People are making a big deal about a non-issue, and the media of course are profiting. There's nothing wrong with workers diverting themselves with a cup of coffee, some pornography or a game of solitaire. It improves morale and will actually make the workplace more productive in the long run. The time, money and effort Management spends on policing Internet usage could be more effectively used to increase productivity. Their paradigms need to be shifted. Management should be about managing; not policing, punishing, scolding, complaining or moralizing. If they can't manage then they should find other employment.
Personally I would have counted video games as a commercial medium, the same as gift cards for example.
Which is pretty much how Andy Warhol approached art. Business and art are not (necessarily) distinct from each other. Production line art can be just as entertaining, beautiful or thought provoking as something drawn in a scenic mountainside retreat.
There has been an ongoing legal battle over the past few years about how and when game makers can use the likenesses of football players without their permission.
This is a case where people should stop thinking about lawsuits and royalties and start thinking of the children, because in the end, it's the kids that count.
The fact that my posts get modded down as Trolls and posts like yours don't get modded down or even get modded upwards says a lot about the way large portions of the population are. The fact that you defend your behavior and won't admit that you are doing anything wrong is pathetic. Flames never had an effect on me, nor did bullies.
TROLL-MODERATOR MY POSTS TILL YOU LOOSE ALL YOUR MODERATION POINTS. Moderator abuse is fine with me. I'd rather have you guys waist your points on me than to up-moderate the pro-corporate corruption Trolls.
I'm not an expert by any means but it sounds to me like you have a different social dysfunction (I'm not sure what though) and equated this with being honest.
To bring some reality here; I am presenting arguments, which by there very nature should be narrowly defined to the subject matter. Reality is far more complex than I can illustrate in a few sentences. There are people who actually seem to like me as well; unfortunately they don't tend to be Hiring Managers or Supervisors -:) If I could self-analyze, I would say that any possible social dysfunction that I do have is that I generally don't like to socialize or talk to people. Most people either bore me or irritate me, and I can't idle-talk with people without feeling like a Loser. I hate gossip and idle chatter, and that is the main type of talk that people engage in. I would tell jokes if people weren't inclined to be so easily offended or intellectually incapable of understanding irony. I suppose I would have enjoyed talking (arguing) with Socrates, but he was killed because his ideas were not very idle.
As numerous people have mentioned being honest tends to be highly valued by people.
There are some psychological facts that I read from various sources that I have etched in my mind. One is that over 60% of people lie in the first 10 minutes of a conversation, and the other is that most people tend to believe what other people say. That means that people have a tendency to lie, and they also have a tendency to believe the lies that are told to them. Also, people who lie the most are taught to lie by their parents and guardians. For example, if an infant tells grandpa he is fat, the parents may encourage that infant to lie and say something pleasant instead of being honest and tactful, or just letting it slide. This is an ongoing process of socialization that people value so much. Ever since I was a very young child I viewed things in terms of logic, and to me socializing children to tell the truth always seemed more logical than to socialize people to lie. I am obviously in the minority opinion. Though it's ironic, people think that lying will not offend people, but I've personally always been offended by "white" lies that people say to try to "protect" me. The excuses people make for their behavior is astounding. If you really questioned people deeply and are perceptive enough to realize and remember the inconsistencies then you may surprise yourself at how truthy you thought your friends, employers, employees etc really are.
So basically, lying is a social phenomena, and if most people are taught to lie then somebody like myself will inevitably be deviant in such social situations. The statistics only helped to validate my observations about people. It is certainly not surprising that people like yourself may find more honest people than not; because that's what the statistics indicate for everybody despite the untruthiness of average people.
It gets ironic too. People will argue that being truthful is dysfunctional and then when the opportunity to demonize lying becomes pertinent, they will claim lying is bad. People like this successful businessman will, almost always and on queue, validate their success through hard work and intelligence, and if or when they get found out, they will blame their failures on "external" factors like "mental illness".
I've personally been successful (however I do tend to be slightly less honest than you I think).
You're not telling me anything new here -:) Thanks at least for being honest about being dishonest.
In terms of bringing things up at work; well, that's a whole other story. I don't even tend to bother anymore. The people with good friends will get promoted, the people with good ideas will get ignored. That's one of the reasons why there are so many business failures. I won't even bother trying to socialize my way into anything because I know it's not me. If people can't value hard
He spent NINE freakin YEARS in a prison! Ask yourself this one question: How many years of your life equal $9 million?
