any other avenues to communicate the problem we're having, you're an unreasonable awful person, and I hope you get rabies".

No, "I quit", is more succinct, and for the same results.

So, that's that bit of bullshit, now on to....

Link.

10 Tips To Find Happiness At Work

Happiness is in vogue, and everyone--from psychologists to academics and career coaches--has advice on how to find it and how to keep it. Juxtapose that with a workforce that is more stressed out and cynical than ever. After a recession where millions of jobs were lost, remaining workers are doing more work with fewer resources and a heavy helping of distrust in management. Is it possible to find happiness at work these days? These experts say: Yes. Start now.

Well, sure inspiring confidence already, innit?

Throw Out Labels

We spend most of our lives instantly judging things that happen to us. It's raining: Bad. No bonus this year: Very bad. The boss is out of town: Very good. Author of Happiness At Work Srikumar Rao, Ph.D., says you can boost your sense of calm by turning off the mental labels. If you decide something is bad, it most likely will be, he says.

Bullshit yourself.

Let It Go

When something throws you off, being able to let it go quickly will exponentially increase your happiness at work. The ability to move on--resilience--enables you to handle work challenges with composure and strength. Instead of focusing on how bad a situation is, focus on how to fix it or the next step.

Insouciance!
"How can I not care about this?".

Write A To-Do List

It's hard to feel resilient when you also feel like you have no power over your work day. You can take some of that control back by writing a to-do list and completing tasks in that order. Also, limiting distractions by scheduling times to check e-mail or social networking sites will help keep you on task and feeling productive.

No it won't.
Not if you're trying to follow the last one.

Focus And Engage

"The current workforce is like the cast of the Night of The Living Dead, says Rao. Disengaged worker-zombies do nothing for the company or for individual morale. If you are able to get excited about your work and focus on it with full attention, time will go by faster and the experience will be much more pleasant.

Bullshit yourself.

Quiet Mental Chatter

A constant stream of negative thoughts sends many workers into a downward spiral of unhappiness. Quiet the chaos by redirecting your thoughts. Think of a positive memory and create a mental image of it. The next time you have an idle moment, instead of surfing the Web, draw up this mental screensaver. Replay this in order to reset your mind and scale back the negative.

"Go to your happy place".
Like a rape victim.
Fitting.

Find Restorative Time

Workplaces are stressful and you need to cope. But "alcohol and TV won't help,"

Yes, try various other opiates.

says happiness author Jessica Pryce-Jones. Instead, set aside some time each day to recharge. Taking a peaceful walk at lunch rather than mindlessly eating at your desk will restore calm. Maybe a warm bath in the evening or fun book for the commute are your fix-its. Experiment and find what works for you.

Sansa.
Dingoo.

Connect To Your Values

People who feel more connected to the company's mission and feel like their work is valuable or meaningful are more likely to be happy on the job. If you begin to feel like your work is meaningless, look at the big picture: Work for a pharmaceuticals company? Think of the lives being saved. Or, consider how showing up each day aligns with your personal values. The money you earn supports your life outside of work, and whether that's your family or a hobby, it's a good reason to keep coming in with a smile.

Unless you work at Wally World, then it really is meaningless, feeding the mindless hollow consumer drive of fat, dying America.
Or, an insurance company that looooves to deny coverage.
"The blood...it won't wash off!".

Yeah, this level of self-bullshitting demands you avoid knowing too much.
Reading and thinking will totally ruin this one.

We're The Same

It's easy to put people--colleagues, bosses, clients--into categories. People I don't like; people I do like. Me vs. them. A simple way to make work relationships more pleasant is by finding common ground. Consider what makes you similar to your co-workers rather than different and the dynamics of the relationship will change. Social interaction play a huge part in your happiness on the job, so it should prove a good investment of your time and energy.

Talk about the weather.

Feel Compassion For A Toxic Boss

The No. 1 reason employees leave a company is because of a bad boss, says Rao. They're everywhere, and you're likely working with one. See a boss for who he or she really is, he advises, and feel compassion for them: "You have to put up with her a couple hours a week, and she has to put up with herself her whole life." Rao suggests picturing a toxic boss as a child having a temper tantrum. When you remember the negativity is all about them, not you, you'll be better able to shrug it off.

Bullshit yourself.

Know When To Leave

You can do everything right and still be dissatisfied with your job. If you've tried everything in your power to make a situation work and you're still unhappy, that's when it's time to leave. Situations can be salvageable, and it's in your best interest to admit it and move on. Workers spend an average of 90,000 hours at work in their lifetimes. You owe it to yourself--and your health--to discover happiness on and off the clock.

Get the fuck out of there!!!

