Originally posted by Busyman142) On the fired part, it's not always your fault. Sometimes the boss could fire you for no good reason then he doesn't like you, or he wants to replace you with cheaper labor. In that case it's not so black & white.
In this case, I would see it as me being fired because I didn't do enough to prove to my boss that I was not expendable. But maybe that's just me.
Are you serious? People get fired all the time for no good reason - layoffs happen to people who have been working at companies for 20 years.
I'm not sure I should really voice my absolute horror at the validation of upper management, while blaming the workers for decisions upper management make... perhaps a new thread... but to say that an employee is responsible for the downsizing of a company because they didn't make themselves "not expendable" is really disturbing. People are now working longer hours for less money. And both presidential administrations have encouraged this.
"It's hard to be a prophet and still make a profit." - Da Bush Babees
I see everything as being the responsibility of the individual. I don't care what happens or who is in power, I am always in control over myself and what happens to me. If I allow myself to be put in a position where I don't have job security, I am ready to handle the consequences. Unlike some people, who couldn't get to the courthouse fast enough to fire a silly lawsuit (which they would probably win). Nobody makes decisions for me, although it may appear that way. If the job is important enough to me, I will find a way to keep it.
Ultimately, however, I care about very little. It's a great way to avoid disappointment.
BucsFan, I guess the job you have must allow you to have this total control over yourself and what happens to you. But I think most people out there with normal jobs (like myself) dont have any control over a slow economy, the 9/11 tragedy, racial bias, nepotism, or any of the other several reasons someone could lose their job through no fault of their own.
Shit happens, and you can't always be prepared for it, or control the outcome. Outside factors affect every second of our existence, the only thing you can control is your own reaction to it. Say you get fired tomorrow because the boss is tired of paying you the big bucks and wants to bring in an intern he can pay slave wages to. You can
a) Say "Cool" and find another job b) Go nuts and shoot the entire building up with a shotgun (and consequently die in the ensuing police raid) c) Do something between those two extremes.
You can live under the illusion that you are the god of your own little univers, but as long as the world is populated with people just as sentient as yourself, you will sometimes find yourself at the mercy of external events. However, it is all how you react to these events that makes you a fully funstioning, relatively self-supporting human, or some whiny, insignificant turd.
As for O'Reilly, I may be a bad boy for wanting to see this, but wouldn't it be cool to see him strapped to an Israeli tank and driven through the front wall of Arafat's HQ?
"I hate motherfuckers claimin' that they foldin bank But steady talkin shit in the holding tank First you wanna step to me Now your ass screamin for the deputy They send you to Charlie-Baker-Denver row Now they runnin up in ya slow You're gone, used to be the Don Juan Now your name is just 'Twan Switch it, snap it, rollin your eyes and neck You better run a check..."
I was using the job as a hypothetical situation. I scan videos at a local Blockbuster, and I don't have a lot of concern there. But as for issues that you mentioned that are supossedly out of my control, I can control them with my own decision making in two ways:
1)Don't allow myself to be put in a position where I am vulnerable to the power of others.
2)Don't allow the situation to bother me. Remember, things are only bad or upsetting if you want them to be. I could get fired tomorrow and say "damn, I didn't deserve that," but I would be much more likely to say "OK, I won't make that mistake again," and move on to wherever I go next.
Without self-confidence (actually arrogance is how most people describe my attitude), you are nothing. I have faith in my and only my decision making. Trusting others to rule over or help you does nothing but give them an opening to dissapoint or hurt you.
Maybe he should do a special on how these kids get troubled in the first place instead of just blaming everything on pop culture. Why not put the blame on the parents, where it really belongs.
Ah, but where does it stop? I mean it's not the parents fault. Their parents taught them all the things they should do in life, and so it's their fault that their grandkids are suffering. The blame game never stops. The only thing you can do is try to live your life the best way you can, and if things aren't working out seek help from friends and loved ones. If everyone managed to do that we'd all be a lot happier.