Rant: The Scam of Corporate America

[JMapleton]

Everyone wants to make more money than they are making today. But at the same time people have to realistic.. not every one can become an astronaut, but everyone with sufficient motor skills can mop the floors.

While it is true that not everyone can be rich, you shouldn't have that attitude for yourself because of all things, a negative or forfeit-minded attitude will prevent you from being successful.

If you are fortune enough to awake from corporate brainwashing, there is room for you to be successful and ultimately, happy. Because it's not about money or things, it's about freedom. And freedom is the ultimate happiness. The freedom to buy what you want, go where you want, eat what you want, and be with who want.

 

[Nebor]

I want to drive Ferraris and fly in private jets. Wouldn't we all? Well, why aren't we all trying?

No, not everyone wants that. Some people prefer to have families, time off, travel for leisure.

If you really think that most CEOs work less than their employees (or less than 60 hours a week) you're delusional. Also their level of stress and responsibility is many times that of their employees. If you fuck up at work, you and your dog are out on the street. If the CEO fucks up, you and your dog are still out on the street, plus 200 other families.

Success is often measured by how much stress and risk a person is willing to undertake, and the most successful people are those intelligent enough to mitigate those above factors significantly.

 

[JMapleton]

im not sure its intelligence, you only have to be smart enough to enslave some worker bees who are smarter than you are. do you really think bill gates or mark zuckerberg are half as smart as the guys designing their products?

Don't be fooled, anyone who's worked in corporate america knows how business illiterate many people can be.

Many people like Zuckerberg become successful out of luck (in my personal opinion). Some a combination of luck and intelligences (like Gates). Some because of intelligence and hard work (like many others).

But ultimately, it's the workers who get screwed because of the greed of the top execs who do not want to share the bounty.

I understand capitalism, it's part of the game. But don't hate capitalism, because socialism or communism isn't going to get anyone here driving around in Ferraris and living in mansions. Don't hate the game, play it better. Play your own cards, not someone elses.

 

[AlienCraft]

No, you're just a cog in the machine...easily replaced. Unless you're the owner, it IS someone else's company.

Corporations aren't necessarily bad things, but they've been given far too much power.

D: And remember that class envy is required if you want to play the game. :\

 

[JMapleton]

No, not everyone wants that. Some people prefer to have families, time off, travel for leisure.

A wealthy person is going to be able to spend more time with their families, travel more, and have more time off because they can afford not to work.

While it takes a large burst of effort to become wealthy; I'd rather work my butt off until I'm 35 and then retire and then live free, than live partially free partially enslaved my whole life.

As far as stress, my CEO isn't stressing it, I barely see that dude around and he always seems happy. He just delegates tasks to others.

If the CEO fucks up, you and your dog are still out on the street,

Excuse me? Most CEOs make enough money within just a few years to retire for life. Are any of the former CEOs of GM living on the street? Are the AIG CEOs living on the street? What about the Lehman Brothers execs?

Oh no, work for 2 years and you're set for life, while the secretary and entry level employees are on the street.

 

[busydude]

If you are fortune enough to awake from corporate brainwashing, there is room for you to be successful and ultimately, happy. Because it's not about money or things, it's about freedom.

Now you are shifting your argument from Monetary benefits to more of a general outlook on life. No one is forcing you to be a part of a corporate system, but you have to make a plan regarding how you approach the future.

. The freedom to buy what you want, go where you want, eat what you want, and be with who want.

Where is limit to what you can buy? Who sets it? Do you rather have a corporation that spends it's money wisely or the one which just uses it for unproductive purposes.

 

[Nebor]

While it takes a large burst of effort to become wealthy; I'd rather work my butt off until I'm 35 and then retire and then live free, than live partially free partially enslaved my whole life.

Oh no, work for 2 years and you're set for life, while the secretary and entry level employees are on the street.

Do you know of any CEOs that do this? The norm is to jump from CEO of a company to a bigger company, and so on and so forth for 50 years. It seems that typically family life isn't the top priority for these people. Their priorities are different from many "workers."