Now, on to....

Link.

Nine Ways To Talk To Someone You Can't Stand.

Face it: Some people are simply insufferable. With any luck, they can be avoided, but not always. Here are nine time-tested conversational strategies for when there is no escape.

Oh, goody!

Indulge Them (If Only A Little)

The last thing you want from a name-dropping coworker is an account of his latest personal conquests. One coping strategy, care of Christopher Groscurth, an instructional consultant at the University of Michigan with a Ph.D. in interpersonal communication: Bypass the painful chitchat by steering the conversation to project goals and how the person's golden Roledex could help your cause. Groscurth did just that with one particularly annoying colleague. "Ultimately, this gave him what he wanted--some space to talk about himself--while sparing me from his indulgence," he says.

Unless he won't let you get a word in edgewise, otherwise you're fucked.
And you usually are.

Massage The Bruise

There is always a reason people are disagreeable: insecurity, the poor-me syndrome, general selfishness--the list of foibles goes on. In many cases, you don't need a degree in psychology to zero in on the problem. Insecure people are some of the easiest to suss out. One classic trademark: They tend to turn into jerks when challenged. You can't live in fear of these meltdowns, but you can ease their intensity by stroking the person's ego a little more during those rare moments when they get something right. It's disingenuous and annoying, perhaps, but ultimately worth it.

Bullshit them.

Control What You Can

In most encounters, you can choose to escalate conflict or keep things civil. "The only response that you have control over is your own," says Groscurth. Humor helps. So does a positive attitude. When dealing with a Debbie-Downer type, for example, try spinning their complaints into questions: "That situation sounds tough, but what can you do to turn it around?"

"How can I not care about this?".


Look For The Good

Surely the person you can't stand has some redeeming quality. Find it and focus on it all the way through the conversation, even it's just a physical feature or nice piece of clothing, advises Dr. Kathleen Hall, chief executive of The Stress Institute, a mental-health consultancy that works with corporations and nonprofit organizations. "For example, if you you're talking to a person who is incredibly rude, but she has good hair, just think about the pretty hair, smile, say what you need to say and move on with your day," she says.

Bullshit yourself.

Find Common Ground

Perhaps the person you can't stand is also a parent, a fan of the same team or an alumnus of the same school. "Focusing on what you have in common gives you more positive feelings toward them, as well as something connecting to talk about," says David Levin, author of Don't Just Talk, Be Heard!

Talk about the weather.

Empathize (Even If It Means Making Stuff Up)

As with all noxious substances, toxic people should be handled with care. Difficult (and disconcerting) as it may seem, try to imagine that you were born in their similar uncomfortable circumstances. Or even go the extra step and imagine that they've been told, that very morning, by the one person they love, that it's all over. Who cares if it's true? The fictional scenario will reduce the level of toxicity in your body--and that's what counts.

Bullshit yourself.

Avoid Blame

People who are particularly difficult often seek to rationalize their actions. They don't want to be the bad guy, so therefore you must have provoked them. This tendency is called cognitive resonance: our nearly obsessive desire to appear consistent with what we have already done. With that in mind, avoid assigning blame to the blighter at all costs. Instead of saying, "You kind of screwed this one up," go with "Here's what would really help save the day."

Bullshit them.

Let Them Save Face

So the insistent boor won't back down, even though (you both know) his argument is somewhere between specious and laughable. Asking him to "reconsider"--implying that he had made a mistake--is asking for trouble. Instead, present a new dilemma based on new information and ask for his decision. That way, he can save face without admitting his mistake.

Bullshit them.

Plan A Quick Exit

Always go into these conversations with a plan. Know what you want to achieve during the talk and have an exit strategy once the mission is accomplished. "I'm waiting for an important phone call" or "I'm hoping to catch a client before they head out" work well. Plan for contingencies, too. "Be prepared to cut your losses and move on to something more enjoyable, or at least more manageable,” says Vlad Zachary, founder of CareerConceptZ.com, which offers resources and strategies for job interviews.

Get the fuck out of there!!!

Oh, but we're not done yet.
Now, on to....

Link.

Six Ways To Keep Your Cool At Work

You don't need us to tell you that work is more stressful than ever. Longer hours, less pay and morale-sapping layoffs can drive even the most placid Bruce Banners to Hulk out. While it's unhealthy to bury all of that emotion, you can't let it boil over on the job, either. Here are some time-tested anger-management techniques, care of those who make a living helping us...all... remain...calm.

How can I not care about this?