I would spend 10 years in prison for "mererly" $1 million dollars. It would be worth it for me. I would make more money that way than in working like a slave for for less money in non-prison employment. I wish I had the opportunity.
i know plenty of people who have the ability to be an executive, but they are looked over since the system rewards greed and immorality more than competence and skill. its not about jealousy its about fairness you twisted fuck
According to the people who replied to me, it's about having the intelligence and social skills to succeed in life. As more than one person told me; people who don't lie are socially dysfunctional.
Along with "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room", and "Pigs at the Trough", you might want to try The Corporation and War is a Racket. There's tons of historical and statistical evidence to prove that "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" as it applies to business and the board room. It amazes me that there are so many apologists out there.
Did you even bother to read the available information on the man's history (perhaps starting with the article)? Had you investigated the matter properly and applied a little critical thinking, I sincerely doubt your reply would have been the same.
I read the article, and I know that he blamed his conscious and continual lies and theft on "mental illness". It's interesting that he was sane enough to be able to realize that his mental illness was primarily benefiting himself and hurting other people. I don't see any leadership here.
I don't seem to recall the person that you're responding to actually snubbing their nose at you
The person is being a Troll and he got modded +5 Informative. I got modded -1 Troll. The vast majority of the comments here (towards me at least) have been about how people lie, cheat and steal are well socialized, and how it's my fault that I am not able to fit in. If you call my observations "jealous" then either I am totally devoid of reality and completely out of my mind, or the vast majority of people have little sense of morality, and are completely devoid of logic.
1st point I agree with (there are quantitative and qualitative differences for ordinary people).
2nd point doesn't seem relevant here. Social conventions, no matter how they appear, are not necessarily immoral, dishonest or even irrational. In my case I am more likely to want to say "hello" to someone, just out of politeness. Many people often bow there heads when they see me coming (although there's a lot of variability in people).
3rd point;
You very closely resemble a number of people I've met over the years, who all were unable to grasp what I like to call the "unwritten rules of society".
I think I know the rules, or at least some of them. Some I find distasteful (i.e. lying and gossip and stealing are the big ones for me. And yes most everybody steals, though it is more likely to be a can of coke or a staple-remover gadget than a car or a television set. Most people are more irritating than dangerous).
As far as trying to change, I can't see that happening. In many respects I would like to change, but psychiatry or psychology can't substantially change people. Lithium may make me more relaxed around assholes at work, but it won't make me fit in. A psychologist may be able to teach me how to use body language etc to help me better communicate with people, but really, (for example) it's like going to something like Alcoholics Anonymous or going on a diet; it just doesn't work in the long run. No matter how much education or support people have, they will eventually give in to the temptation to be themselves.
You sound like you have a terrible attitude and personality.
Yes, many people have told me that I have a "bad attitude", primarily supervisors. I am unable to understand how I can have a "good attitude" like yourself. In fact, many human resources people and job recruiters just assume I have a bad attitude because I can't seem to find and keep a job.
And then you leave off with
Fuck you.
Like everything else you've said, it makes no sense (except for the part where you claim to have had a successful career in the corporate world; that I can believe). Unlike you I won't tell you to "fuck you" because it doesn't seem right. I wish I could think like you and be successful.
So far most of the replies to my comments are people making things up about me like this;
You're really building yourself up to be this honorable but persecuted person, but you're really not.
I never claimed to be honourable, not here nor in the workforce. I figured here (on Slashdot) some people may appreciate my comments (in the workforce I've learned to keep quiet except to say "I agree", and "yes boss" and "how high"). I have never claimed to be persecuted either. In terms of honourable and persecuted, I remember one time in grade six many people in the class room were harassing somebody, and the teacher asked for those people to stand up. One of the students told me to stand up, but the teacher told me to sit down. I guess I figured because I didn't try to help this harassed person out I wasn't being Honorable. Unfortunately there are many other areas in my life were I have failed to be honourable as well. For this reason I would never claim to be honourable. On the other hand, I wouldn't go out of my way to be dishonourable.
You've created an excessive moral code that is outside social norms just like someone who could never tell the truth.
I guess I've never had the intelligence to understand how being honest is "an excessive moral code" and how not wanting to hurt people is bad. In fact I've always found it difficult to lie. I've found it difficult to be honest at times as well, but I've never been able to understand why being honest and moral is such an issue with people. I remember one time somebody called me a "goody two shoes", I never thought of myself that way, but it appears that compared to most people I am.