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Excuse me? Most CEOs make enough money within just a few years to retire for life. Are any of the former CEOs of GM living on the street? Are the AIG CEOs living on the street? What about the Lehman Brothers execs?

Oh no, work for 2 years and you're set for life, while the secretary and entry level employees are on the street.

There are probably hundreds of thousands of CEOs in the USA. Do you think they all run $$$$$$$$$$$ companies?

 

[JMapleton]

Now you are shifting your argument from Monetary benefits to more of a general outlook on life. No one is forcing you to be a part of a corporate system, but you have to make a plan regarding how you approach the future.

Ultimately in a capitalist society, money is relative freedom. If you want to eat lobster, sushi, filets, and caviar every night for dinner, you need money. I don't like money and I don't worship it, but money rules the world we live in. It's unfortunate but we cannot change it. Best we can do is not fall victim to it or the problems a lack of money causes.

Where is limit to what you can buy? Who sets it? Do you rather have a corporation that spends it's money wisely or the one which just uses it for unproductive purposes.

Of course within reason. I can be happy without having a $100m Picasso hanging above my toilet. But I want fancy cars, nice meals, big houses, etc. Who doesn't?

I don't understand your comment about the corporations and wasteful spending. I'm speaking about spending freedom on a personal level.

 

[busydude]

While it takes a large burst of effort to become wealthy; I'd rather work my butt off until I'm 35 and then retire and then live free, than live partially free partially enslaved my whole life.

No one is stopping you from doing that.

 

[JMapleton]

There are probably hundreds of thousands of CEOs in the USA. Do you think they all run $$$$$$$$$$$ companies?

If you have more than a dozen employees, you're probably eating well. I'm not talking about every home based quilting operation.

Most people work for companies who's owners are wealthy and are not sharing the bounty.

 

[Nebor]

No one is stopping you from doing that.

Aren't you paying attention? The MAN is keeping him down!

Oh wait, this is the guy that brags so much about buying $200+ blue jeans that he made them his avatar image.

 

[busydude]

I don't understand your comment about the corporations and wasteful spending. I'm speaking about spending freedom on a personal level.

You are implying that higher employee perks(Which is the basis of this thread) = Wasteful spending.

 

[Nebor]

If you have more than a dozen employees, you're probably eating well. I'm not talking about every home based quilting operation.

Most people work for companies who's owners are wealthy and are not sharing the bounty.

Except for most people work for companies that are publicly traded, and thus the owners are many. And the employees themselves can become owners. The CEO is just someone paid by the owners (shareholders) to manage their company based on his skills and abilities (that are often worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year.)

 

[JMapleton]

No one is stopping you from doing that.

There are people and influences stopping us all. I thankfully have opened my eyes and I am working towards my goals but I too have been held back like others from procrastinations and the temptations of short term happiness.

Peer pressure, teachers, parents, educational institutions, and the media have all brainwashed us into thinking self sacrificing your self to a corporation is the most noble of professions.

I am questioning why others haven't opened their eyes and I hope they will see what I see.

 

[Nebor]

There are people and influences stopping us all. I thankfully have opened my eyes and I am working towards my goals but I too have been held back like others from procrastinations and the temptations of short term happiness.

Peer pressure, teachers, parents, educational institutions, and the media have all brainwashed us into thinking self sacrificing your self to a corporation is the most noble of professions.

I am questioning why others haven't opened their eyes and I hope they will see what I see.

The 7FAM CEO makes about $800,000 a year, but most of his employees make less than $60,000 a year. Why do you support that robber baron? Your eyes are open! Make your own jeans!

 

[JMapleton]

Except for most people work for companies that are publicly traded, and thus the owners are many. And the employees themselves can become owners. The CEO is just someone paid by the owners (shareholders) to manage their company based on his skills and abilities (that are often worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year.)

You're playing ignorant. Corporations are indeed owned by the shareholders, but it's not your average Joe being represented on most corporate boards.

Most boards of directors of major companies are dominated by other CEOs, retired CEOs, and other executives and wealthy individuals because they have the money and influence to vote them onto these boards.

Furthermore, average people are not taught anything about how corporations work. They're taught by our educational system how to work for someone else, not how to influence corporate boards. How many average people actually vote for boards of directors or even understand the process of in which the voting takes place?