The Double Blow

No, this doesn't mean give your colleague a jab to the gut followed by an elbow to the face. This trick, courtesy of Dr. Robert Epstein, instructor at the Rady School of Management at the University of California San Diego, works like this: As your rage swells, exhale fully and then, just as you're at the end of your exhale, blow hard. This expels the remaining air that's trapped in your lungs and counteracts the dangerous tendency to breathe shallowly when you feel threatened. "Shallow breathing circulates toxins in your bloodstream and makes you panicky," says Dr. Epstein.

Then blow your nose, and fart....

Verbal Jujitsu

Berated by a co-worker or a frustrated superior? Dr. Debra Condren, founder of Manhattan Business Coaching and author of Ambition Is Not A Dirty Word, a career guide for women, has a solution: "I keep my face neutral, make sure I'm breathing and staying calm, with my feet planted any my body relaxed," she says. When the other person's verbal screed is done, Condren utters flatly: "I hear what you're saying," or "I can see you have strong feelings about this issue." The lack of visible reaction snuffs the emotional wick.

Insouciance!!

Don't Curse (It Makes You Angrier)

If you can't manage complete stoicism, at least do your best to clamp down on the obscenities, even if they come naturally to you. Swear once and your adversary may well fire back. After a few volleys, fisticuffs aren't far behind. "Swearing intensifies anger and adds to its incivility," says Jim O'Connor, author of Cuss Control: The Complete Book on How to Curb Your Cursing.


Ah, bullshit.
There was another study that said swearing is good for you.
However, if you think you're in the presence of a violent hothead, get the fuck out there!!

Avoid Assumptions

A co-worker is late, and it's looking like you'll have to do that joint presentation alone. His fecklessness is infuriating. Before it engulfs you, says Dr. Simon Rego, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in New York, pause to consider all the things that could have happened. Perhaps his child is sick or his car broke down. Avoid assumptions--or as Rego calls them, "cognitive distortions"--which can lead to blame and anger. Says Rego: "Once these distortions can be identified, challenged and replaced with more helpful coping thoughts, the feelings of anger should decrease."

Bullshit yourself.

Don't Take Things Personally

It's in our DNA to perceive personal slights--but that's usually not the case, says Marty Brenner, anger management counselor in Beverly Hills, Calif. Brenner recalls a client who stopped by his ex-wife's house to pick up his child for court-scheduled visit only to find his ex-wife had forgotten about the visit and the child was at a friend's house. Brenner's client almost exploded. Then he took a breath and told himself that his wife wasn't sabotaging him. "His first thought was to be aggressive verbally," says Brenner. "Then he realized that anything he said would not change the person or the situation." (Good move: Indeed, his ex had forgotten about the visit.)

"Is this actually my problem?".

Know Your Triggers

Plenty of people get angry, but they don't know why. Look for anger-inducing patterns and jot them down, says Marty Babits, author of The Power of the Middle Ground, A Couple's Guide to Renewing Your Relationship. This takes hearty doses of self-honesty and willingness to accept the truth. If certain people get on your nerves, then, well, they just do. In many cases, your best bet is simply to recognize who they are and avoid them whenever possible. (If that sounds cold, take comfort in knowing that you are doing them a favor.)

Get the fuck out of there!!!



So, there you go, some of my actual stuff, with a healthy dose of lies and bullshit thrown in.
That's what the professionals tell you.
To bullshit, and lie.
That's how most people are getting along.
Bullshittery.
And drugs, and religion.

Poor bastids.

Poor beaten down bastids.

But, about what I expected....

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Postcards from Podsville #29.85.

Well, let's skim the news.....

Y'know, let's not.

It can all be summarized thusly.

"Things are only going to get worse, and they're never going to get better ever again"
-Lawrence Krauss.

Also...

Ehhh, fuck the challenges, they were doomed from the start.


Liars, crooks, thugs, forever, you know the drill.

And no one in charge deserves to be.
Read More......

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Song of the week #12.

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Postcards from Podsville #29.8.


On philosophy.





"Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to
whatever is dictated to it."
- Thomas Paine.

“Regarding the Boy Scouts, I'm very suspicious of any organization that has a handbook”.
-George Carlin.

"At 1,368 pages, if any book could be used to knock someone flat, it'd be Atlas Shrugged".
-Me.


Ayep, at the end of that Ayn Rand rant, I said I was done with philosophies.
Well, I dunno about that, philosophy is such an all-encompassing topic, and it truly fascinates me, and guides my humor/creativity, but...I'm done, I think, with ideology.
Codified institutionalized ideology, anyway.

I've concluded, after much making my brain bleed these past 6-7 years, that ultimately, people mostly believe things simply because they want to, and that's that.

This is totally the case with religion.

The whole faith deal revolves around believing in the face of staggering amounts of evidence.