The inability to function well in society is just as morally wrong as telling small lies. While I thank you for not dumping chemicals down the drain, there is certainly a better way to respond than "No, I won't do it." Perhaps, "This is not SOP. We're going to do it the right way." And then getting something done. When all you do is hold up the system, you ARE the problem.
I've never made an issue of it. In fact one time when I even mentioned the fact that I think thinks should be done differently I could tell their was a very negative attitude in the room towards me. Later that month one person even deliberately dumped a can of waste oil into the earth to see my reaction. I said nothing, and I did nothing, because I wasn't interested in having any accidents happen to me at work. I eventually quit that job, but I probably would have been fired anyways (the Foreman was very vocal about the fact that he didn't like me). I suppose it would be natural for people to incorrectly blame me for being disliked by my foreman, but when he was sick off work things seemed so very much nicer, and I tend to work better when people don't make me nervous.
Because they're right. Lying is a requirement for being socially functional. As an example, it's a common situation for most people who are insecure about some thing (say, the way they look) to ask someone they know for their opinion... if you tell them the truth, you are by definition being socially dysfunctional.
It's been said that I also have poor communication skills. In actuality I don't remember anybody asking me for an opinion, much less on how they look. If I were asked I would tell them the truth. If the truth were to be negative I would be as tactful as possible. With me telling somebody they were ugly and explaining to them how they can make themselves appear better looking, or explaining how people who judge people by looks are stupid and shallow is far better than telling an ugly person that they are beautiful.
I know one person who said that everybody looks down and gossips about a person at work who has body odor. I asked if anybody told him the truth about his body odor and he said no. Apparently nobody wants to be offensive, but instead would rather socialize with each other and gossip. I am not intellectually capable of understanding how dishonesty is good. You are wasting your time trying to explain it too me.
There's nothing wrong with being insecure about something, and so someone who is insensitive to that insecurity and seems to blame other people for being insensitive should seek professional help. Seriously - you need it.
Yeah, I've heard it before. Almost everybody says I'm crazy. Although I don't see how seeking "professional help" will turn me into a liar. It seems to be more of a personality trait than something you can easily be conditioned to learn. I've got quite a lot of social science education and I'm very familiar with the biology of how the brain works; I've yet to see any type of psychiatric drug that can make people lie and steal and cheat like normal people do.
Show me people who honestly think that there's nothing wrong with someone abusing his position.
I'm only aware of me, and some hypocrites. It's obvious that I'm the social deviant here.
That's most probably because you're socially dysfunctional. If you were socially functional, you would be able to get good references. Most people value integrity very highly, however you're unable to see the difference between integrity and your own social dysfunction.
Yes I already know I am socially disfunctional. People have told me before that I should lie on my resume and use "friends" as phony references like everybody else, but I can't bring myself to do it.
I don't cheat or steal (just like you), and yet I have never left a job where I was unable to get a reference.
I spend all my time trying to work when I am at work. I never have time to socialize with people. Of course, asking a Manager (who terminates me) for a reference doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I don't generally tend to quit jobs. In reality, I generally don't get jobs that require more than one (short) interview. I almost never make it to the qualification tests (of the interview process). One recruiter said she will have me do the test at home (over the Internet), when I got home I phoned her and told her that I never received the login information. She told me she will email it to me. I phoned again and again she said she will email it to me. I went back to the company and said I will do the test on their computers. They said it's better if I did it at home, so I went home and waited for the email. I'm still waiting. This is how most of my interviews go. When they ask me why I've been out of work so long I tell them it is because I was unable to find a job. People say I should lie about this, but I can't bring myself to be dishonest. Pretty much all of my interviews go like this. If I could figure out what I'm doing wrong (without having to lie) it would be h
Well some of your questions could easily be answered
I have not read the book, etc. It was a rhetorical question. I could probably guess at the answers and probably be pretty accurate when I find out the actual facts. Some things are too predictable.
There isn't anything wrong with that. The man served his time, and he's a productive member of society again. The comments for this story are, unfortunately, going to be spearheaded by individuals who don't have the talents to serve as an effective executive in the first place. Thus, we get to read a hundred different spins on the "but he committed a crime" theme, all fueled by basic jealousy. Interestingly, this is the same crowd that seems to have no problem celebrating Kevin Mitnick's turnaround and subsequent success.
