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Don't bow down to the man!

Happy Dave Has Left

13:53 / 27.07.06

I came across this post today via one of my favourite blogs, Random Reality, and, like Reynolds over at Random Reality, it got me sweary shouty.

Basically, Steve Pavlina, who is a productivity and personal development blogger, has written a long post detailing ten reasons 'smart people' don't get a job. Click through and read it, it's quite startlingly arrogant, obnoxious and patronising, basicallys saying that if you let yourself work for anyone else, you're naught but one of the braying sheeple, a drone in the hive.

It basically reminded me of every time someone has pissed on my chips about the fact that I work, or worked, for a corporate firm. But it got me to thinking -

Where's the balance between selling your labour to an economic system and making your own way in the world? Is one necessarily better, more worthy or 'smarter' than the the other? Can one exist without the other? Could we all be 'smart people' or does the idea fall down if there's no one to buy your creations? Who's kidding themselves here?

14:11 / 27.07.06

I could barely read that page for all the ads and "Leave Steve a donation" links. He's got his own Ponzi scheme, too.

So. Freelance pontificator, Internet panhandler, grifter. Gosh, he is a powerful argument against the corporate mindset, isn't he?

MattShepherd: I WEDDED KALI!

14:38 / 27.07.06

I choose to work for other people because I can't be arsed to do all that accounting, I hate spreadsheets and tax forms, and I'd rather make less money than deal with the damn hassle. It makes me happier that way. And that is "smart."

Our Lady Has Left the Building

16:25 / 27.07.06

How does 'being self-employed' = 'not having a job' in his strange little world?

20:37 / 27.07.06

Here is my all-time favorite part of that post. The logic is undeniable. He is teh Matrix Warrior:

If you’re currently a well-conditioned, well-behaved employee, your most likely reaction to the above will be defensiveness. But consider that if the above didn’t have a grain of truth to it, you wouldn’t have an emotional reaction at all. I’m only reminding you of what you already know. You can deny your cage all you want, but the cage is still there. Perhaps this all happened so gradually that you never noticed it until now… like a lobster enjoying a nice warm bath.

20:42 / 27.07.06

How does 'being self-employed' = 'not having a job' in his strange little world?

Well, it's not "the same", but not knowing for sure where from and when is the next paycheque coming can be stressful (Plus, no dental). So "it's not really a job, it's an adventure"...

I choose to work for other people because I can't be arsed to do all that accounting, I hate spreadsheets and tax forms, and I'd rather make less money than deal with the damn hassle.

I agree. I do a lot of freelance tranlation/journalism stuff (and I'm registered to do so as demanded by law - my country is a bureaucratic hell), but I'm lucky enough that my father lets me use his company's accountant to keep my book balanced, so I guess I got the best of both worlds

ANd the article may be arrogant in that "Marix warrior" kind of way, but if you ignore the guy is apparently being serious, it's quite funny (in a Dilber kind of way):

Getting a job is like enrolling in a human domestication program. You learn how to be a good pet.

When you run into an idiot in the entrepreneurial world, you can turn around and head the other way. When you run into an idiot in the corporate world, you have to turn around and say, “Sorry, boss.”