And I think I've done a fairly passable job at presenting that evidence.
And ultimately, I know it's not going to impress any believer.

But, though I enjoyed debating on the RD.net forums about this stuff, and testing my skills, after awhile, the same bullshit started repeating, and I got sick of repeating myself in return, especially at the very nasty underhanded attack arguments, so, I constructed the uber-linked argument-webs like "Dicky-pedia", to have push-button access to the refutations of the most tiresome, and tirelessly reiterated bullshit.

But, after that, I was fried.

I gained the insight, that most people would rather convince themselves that their chosen beliefs are right, rather than have right beliefs.

That's ultimately why we have partisan politics.

Both of these parties can be historically and empirically demonstrated to have taken turns falling completely on their asses, and having made a total mess of things in the process of doing so.
...and yet we continue to have a 2 party system.
*Shrugs, sighs*

And going back to that "science is a faith!", bullshit, well, yes and no.

A certain level of belief is involved.

That the world around us, is describable, and understandable.

But, guess what?
The scientific methods works.
It keeps producing evidence.
It keeps producing technologies that work based on that evidence.
Doesn't take much "faith", to believe in an evidence based world.

Hell, whether religionists want to acknowledge it or not, they believe in an evidence based world.

Every time they boot their computer, every time they get into their car, every time they fire up their MP3 players, and cellphones, every time they check the weather report, every time they take their prescriptions, every time they even simply rely on their senses to do all of the above.

So, empiricism has up on faith-based systems, the natural world, and the evidence-based technology of modern society.

It's one one-up, but it's a big one.

Now, where the religionist love to conflate, is where it progresses for some people into the belief that the whole universe is describable, and that technology ultimately leads to a better and more just world.

Well, yeah, it takes a bit more raw belief to believe that, and I admit I'd like to believe it, but ultimately, I don't know.

And whether you're a pragmatist, or a dreamer, good science admits it doesn't know.
That's why it searches in the first place.

I've struggled with, and continue to do so, on how people can have hope, in the face of the staggering amount of shit up against us.

I tried and tried to find an evidence and/or logic based way towards this, and it will not come.

I mean, sure, in my hope rant, I gave good historical evidence for hope, but ultimately, it's just something you want.

Lincoln was right "people are as happy or un-happy as they make up their minds to be".

But, realizing that set me free.

There's no evidence based trail for being right-leaning, left-leaning, this attitude, that attitude, if it's outside of hard empirical fact, it's all up to you.

Ayn Rand was a selfish alienating cunt, because she wanted to be a selfish alienating cunt.
That simple.
She wrote 1,368 pages to justify it, and that should tell you something.

Authoritarian people are authoritarian because they're control freaks.
That simple.
S'why I don't like 'em.

It's my experience, that no one really gets "argued over", to something.
Not if it's fundamentally against their core personality.
If someone tries to "argue you over", to torturing someone, and you let them, you're either a sadist, or a sheep.
If their arguments are really an excellent line of bullshit, and you just don't want to torture, your mind will find a way out of it.

Water finds it's level, and people gravitate to what they're wired for.

And, that's led me to the micro-philosophy of the 4 I's.
That's who I've always been, that's who I want to be, I'm tired of having regrets, I'm tired of trying to fit into society's molds, I've been a flop at it, if I really wanted to be some yuppie or plumber, I would have done it by now.
I haven't, I must not have wanted to.
So, why not be the real me to the hilt?

Fuck it.

S'why I started the war on bullshit.
These fucking neo-cons are nasty little imperialist criminal shits, because they want to be nasty imperialist criminal shits.
That they're "philosophers", is a bunch of bullshit.
It's justifying obscurantism.
That's their real skill.

That's what all "political philosophy", really is.

People justifying themselves.

Framing the debate.

So, I guess it's necessary from that angle.
People dismantling each other's bullshit, and seeing what ideas really hold up.

That's what the discourse really is, or ought to be.

It turned into a cynical game complete with cheating a long time ago.
At least in Washington.
And the partisan press.

But that just adds to the pile of "why? Why do you people live, how do you live, knowing it's this bad?".

I don't know.
I don't know why people keep going.

I really don't.
Stubbornness I guess.

Me, a lot of days, I'm just alive because I'm afraid to kill myself.

This is probably something I share with the walking dead.

I can't imagine them being too thrilled with their existence.

Whelp, that's why I started Podsville, and it's the culmination of all my previous rambling, and ruminating, but especially my trips last summer.

I don't want to have anything in common with the walking dead, I want to be alive because I wish to be, in a positive sense, not a negative one of being forced to be by biological impulse.