Yes I am a Loser. People like you remind me of it all the time. You are wrong however in stating (or implying) that your opinion is in the minority. You are also wrong by stating that I am jealous. I'm more interested in why people like yourself will call me a Loser and treat me like shit. I don't really care if you think it's OK that criminals should be given good paying jobs. I'm more interested in knowing why people like you think that criminals should be given good paying jobs over honest people who can have the personality traits of honesty. Every large company will spend thousands of dollars making sure they hire the right people. They make sure that people don't smoke marijuana for example, and they check their Facebook accounts to find out what their sexual practices are, who there friends are etc. It amazes me that out of all the millions of people to choose from, criminals tend to be the ones who are chosen for the high paying leadership roles, and yet leaders who show their leadership by not stealing or submitting to peer pressure often get terminated from jobs as trouble-makers or people who are not "team players".
I know what your response is going to be; "I never said that...". and "You don't know me...". Yes I know you. I've been dealing with people like you all my life. You think that people who find something wrong with criminals and cheaters are "jealous". You spin things to make people of your own ilk look good. You get up-modded for your attitude and your behavior on forums like Slashdot, and in the real world people like you get promotions and pay raises.
He served eight years in prison and, after finishing his sentence, found gainful employment with an open-minded employer with the skillset he possesses. I don't see anything wrong with that.
Interesting how people (almost) always label me as socially dysfunctional because I don't lie (or cheat and steal). Interesting also how people don't think that there is anything wrong with a person who abuses his position of authority and profits from that abuse and is later rewarded with a job, and people like you claim there is nothing wrong. I've been turned down jobs because I didn't have any good references. Employers don't like me because I tend to want to follow the rules (in a chemical plant I worked at people got upset because I didn't want to dump chemicals down the drain, at a call center job people got upset because I didn't lie to the customers to get them off the phone, etc and so on). I'm very anti-social that way, and when I try to be dishonest like everybody else it makes me feel so physically and psychologically uncomfortable that I can't keep it up. People like this executive certainly have the right psychological make-up to succeed in life.
The last person who made a remark similar to yours got a +5 Insightful moderation. I've seen the same type of thing at work; people that I've "seen" stealing and cheating get promoted, while I end up getting terminated. I guess maybe it's my inability to demonize nice and honest people as being anti-social that will also make me into a loser with a bad attitude. It is my inability to value shrewd business practices that will keep people like me unemployed or marginally employed, while people like this crook will always be gainfully employed in very high paying jobs. They are certainly a lot smarter than I am.
I guess they really have managed to get the prison system to be more about "reforming" inmates, as opposed to simply "incarcerating" them.
Everything that I've read about the U.S. penal system indicates the exact opposite. Things have been getting much worse for people in U.S. prisons over the last 20 years, and the trend continues. His is the exceptional case. Most prisoners can't afford to get PhDs. I wonder where he got the money and found the time for education like that (a PhD no less!); most prison jobs pay slavery wages.
He helped the FBI to expose the price-fixing scheme of his company and served his time. Assuming someone is inspecting his work, what more do you want from the guy?
I'd like to know why he was in prison if he was so benevolent to the FBI and so harmful to the evil-doers in his company. Most criminals only tend to become remorseful after they've been caught. I'd also like to know how he could afford to get a Phd. I'd also like to know how he could have gotten job references from the company that he squealed about. I've got dozens of other unanswered questions.
Thanks to a Ph.D. he earned from Cornell in nutritional biochemistry, and an understanding CEO who was involved in prison ministry, Whitacre is now COO of Cypress Systems, where he's been working since spending nine years in prison for embezzlement.
Another example of how references and credit checks are worthless for proving reliability. Executive class criminals are in high demand by corporations because of their untrustworthiness. The game of life is won by winners like Richard Hatch. Winners are very rarely nice people, although they have so much money that they smile a lot, so it at least appears as if they are friendly. Winners are very positive in their demeanor.
Slashdot Mirror
Miniature Stonehenge Discovered In Wiltshire, UK
Built by dwarfs, I would presume.
There's been a rash of reporter-based "auditing" of left-leaning organizations of late.
Do you mean left of the extreme right?, or those publications that promote the Communist Party of America?
