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You can advise whatever you like. He got fired because, after ignoring his proposals, he went on to make public statements attacking the drug policy for not accepting his proposals.

Basically, he could have kept offering his advice, so long as he kept it coming through the official channels, rather than going to the press in an aggressive manner. It's not exactly surprising that the guy got canned put in that light, is it?

It's never an 'isolated incident', is it?

I mean. When you realize, there were these guys doing that. Then there were the people smuggling them. Then there were the people on the other end. Then there were the people using the product. Then there were the people who, in some way, these events all touched.

Hell. I just read about it on an internet forum, and it's still shaken me, just to think that there are people out there capable of being so monstrous.

I've never felt so naive. I'd ask 'how can people do that'? But... the answer would just make things worse.

On the other hand. I'm glad Roger did spell it out. Somehow. It feels important that this shit ... be known. That we know that it has happened. We need to bear witness to it.

The first post was literally breathtaking. An amazing piece of writing and I just had no idea how to respond to it. Brilliant, but at the same time, horrifying.

Having the horror spelt out like that, though.

...

Fuck.

I voted item 3 because it is the only one which has a different number of corners to any of the other selections.

Also, we don't like them circle-types round these parts.

So... wait...

Are you guys saying we aren't energy? I can't return to a pre-broken bone energy state with a nightlight and some soothing music?

...


BRB, going to ER.

 

Curly's case was an isolated incident. Regretable as it was that a man could have hated America with quite as much passion as poor Curly, whilst seeming so reasonable so much of the time, is in many ways a sign of the time. Of course, in retrospect, it becomes easy to see the warning signs that he had been leaving us. The way he didn't always quite finish his coke. The moment of hesitation before he laughed when we made a joke. He hated America in a way that very few people ever can. He believed there was something Wrong. We all know better than that, don't we?

Unfortunately, as you are no doubt aware, the amount of healthcare we are obliged to provide cuts off sharply as you move further and further away from the physical location you inhabited. If you had filed the proper claims a few weeks ago, we might have been able to assist. As things are, you are already adrift, and I'm afraid there is nothing more I can do to secure an adequate dosage of those particular pills.

I'm sure you'll be fine, though. They won't burrow all the way out immediately, and you don't hate America enough to let them go unsquashed. I'll leave it to you to decide how to deal with the holes. Your creativity in times of need was always one of the more noticeable traits.

Always a pleasure to be of service.

Question to HR:  Does the severance package include more pills?

Although some pills will be provided- we aren't barbarians, after all- I'm afraid you'll need to cut down until such a time as you can find another, permanent, position. Or, you can purchase your own. The starting rates are quite reasonable, I'm told.

If you should begin to suffer withdrawal, try not to let on. Employers know the signs.

Thank you for your years of long service. However, as we are living in the Age of Enlightenment (tm), we no longer feel that your current modus operandi is within the ethos of our Corporation. Whilst we are grateful for your years of service, and acknowledge the contributions that you have made, we feel it would be best for all parties involved if you would like to seek new opportunities in different horizons.

I realize that this must come as a shock. However, we have recently concluded that the questions which you are best suited to answering, have in fact been answered to our satisfaction already. To whit:

1) How should we relate to Society? - You are assigned a position based upon the sum of your parts, and this position enables you to survive and enjoy the fruits of your labor until the day you are no longer able to continue to fulfil it. Further reflection is unnecessary.

2) What is Chaos? - Undesirable. Any and all further discussion on this subject has been prohibited in line with section 10-S of the Internal System Security Coordination Manager Act 2008, and any comments need to be filed through appropriate channels in accordance with the proper paperwork. Which we can't find.

3) Shall we mock the establishment? - No. These fine, hard-working men and women have the unenviable job of choosing how to allow you to live your life so that you do not have to. They do not need to deal with your 'humor' on top of that stress.

As we are sure you will agree, given the three questions above have been answered to our satisfaction, the bulk of the work you continue to do is largely at odds with the intended business practices of our organization. Therefore, we are cutting you adrift. We wish you all the best in the future, and we're certain that with your wide selection of talents, you'll have no trouble securing a position in whatever avenue of life you find yourselves inhabiting. Although it is the policy of our organization to traditionally avoid providing severence packages- after all, we'd hardly like to encourage such things in the future- we've decided that, in light of your exemplary performance in the past, we will provide you with a pointy stick. Just in case.

Happy sailing.

Signed, Mr. B. Widow.

Director of Human Resources
The Spiders.