I want to be the guy represented by the crest, and I lean left because I want to, because I want to believe we can make progress as a species, because the alternative repulses me, and offers me absolutely nothing to make me happy.

That's it, really.

I can't frame it any better than that.

I don't think it should be framed better than that.

If Ayn Rand had just said "this is who I am, deal with it, or go fuck yourself!", I would've had way less of a problem.

But no, she wanted world economies run her way.

No thanks.
Didn't work so good.
And if Alan Greenspan wasn't a proper Randroid, who the fuck was?
Was anybody?

That's another trouble with codified political ideology, despite the codifying, everyone has their own mutated strain.
You see this in religion too.

The only ideology that can get everyone to agree is totalitarian shit.
And like I said in the individuality rant, I'm not into ant behavior.

And I admit I'm plain just not into it.
Some people seem to be dippy about it, or it wouldn't exist.

Science is objective, politics largely isn't.
Unless it can be shown with evidence when some fucker is lying.
Which is often.

And looping back to another old rant, this is what sickened me about "the irrational atheist".
Not what the fucker believed, which did make me grimace, but how shamelessly he was willing to lie to sell it.
Fine, believe progress is hopeless, fine, believe progress equals "progressive", equals "communist", equals Stalin, equals death and doom, fine, believe all belief reduces down to bullshit, and what separates beliefs is "utility", in making people happy, and that fairy tales "motivate", better, fine, believe all that evil garbage.

Hell, even believe that rationality is irrational because humans are fundamentally irrational, so it's hopeless to believe anyone can be rational.

But, ultimately, all that belief reduces down to what he wants to believe it.
He's a cynical motherfucker, because he wants to be a cynical motherfucker.

And cynical motherfuckers don't get to sell optimism with the next breath.
Even fairy-tale based optimism.
And especially bloody barbaric fairy tales that aren't at all optimistic about the human condition.

But, all that would just make him a hypocrite, which he is, and it would also make him an amoral fuck of the first water along with Leo Strauss.

What makes him a bald-faced fucking liar, is the chain that leads progress bad = atheists are commies = all belief is a murk of illusion = unless they give you hope = religion does this = THEREFORE IT"S REAL!!

Um, no, buddy.
Sorry.
But, that you're willing to lie so boldly shows that you are a Straussian.
And Straussians aren't libertarians by any stretch of the imagination, so there's another lie.

Like I said above, the political game has gotten pretty cynical.

Fat lot of good philosophy did to help with that.

But, was it ever supposed to?

Well, it laid out the formal fallacies, so, on some level, yeah.

But otherwise...people bought that awful book because they already believed in it.
It didn't persuade anyone.

Fodder for cynical hopeless people.

Is that what keeps them going in the face of it?
Hate?
Sad.

I hope that's not most people.

But, I admitted further up, hope is just something I want, isn't it?

Well, fuck it.
Like the 4 I's, fuck it.

That's my philosophy right up front, and I ain't gonna lie to ya.

As I just tirelessly laid out, you ain't gonna get a better deal than that many other places.

If some blog has a better deal than that, go there.

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Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Postcards from Podsville #29.75

Well, having dispensed with the "movement", stuff, let's go back to the 4 I's.

Maybe it's not a movement we need, maybe it's a symbol.

There ya go.
A coat of arms, with your 4 I's represented.
Going clockwise from one o'clock, individuality, insolence, insouciance, and insubordination.

Let's see some pledging allegiance to that baby.

It would ideally be the pledge we all really said at school.
Especially once teacher left the room.

"I pledge allegiance..to a-ruh, a wuh ruh ruh a-ruh wuwaruh....*tapers off, stops, sits down*.

And then, the dirty jokes, and fiddling with contraband.

There's something we can all get behind.
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Postcards from Podsville #19.5

The latest on the myth-cult-rapist story.

The Vatican has leaped into action!!!

Link.

....against Nuns...for being....feminists...

Okay then, so they AREN'T powerless in the face of rape, or tied up in bureaucracy, or whatever bullshit excuse, they CAN do things.
Just bullshit things.

So, there you go, "feminism", and "activism", bad, rape good.

They're evil.
As evil as they are stupid.
Next fucking case.

Sing it with me folks....

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Postcards from Podsville #29.5

Straining out a movement.

Now, let's take the 9 snarks, and 12 suggestions, and make it a groundswell of grassroots grassrootery.

First, I gotta get me a show on cable news.

Well, that takes some doing.

I gotta get on talk radio, and rant like a loony for a bit until stupid people take notice.

It's a big accomplishment, see.

Then, like being knighted, I EARN a TV show.

From all that "hard work".

Then, once on TV, I make it a movement by calling it a movement.