People are making a big deal about a non-issue, and the media of course are profiting. There's nothing wrong with workers diverting themselves with a cup of coffee, some pornography or a game of solitaire. It improves morale and will actually make the workplace more productive in the long run. The time, money and effort Management spends on policing Internet usage could be more effectively used to increase productivity. Their paradigms need to be shifted. Management should be about managing; not policing, punishing, scolding, complaining or moralizing. If they can't manage then they should find other employment.
Personally I would have counted video games as a commercial medium, the same as gift cards for example.
Which is pretty much how Andy Warhol approached art. Business and art are not (necessarily) distinct from each other. Production line art can be just as entertaining, beautiful or thought provoking as something drawn in a scenic mountainside retreat.
There has been an ongoing legal battle over the past few years about how and when game makers can use the likenesses of football players without their permission.
This is a case where people should stop thinking about lawsuits and royalties and start thinking of the children, because in the end, it's the kids that count.
The fact that my posts get modded down as Trolls and posts like yours don't get modded down or even get modded upwards says a lot about the way large portions of the population are. The fact that you defend your behavior and won't admit that you are doing anything wrong is pathetic. Flames never had an effect on me, nor did bullies.
TROLL-MODERATOR MY POSTS TILL YOU LOOSE ALL YOUR MODERATION POINTS. Moderator abuse is fine with me. I'd rather have you guys waist your points on me than to up-moderate the pro-corporate corruption Trolls.
I'm not an expert by any means but it sounds to me like you have a different social dysfunction (I'm not sure what though) and equated this with being honest.
To bring some reality here; I am presenting arguments, which by there very nature should be narrowly defined to the subject matter. Reality is far more complex than I can illustrate in a few sentences. There are people who actually seem to like me as well; unfortunately they don't tend to be Hiring Managers or Supervisors -:) If I could self-analyze, I would say that any possible social dysfunction that I do have is that I generally don't like to socialize or talk to people. Most people either bore me or irritate me, and I can't idle-talk with people without feeling like a Loser. I hate gossip and idle chatter, and that is the main type of talk that people engage in. I would tell jokes if people weren't inclined to be so easily offended or intellectually incapable of understanding irony. I suppose I would have enjoyed talking (arguing) with Socrates, but he was killed because his ideas were not very idle.
As numerous people have mentioned being honest tends to be highly valued by people.
There are some psychological facts that I read from various sources that I have etched in my mind. One is that over 60% of people lie in the first 10 minutes of a conversation, and the other is that most people tend to believe what other people say. That means that people have a tendency to lie, and they also have a tendency to believe the lies that are told to them. Also, people who lie the most are taught to lie by their parents and guardians. For example, if an infant tells grandpa he is fat, the parents may encourage that infant to lie and say something pleasant instead of being honest and tactful, or just letting it slide. This is an ongoing process of socialization that people value so much. Ever since I was a very young child I viewed things in terms of logic, and to me socializing children to tell the truth always seemed more logical than to socialize people to lie. I am obviously in the minority opinion. Though it's ironic, people think that lying will not offend people, but I've personally always been offended by "white" lies that people say to try to "protect" me. The excuses people make for their behavior is astounding. If you really questioned people deeply and are perceptive enough to realize and remember the inconsistencies then you may surprise yourself at how truthy you thought your friends, employers, employees etc really are.
So basically, lying is a social phenomena, and if most people are taught to lie then somebody like myself will inevitably be deviant in such social situations. The statistics only helped to validate my observations about people. It is certainly not surprising that people like yourself may find more honest people than not; because that's what the statistics indicate for everybody despite the untruthiness of average people.
It gets ironic too. People will argue that being truthful is dysfunctional and then when the opportunity to demonize lying becomes pertinent, they will claim lying is bad. People like this successful businessman will, almost always and on queue, validate their success through hard work and intelligence, and if or when they get found out, they will blame their failures on "external" factors like "mental illness".
I've personally been successful (however I do tend to be slightly less honest than you I think).
You're not telling me anything new here -:) Thanks at least for being honest about being dishonest.
In terms of bringing things up at work; well, that's a whole other story. I don't even tend to bother anymore. The people with good friends will get promoted, the people with good ideas will get ignored. That's one of the reasons why there are so many business failures. I won't even bother trying to socialize my way into anything because I know it's not me. If people can't value hard
He spent NINE freakin YEARS in a prison! Ask yourself this one question: How many years of your life equal $9 million?