It wasn't until just a few years ago that you were able to vote for directors of boards on shares you owned through mutual funds, it was at the mutual fund manager who was able to exercise your voting rights and vote to keep the power unfairly represented.

 

[JMapleton]

The 7FAM CEO makes about $800,000 a year, but most of his employees make less than $60,000 a year. Why do you support that robber baron? Your eyes are open! Make your own jeans!

I'm not superman, I cannot save everyone. The best each one of us can do is strive for our goals and work for ourselves.

7FAM jeans are made in the USA, I guess that's better than made in China.

 

[Sonikku]

Also their level of stress and responsibility is many times that of their employees. If you fuck up at work, you and your dog are out on the street. If the CEO fucks up, you and your dog are still out on the street, plus 200 other families.

Or in the third scenario, no one fucks up, but you and your dog plus other families are still out on the street, because layoffs mean short term payoffs and bonuses for all the executives. More importantly though, I can't help but notice how in each and every one of the these scenarios, no matter who screws up, the executives are always the last one to feel the pinch.

How is that more stressful then knowing you're the grunt always on the chopping block?

 

[Nebor]

7FAM jeans are made in the USA, I guess that's better than made in China.

That just means they're brainwashing\oppressing Americans like you, right? Making them toil away making jeans while the CEO drives his Ferrari around inside his private jet on the way to his vacation in Bermuda? Because he probably hasn't even BEEN to work in like 7 months, right?

 

[JMapleton]

You are implying that higher employee perks(Which is the basis of this thread) = Wasteful spending.

It's not wasteful spending if you pay your employees so little that they don't care about anything, as is the case at my company.

I work for my company because I have fun and I can go home unstressed and work on my business. But others don't have it like me.

 

[Nebor]

Or in the third scenario, no one fucks up, but you and your dog plus other families are still out on the street, because layoffs mean short term payoffs and bonuses for all the executives. More importantly though, I can't help but notice how in each and every one of the these scenarios, no matter who screws up, the executives are always the last one to feel the pinch.

How is that more stressful then knowing you're the grunt always on the chopping block?

Because CEO's moral consciences are punishingly cruel if their employees are "on the chopping block." Leaders feel for their followers.

Besides, if you want to be off the chopping block and on the decision maker side of things, put on your suit and start interviewing for CEO jobs.

 

[Nebor]

It's not wasteful spending if you pay your employees so little that they don't care about anything, as is the case at my company.

That's a bit like saving on construction by buying cheap nuts and bolts. Eventually your shit is going to crash down.

 

[magomago]

This is an interesting post to me because I just came back from after spending about an hour there preparing for tomorrow

I share the OP's sympathies to a degree. We really push hard (But to be honest, so does most our bosses and people above us) to get things done and then our checks don't reflect that.

I think that pay is ultimately a function of how much value your work has to the company.

But if you are responsible for 5 million of direct sales, I'm hoping you either got a promotion or some fatty bonus checks. In general - creating direct revenues seems to be the easist way to make $$$


But ultimately you ask why I do it...it is because I love what I do. It gives me so much pleasure and mental gratification that I'd probably do it even if I wasn't paid what I am (Shh don't tell me superiors this, I'd rather have them think I'm going for more $$$ always). If I didn't like my job, if i didn't think that what I'm doing matters, I'd just leave my job. Worst come worst, my dad will help me out, but i'm confident enough in my abilities that I know I could find something else

 

[JMapleton]

That just means they're brainwashing\oppressing Americans like you, right? Making them toil away making jeans while the CEO drives his Ferrari around inside his private jet on the way to his vacation in Bermuda? Because he probably hasn't even BEEN to work in like 7 months, right?

I can't grow my own jeans and every corporation does evil in some fashion or another.

I never advocated consumers overthrowing companies. My philosophy is just the opposite. Worry about yourself, I say. There is no perfect structure for society where we can all be rich, so put your efforts into right here and right now and make your life what you want it to be.

I don't worry about my consumer habits. I worry about me. I'm concerned for others, but I'm not superman.