And I direct everyone back here to Shmegalamonga, so they can read the 9 snarks, and 12 suggestions.

Then, I get some of these outraged fanboys to wave placards at Washington D.C.

Then my network covers them.

Attracting more of them.

To cover, to draw more in, and so on.

And I get my network to sponsor all this shit.

The movement will be crowning.

Then, the stirring of terror.

Gotta have terror, or what point is there in living?

Little bit here, little bit there.
At first...

Tell people the world is coming to an end unless they "do something".

Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

Kill 'em!! But don't really "kill 'em", just sorta, y'know, "make 'em uncomfortable", with like a brick through a window, but..not really a "brick through a window", but maybe a plate of cookies and text hug, ...and by "plate of cookies and a text hug", I mean a brick through a window, and by "make 'em uncomfortable", I mean commit first degree murder.

Y'know, crazy batshit rhetoric like that.

See how many stunted mongoloids say "well...yeah, what's the problem with that?".

Get enough of 'em, then you've got a "debate".

Except only one side in the room gets to talk, because they've got the "cookies".

Oh, and while you're re-enacting Kristallnacht, call the other side "Nazis", that bit of irony is always so cute and clever.

So, yeah, once we have this movement sliding out of our ass, and people are living in fear, and popping Prilosecs, and trying to control the shaking in their hands, and having nightmares, we get to what it's really all about.

Money.

Yes, fear, horror, death, destruction....for money.

Fuck people's happiness and safety, the "cause", needs money.

And by "the cause", I mean me.

And if people die, so much the better.

Oh, what a wonderful thing, to make the world an even more horrible place than it already is in the name of ego.

It's the American way.

I mean, it must be.

Look at who America has amongst its heroes.

Why, they're "good Americans", and I certainly want to be a good American!

If not, I won't be able to play in the Reindeer games!

Can't have that. They might call me things like "loser", and that would hurt my feelings.

So, yes, better to get people killed, and have them live in fear of being killed for some gold investment firm money.

And if the movement really starts razing the countryside, why, it might even become a religion!

Then we're into the BIG killing/money!

But...if it gets TOO big, then I gotta hire bodyguards, and bodyguards from the bodyguards, and food tasters, and then you've got employees, and then it all becomes a business, and then you're not even having fun anymore.

Ya don't even get to watch people die on TV, or go down to the dungeons to cum to some torture anymore.

Tch, life gets so complicated so fast....

Fuck it, just follow the 12 suggestions, especially the last 3.

Especially anyone who resembles this rant.

Nah, can't be any of them people.
History is so clean, this must be all in my fevered imagination.
Silly willy nilly ol' Dickynoo.

Think I'll follow the 12 suggestions myself.

Course, if I'd listened to the 9 snarks, I wouldn't have had to.

But, they're worth doing anyway.

That's the beauty of the 9 snarks, and 12 suggestions.

It's a self-correcting system.

Like the colon.
And the toilet.
Which are where movements need to stay.

Sorry pods, close your holes, no fertilizer today.

The movement has passed.

*Flusshhhh*


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Monday, May 3, 2010

Postcards from Podsville #29.

Okay, now, let's take those 4 I's and apply them to that ugly little 9/12 list.

The 9 snarks.

1. America is an idea. People who fuck with that idea, can fuck off, no matter what strata they occupy.


2. Appeals for superstitious supernaturalism as a test for patriotic purity fail out of the gate.

No religious test clause, motherfuckers.


3. Real honesty oftentimes ain't pretty, if you're hiding behind euphemisms, and euphemistic language, you ain't really striving too hard for honesty.
Likewise, if you're trying to hobble language with censorship.
You want honestly?
Shit or get off the pot.
Got no time for stupid bullshit.


4. The world can be a brutal ugly fucking place, and love, a precious dwindling commodity.
Only a savage self-centered swine would make the seeking of love harder than it already is.

Sometimes, the biological family is a toxic place (just watch fucking Dr. Phil), sometimes, people make their own definition of "family", sometimes "family", can simply be a group of friends.

Idiot euphemisms like "traditionalism", and spooky buzzwords like "sacred", don't help in that quest for happiness, if anything, they hinder it.
Fuck off with that shit.


5. As things currently stand, our system of "justice", is a heartless machine for protecting business criminals, and corrupt politicians from street criminals.
That's about it.
Sometimes, real justice occurs, but only by people of good conscience arm wrestling the system to within an inch of their fucking lives.
Meaningless slogans like "justice is blind, and no one is above it", aren't of any practical help.

If such slogans are all you have, take your dopey smirky ideology (see #6), and ram it up your fuckin' ass.