I would spend 10 years in prison for "mererly" $1 million dollars. It would be worth it for me. I would make more money that way than in working like a slave for for less money in non-prison employment. I wish I had the opportunity.
You said:
I think you're confused.
and
Capitalism isn't about "playing nice" with anybody.
and
If that hurts your feelings
and
To believe otherwise is only an indication that you've bought into the far-left hype.
I need not say more. Your logic has vindicated my arguments and has nullified your +5 Insightful moderation.
i know plenty of people who have the ability to be an executive, but they are looked over since the system rewards greed and immorality more than competence and skill. its not about jealousy its about fairness you twisted fuck
According to the people who replied to me, it's about having the intelligence and social skills to succeed in life. As more than one person told me; people who don't lie are socially dysfunctional.
Along with "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room", and "Pigs at the Trough", you might want to try The Corporation and War is a Racket. There's tons of historical and statistical evidence to prove that "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" as it applies to business and the board room. It amazes me that there are so many apologists out there.
Did you even bother to read the available information on the man's history (perhaps starting with the article)? Had you investigated the matter properly and applied a little critical thinking, I sincerely doubt your reply would have been the same.
I read the article, and I know that he blamed his conscious and continual lies and theft on "mental illness". It's interesting that he was sane enough to be able to realize that his mental illness was primarily benefiting himself and hurting other people. I don't see any leadership here.
I don't seem to recall the person that you're responding to actually snubbing their nose at you
The person is being a Troll and he got modded +5 Informative. I got modded -1 Troll. The vast majority of the comments here (towards me at least) have been about how people lie, cheat and steal are well socialized, and how it's my fault that I am not able to fit in. If you call my observations "jealous" then either I am totally devoid of reality and completely out of my mind, or the vast majority of people have little sense of morality, and are completely devoid of logic.
1st point I agree with (there are quantitative and qualitative differences for ordinary people).
2nd point doesn't seem relevant here. Social conventions, no matter how they appear, are not necessarily immoral, dishonest or even irrational. In my case I am more likely to want to say "hello" to someone, just out of politeness. Many people often bow there heads when they see me coming (although there's a lot of variability in people).
3rd point;
You very closely resemble a number of people I've met over the years, who all were unable to grasp what I like to call the "unwritten rules of society".
I think I know the rules, or at least some of them. Some I find distasteful (i.e. lying and gossip and stealing are the big ones for me. And yes most everybody steals, though it is more likely to be a can of coke or a staple-remover gadget than a car or a television set. Most people are more irritating than dangerous).
As far as trying to change, I can't see that happening. In many respects I would like to change, but psychiatry or psychology can't substantially change people. Lithium may make me more relaxed around assholes at work, but it won't make me fit in. A psychologist may be able to teach me how to use body language etc to help me better communicate with people, but really, (for example) it's like going to something like Alcoholics Anonymous or going on a diet; it just doesn't work in the long run. No matter how much education or support people have, they will eventually give in to the temptation to be themselves.
You sound like you have a terrible attitude and personality.
Yes, many people have told me that I have a "bad attitude", primarily supervisors. I am unable to understand how I can have a "good attitude" like yourself. In fact, many human resources people and job recruiters just assume I have a bad attitude because I can't seem to find and keep a job.
And then you leave off with
Fuck you.
Like everything else you've said, it makes no sense (except for the part where you claim to have had a successful career in the corporate world; that I can believe). Unlike you I won't tell you to "fuck you" because it doesn't seem right. I wish I could think like you and be successful.
So far most of the replies to my comments are people making things up about me like this;
You're really building yourself up to be this honorable but persecuted person, but you're really not.
I never claimed to be honourable, not here nor in the workforce. I figured here (on Slashdot) some people may appreciate my comments (in the workforce I've learned to keep quiet except to say "I agree", and "yes boss" and "how high"). I have never claimed to be persecuted either. In terms of honourable and persecuted, I remember one time in grade six many people in the class room were harassing somebody, and the teacher asked for those people to stand up. One of the students told me to stand up, but the teacher told me to sit down. I guess I figured because I didn't try to help this harassed person out I wasn't being Honorable. Unfortunately there are many other areas in my life were I have failed to be honourable as well. For this reason I would never claim to be honourable. On the other hand, I wouldn't go out of my way to be dishonourable.
You've created an excessive moral code that is outside social norms just like someone who could never tell the truth.