Random fun fact I thought I'd share because it came up in discussion recently

One of my Dad's friends does agricultural machinery maintainence. Turns out, because of the massively bad reputation that McDonalds burgers were getting for quality in the UK, the corporation now only accepts the best available domestic beef for their burgers, as well as cutting down massively on additives. And the farmers love them for it, because they are getting a lot more now in total if they can meet the stringent guidelines that McDonalds expects from its suppliers.

Obviously, I don't know how accurate this is, because I haven't bothered to search out any additional evidence, but I'm prepared to believe the guy I know. I've got no idea what the difference is in other countries, though. Pretty funny if the face of the American burger actually produces better burgers over here than in the US. 

While you may employ people to "use the google" for you, that same communication technology which the fools pay on average $50/month to take advantage of has already changed the course of democracy into a new political landscape which we don't even have proper words for yet.

Has it? I see very little evidence of that. The internet is a new medium, but as far as I can tell the impact of this on the actual workings of politics has been minimal as far as I can tell. There's some new avenues of discussion, but no real impact on the way the elites continue to operate.

But you forget that all empires fall. As will ours one day. But enjoy your twilight years while you can, for today we are ascendant.

Again, I see no evidence that all 'empires' will continue to fall. It's naive to assume that because the elites have changed in the past, they will continue to do so in the future. Least of all when the people in power are not directly tied to the systems which they use to maintain dominance.

The fact that the current elites maintain dominance across most forms of media is an interesting one, but one that is somewhat tangential to the point I was trying to make; that it is more useful to try and play by different rules to the standard (accumulation of money overrides everything else), as following that route leads to a situation in which the existing elites have all the cards.

 

Well. More seriously, I think it counts, working on the assumption that most people presume we all play by the same rules. Deciding that you play by an entirely different set would certainly count as cheating in their eyes, wouldn't it?

I used to write a lot. It was a way to express myself, and I fancied that I might refine my style somewhat, that I might become a professional. I wrote about a lot of subjects, too. I wrote about the things I thought were important; country, life, death. I find it pretty funny, looking back on it, because I wrote about all those things without really having very much experience with them aside from the representations of them I saw in the media I chose to surround myself with.

One of the metaphors I always liked was to think of life like a game. I used to think that money was a useful way to keep score. The winner is the guy who dies with the most stuff, right? What else are you going to use to keep track? But, if that's the case, then we've reached the point where the winners and losers have already been determined. The stranglehold that the elite have on the resources of the world has reached such an overwhelming point that, even when it is painfully obvious that people are simply gaming the system to get as much out of it as they can, nobody seems particularly willing to step up and actually stop it.

We are living in times of apathy. A time in which most people simply do not care about the bigger issues, either because they cannot afford to for fear of losing what little grip on their situation they have, or because they can see no way to change it. When even the word 'Change' has become a cynical tool with which to ensure more of the same, what hope is there for things to get better?

If life is a game, then this is a game in which only cheaters prosper. When reform is a stillborn prospect, and open protest only marks you as an easy target, your choices are rather limited. Unless you happen to be amongst the privilidged already, you are a victim. A consumer. Your only fate is to grind ever onward and eke out whatever comfort you can from a system which, if you are lucky, will never notice you exist.

Or you can become a cheater. Move the boundaries of success. If they have monopolized the means by which they score points, find new goals. When I was younger, I used to dream that it might be possible to reform the system to something more fair, but really, that's choosing to participate in a game which they have already won. Why would you want to do that? Instead, play by new rules. Set new goals, targets which might not bring as tangible rewards as some, but bring satisfaction, or laughter.

If life is a game, cheat. Because if you've only got one hand, you may as well make the best of it whilst you can.

What hope for humanity?

Well, in technological terms, we've advanced amazingly rapidly in a terrifyingly short amount of time compared to our previous history to this point.

In social terms, though we're far (very far) from perfect, we're moving towards a more equal and permissive society. Slowly, but it is happening.

In entertainment terms, I believe we're heading into a period of unprecedented economic strife, which will forcibly shake up the social order, and possibly our entire economic system- I have no idea what the extent is likely to be, but it's an exciting time to be alive, and the possibility is still there- definitely something to hope for.

What hope is there for humanity? Lots! There might be a long way to go, but I still think we've come very far, and I hope we'll keep on going further. 

I bought it... cost me an arm and a leg too. 

There might be a way to get it, though, but I'm not sure about that so if anyone wants a link I'll PM it to them.