6. You're told you have "the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", but repulsive assholes will come along, and fuck with you in every way imaginable.
And the game is rigged in their favor (see #5).
"...there's no guarantee of outcome", is a quaint euphemism for this state of affairs, and nullifies "justice is blind".
Both of these cancel out, and all you've really got is "good luck!".
That's no help.
Help is help.
Help, or leave people the fuck alone.


7. Death and taxes, motherfucker.


8. Opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one, and they all stink.
How's that for a slogan, eh?


9. The government works for about 12 corporations, and a few other special interests.
You get the table scraps.
After they've been peed on.
If you want tastier cuts, fucking help out, or go away (see #6)

The 12 suggestions.

Eat.

Drink.

Shit.

Piss.

Work.

Fuck.

Cum.

Sleep.

Fart.

Leave me alone.

Go fuck yourself.

Seriously.
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Sunday, May 2, 2010

Postcards from Podsville #28.

Now, for our fourth "I", word.





Individuality.

Kind of a no-brainer, and it ties into the other three easily enough, but it constantly surprises me, how hard this can be to come by in "the land of the free".

I covered fairly well in this rant, on how many businesses and institutions are out to brainwash you.
Profit isn't enough for these fucking people, they want to have your brain in their collection too.

What's up with that?
Well, I've struggled with it for some years now, and I've gotten some leads.

My Wal-Mart manager told me that that "Wal-Mart cheer", shit was inspired by the Japanese.
They've even got corporate anthems.
Sam Walton took a trip over there, and saw that, and was impressed.

Ever since, I've been chilled by people being "impressed", by certain things.

Look, America ain't Japan, and vice-versa.

Different cultures.
They had centuries of feudal bullshit, and emperors, and y'know, all that, and it's been embedded into their psyches.
Not something you want to import over here unless you're some kind of cult-y little fascist.

And Japan has changed, even since just the 80's.
The Japanese are getting sick of that shit.
With the new generation, they've got their version of, and fair share of, misanthropic non-conformists like me.

Everyone gets sick of it.
Humans are humans.

I'm heartened by stories like that.
I love seeing these awful ideas fail, and the real human spirit bubble up from the muck.

Heck, you're even starting to see little cracks form in China.

But yeah, y'know, that awful brainwashing corporate mind.
That isn't even real capitalism.
Bears little to no resemblance to Adam Smith.

It's this foreign import, and these same fucking people will call this drone-factory bullshit "the American way".
Bull-fucking-shit.
Lying assholes.
Lying creepy assholes.

Y'know what impressed old Uncle Sammy Walton about the 70's/80's Japanese?
Efficiency.

Oh, boy, it should always also chill your blood when some big-wig is "impressed", by fucking "efficiency".

All one has to call to mind, is the Orwellian term "efficiency expert", for company head-lopper.

I'll admit up front, I'm an okay employee, but one thing I ain't, is robotically efficient.

You can have it done really, really well, or really, really fast, but you are NOT going to get both out of me no matter how hard you scream.

Future employers, you can't handle that, then as one, reject me, and we can have done with the farce of these interviews.

But you know who's efficient?

Ants.

Americans aren't made to be ants, look up the writings of the founders, and how your average slob from those times behaved, and lived, I mean really look at the real history, not filtered through some poisonous propaganda outlet.

Nah, this ant shit is relatively new on the scene.

Y'know who took to it like gangbusters?

Germans.

Oh, yeah, old Lucky Lindy was "impressed", by German "efficiency".
"Stay outta politics, Lindy", was the laughing consensus.
If only we'd kept laughing.
If only someone had blasted Adolph in his ugly mug with a tomato or two.

Y'know what else was meant to be a model of efficiency?

The fast food industry.

Wonder if Ray Crock served time in Germany, and was impressed by the efficiency...

Well, we know he was pals with Walt Disney, and we know he was a Jew Hater, and idol to Hitler.

That's weird too, Disney made anti-Nazi propaganda reels.

Wonder how that all worked.
Well, it's a buck, ain't it?
And patriotic brownie points.

Hee hee, Simpsons zinged the son of a bitch way back with their "Itchy and Scratchy land", episode.
Something about the creator making "a controversial film entitled 'Nazi supermen are our superiors'".
This stuff is known, it's not out in tinfoil land.

Know who else Hitler liked?
Henry Ford.
Allegedly old Adolph had a picture of him up in his office.

Henry Ford, raging Jew-hater, published "the protocols of the elders of Zion", under the title "the international Jew".
Y'know, some light reading for Eric Cartman.

Ford, also big on efficiency.

The automobile assembly line was the model for Ray Crock's re-invention of McDonalds.

See a pattern forming?

Imperial Japan, Nazi ally...