I guess I've never had the intelligence to understand how being honest is "an excessive moral code" and how not wanting to hurt people is bad. In fact I've always found it difficult to lie. I've found it difficult to be honest at times as well, but I've never been able to understand why being honest and moral is such an issue with people. I remember one time somebody called me a "goody two shoes", I never thought of myself that way, but it appears that compared to most people I am.
The inability to function well in society is just as morally wrong as telling small lies. While I thank you for not dumping chemicals down the drain, there is certainly a better way to respond than "No, I won't do it." Perhaps, "This is not SOP. We're going to do it the right way." And then getting something done. When all you do is hold up the system, you ARE the problem.
I've never made an issue of it. In fact one time when I even mentioned the fact that I think thinks should be done differently I could tell their was a very negative attitude in the room towards me. Later that month one person even deliberately dumped a can of waste oil into the earth to see my reaction. I said nothing, and I did nothing, because I wasn't interested in having any accidents happen to me at work. I eventually quit that job, but I probably would have been fired anyways (the Foreman was very vocal about the fact that he didn't like me). I suppose it would be natural for people to incorrectly blame me for being disliked by my foreman, but when he was sick off work things seemed so very much nicer, and I tend to work better when people don't make me nervous.
Because they're right. Lying is a requirement for being socially functional. As an example, it's a common situation for most people who are insecure about some thing (say, the way they look) to ask someone they know for their opinion... if you tell them the truth, you are by definition being socially dysfunctional.
It's been said that I also have poor communication skills. In actuality I don't remember anybody asking me for an opinion, much less on how they look. If I were asked I would tell them the truth. If the truth were to be negative I would be as tactful as possible. With me telling somebody they were ugly and explaining to them how they can make themselves appear better looking, or explaining how people who judge people by looks are stupid and shallow is far better than telling an ugly person that they are beautiful.
I know one person who said that everybody looks down and gossips about a person at work who has body odor. I asked if anybody told him the truth about his body odor and he said no. Apparently nobody wants to be offensive, but instead would rather socialize with each other and gossip. I am not intellectually capable of understanding how dishonesty is good. You are wasting your time trying to explain it too me.
There's nothing wrong with being insecure about something, and so someone who is insensitive to that insecurity and seems to blame other people for being insensitive should seek professional help. Seriously - you need it.
Yeah, I've heard it before. Almost everybody says I'm crazy. Although I don't see how seeking "professional help" will turn me into a liar. It seems to be more of a personality trait than something you can easily be conditioned to learn. I've got quite a lot of social science education and I'm very familiar with the biology of how the brain works; I've yet to see any type of psychiatric drug that can make people lie and steal and cheat like normal people do.
Show me people who honestly think that there's nothing wrong with someone abusing his position.
I'm only aware of me, and some hypocrites. It's obvious that I'm the social deviant here.
That's most probably because you're socially dysfunctional. If you were socially functional, you would be able to get good references. Most people value integrity very highly, however you're unable to see the difference between integrity and your own social dysfunction.
Yes I already know I am socially disfunctional. People have told me before that I should lie on my resume and use "friends" as phony references like everybody else, but I can't bring myself to do it.
I don't cheat or steal (just like you), and yet I have never left a job where I was unable to get a reference.
I spend all my time trying to work when I am at work. I never have time to socialize with people. Of course, asking a Manager (who terminates me) for a reference doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I don't generally tend to quit jobs. In reality, I generally don't get jobs that require more than one (short) interview. I almost never make it to the qualification tests (of the interview process). One recruiter said she will have me do the test at home (over the Internet), when I got home I phoned her and told her that I never received the login information. She told me she will email it to me. I phoned again and again she said she will email it to me. I went back to the company and said I will do the test on their computers. They said it's better if I did it at home, so I went home and waited for the email. I'm still waiting. This is how most of my interviews go. When they ask me why I've been out of work so long I tell them it is because I was unable to find a job. People say I should lie about this, but I can't bring myself to be dishonest. Pretty much all of my interviews go like this. If I could figure out what I'm doing wrong (without having to lie) it would be h
Well some of your questions could easily be answered
I have not read the book, etc. It was a rhetorical question. I could probably guess at the answers and probably be pretty accurate when I find out the actual facts. Some things are too predictable.
There isn't anything wrong with that. The man served his time, and he's a productive member of society again. The comments for this story are, unfortunately, going to be spearheaded by individuals who don't have the talents to serve as an effective executive in the first place. Thus, we get to read a hundred different spins on the "but he committed a crime" theme, all fueled by basic jealousy. Interestingly, this is the same crowd that seems to have no problem celebrating Kevin Mitnick's turnaround and subsequent success.
Yes I am a Loser. People like you remind me of it all the time. You are wrong however in stating (or implying) that your opinion is in the minority. You are also wrong by stating that I am jealous. I'm more interested in why people like yourself will call me a Loser and treat me like shit. I don't really care if you think it's OK that criminals should be given good paying jobs. I'm more interested in knowing why people like you think that criminals should be given good paying jobs over honest people who can have the personality traits of honesty. Every large company will spend thousands of dollars making sure they hire the right people. They make sure that people don't smoke marijuana for example, and they check their Facebook accounts to find out what their sexual practices are, who there friends are etc. It amazes me that out of all the millions of people to choose from, criminals tend to be the ones who are chosen for the high paying leadership roles, and yet leaders who show their leadership by not stealing or submitting to peer pressure often get terminated from jobs as trouble-makers or people who are not "team players".
I know what your response is going to be; "I never said that...". and "You don't know me...". Yes I know you. I've been dealing with people like you all my life. You think that people who find something wrong with criminals and cheaters are "jealous". You spin things to make people of your own ilk look good. You get up-modded for your attitude and your behavior on forums like Slashdot, and in the real world people like you get promotions and pay raises.
He served eight years in prison and, after finishing his sentence, found gainful employment with an open-minded employer with the skillset he possesses. I don't see anything wrong with that.
Interesting how people (almost) always label me as socially dysfunctional because I don't lie (or cheat and steal). Interesting also how people don't think that there is anything wrong with a person who abuses his position of authority and profits from that abuse and is later rewarded with a job, and people like you claim there is nothing wrong. I've been turned down jobs because I didn't have any good references. Employers don't like me because I tend to want to follow the rules (in a chemical plant I worked at people got upset because I didn't want to dump chemicals down the drain, at a call center job people got upset because I didn't lie to the customers to get them off the phone, etc and so on). I'm very anti-social that way, and when I try to be dishonest like everybody else it makes me feel so physically and psychologically uncomfortable that I can't keep it up. People like this executive certainly have the right psychological make-up to succeed in life.
The last person who made a remark similar to yours got a +5 Insightful moderation. I've seen the same type of thing at work; people that I've "seen" stealing and cheating get promoted, while I end up getting terminated. I guess maybe it's my inability to demonize nice and honest people as being anti-social that will also make me into a loser with a bad attitude. It is my inability to value shrewd business practices that will keep people like me unemployed or marginally employed, while people like this crook will always be gainfully employed in very high paying jobs. They are certainly a lot smarter than I am.
I guess they really have managed to get the prison system to be more about "reforming" inmates, as opposed to simply "incarcerating" them.
Everything that I've read about the U.S. penal system indicates the exact opposite. Things have been getting much worse for people in U.S. prisons over the last 20 years, and the trend continues. His is the exceptional case. Most prisoners can't afford to get PhDs. I wonder where he got the money and found the time for education like that (a PhD no less!); most prison jobs pay slavery wages.
He helped the FBI to expose the price-fixing scheme of his company and served his time. Assuming someone is inspecting his work, what more do you want from the guy?
I'd like to know why he was in prison if he was so benevolent to the FBI and so harmful to the evil-doers in his company. Most criminals only tend to become remorseful after they've been caught. I'd also like to know how he could afford to get a Phd. I'd also like to know how he could have gotten job references from the company that he squealed about. I've got dozens of other unanswered questions.
Thanks to a Ph.D. he earned from Cornell in nutritional biochemistry, and an understanding CEO who was involved in prison ministry, Whitacre is now COO of Cypress Systems, where he's been working since spending nine years in prison for embezzlement.
Another example of how references and credit checks are worthless for proving reliability. Executive class criminals are in high demand by corporations because of their untrustworthiness. The game of life is won by winners like Richard Hatch. Winners are very rarely nice people, although they have so much money that they smile a lot, so it at least appears as if they are friendly. Winners are very positive in their demeanor.
Great reasoning there.
Thanks. My verbal abilities helped me to get a high school diploma. I was a very consistent C student.
How can I argue with that?
Practice.