It's all this same shit.

All this boot clomping robot hellhole dystopia.

But look at these countries now.
Germany is pretty well anti-Nazi, Japan has done a 180, you see the light-side taking hold more and more.

But...the fasc-oids don't give up.
They keep popping up like whack-a-mole.

Frustrating.
And creepy.

It even goes farther back than Nazis, it goes back to the Prussian army, back to Spartans, and Huns, it's this creeping thing in human nature, this whole violent marching militaristic ant thing.

Not into it.

Never was, but, after my retail experiences, I developed a real sensitive allergy to it.

I want to pass that allergy on, maybe it can help.

Now, maybe, don't be so hair-trigger to quit at the drop of a hat as my "get out of there!", rant, but, keep that rant in your mind for the hair-trigger to smell the bullshit coming before it gets really bad, and have your escape plan ready.

Glenn Beck tries to get you afraid of words, and labels, fuck that, it's behaviors, and it's pretty naked, there's no "conspiracy".

Organizations are pretty clear by their behaviors whether they're anti-individual.

Amuses me how anti-individual the right can be, despite their assurances to the contrary.

You get it from both ends, but again, it's no conspiracy, I mean, sure, these cigar-sucking motherfuckers have their awful little gatherings, and secret handshakes, but to apply it to the real world, they have to play their hand, and they do, and have, and it's so fucking obvious.

Organized religion ain't big on individuality, we know that by now.

Oh, there's another case of a big-wig being "impressed".
Like, how Constantine dug how early Christians died in droves with a smug happy "I'm going to see Jesus!", grin on their faces, and thought "hmm, there's some team spirit, I could use me some of that!".

Yep, religion, not a big fan of free-thought.

The military, they frown on it there.
America's army, another Prussia connection.
Baron Von Steuben, imaginary royalty, seems fitting.

Para-military groups, they copy that shit.
Right down to the scouts.
Ick! *shiver*
Scouting.
They're owned by the Mormons, that's fitting.

I got shuffled off into that shit for 3 years.
Actually made a couple friends, it wasn't so bad.
When you weren't putting up with stupid crap.
Y'know, all the dopey ritual stuff, and meaningless structure, and the occasional but thankfully rare Jesus shit.

Another place I fucked off with Harry cartoons.
Thanks again, Harry.

I took it as a mark of shame for a long time, but now I take it as a mark of pride, that the whole time, I never made it past "new scout", the rank below "tenderfoot".

I look at those Eagle Scouts, and what creepy boot-lickers they were, and I wanted nooo part of that shit.

The experience added to the disillusionment of my work ethic too.

One time, we went on a bottle drive, and my group did fucking awesome.
Mountains of fucking cans.
Hundreds of fucking dollars.
It was exhausting, it was a long day, but I was pumped, I was having a ball, I was so fucking proud....

..and our troup didn't see a fucking dime.
No new equipment, no special trip, no nothing.

Troup leader's son got to go to Australia though.

*Sneer, hiss, grumble*

Yeeaaah you fuckin...mumble grumble...

That hit my insolence button a square bullseye.

Anyway, I finally bailed, and the two guys I liked were sad to see me go.

I always had people sad to see me go, now that I look back.
Geez, guess I was the only one stubbornly standing up, and psychologically sabotaging the machinations of these monsters by my very presence.

Clubs, schools, jobs, boards, it's been a pattern.
It'll no doubt happen again.
I dunno, do I gotta be Hercules?
I'd like everyone to find the magic in them, y'know?
That's part of why I write this shit.

Be yourself, and tell anyone who wants to reprogram you to fuck off.
They lay that line down as a kid, then the rotten stinko world seeks to undo it.

And the forces that are up to that business aren't your friends by any stretch of the imagination.

Not a fucking one.

Oh, and before my espousal of individualism gets twisted into something else, let me just say, being an individual, and wanting underlings, and cronies, don't mix.
Don't let anyone sell you on that shit.

Well, the ones sold on it didn't need selling.
They're already there cracking a whip somewhere.
Or, wearing a stupid hat.

Oh, yeah, hat-man was in the Hitler youth...

See, it's all this same cast of characters, every time.

They're blatant, and naked about it, their herded masses are blatant by their creepiness, and yet we keep going along with it.

"Land of the free"??
I dunno...
Doesn't seem it sometimes.
Doesn't seem it most times.

Seems like, well...Podsville.

Read More......

Postcards from Podsville #27.

Well, let's skim the news again...

*Sigh*


...........*snaps, laughs*.....

(End credits song to "Dr. Strangelove")

Wee'll meet again...don't know where...don't know wheeenn...... Read More......

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