Just wanted to bring the realist appeal to the working hard credo. I always have heard this from teachers, coaches, friends, and everyone pretty much. If you work hard, the results will come. Something along those lines. I think it is the most played out inspiriation catch phrase in the english language. I understand some people believe in it and I respect their opinion. It is a common philosophy for people in life but I think it is incredibly flawed. The reason why I am going off on it is because my dad, who has worked in the computer programming industry for 35 years has gotten laid off from 5 different corporations in the past two years. Companies are currently outsourcing his specialty to India and paying them pennies. It's typical capitalist, weasel, f*cking everyone over. While one of my uncles is a big shot advertising executive. My dad said growing up he almost flunked out of school, never worked hard at anything, smoked weed/drank all through high school, and graduated from a community college. For most of my childhood he was flying to Cleveland/NYC every week and I barely even saw him. He worked his ass off for 35 years and he's got sh*t to show for it, career wise atleast. I was just having a long talk with him about the working hard phrase. It sounds great and can definately inspire some people. But just because you work your ass off at something, doesn't mean it will always pan out.
Comes to show that life is unfair. It does work for some people, but others like your day it doesn't pay off.
While I agree with you, just to play devil's advocate, those people in India are willing to do the same jobs for less money, and probably aren't working any less hard.
There certainly not working less harder than someone like my dad but in his situation, he has worked his ass off his whole life and he has had some success but right now he's getting F*cked over. It's a helpless feeling.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (WELCOMEtotheJUNGLE @ May 19 2007, 03:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Just wanted to bring the realist appeal to the working hard credo. I always have heard this from teachers, coaches, friends, and everyone pretty much. If you work hard, the results will come. Something along those lines. I think it is the most played out inspiriation catch phrase in the english language. I understand some people believe in it and I respect their opinion. It is a common philosophy for people in life but I think it is incredibly flawed. The reason why I am going off on it is because my dad, who has worked in the computer programming industry for 35 years has gotten laid off from 5 different corporations in the past two years. Companies are currently outsourcing his specialty to India and paying them pennies. It's typical capitalist, weasel, f*cking everyone over. While one of my uncles is a big shot advertising executive. My dad said growing up he almost flunked out of school, never worked hard at anything, smoked weed/drank all through high school, and graduated from a community college. For most of my childhood he was flying to Cleveland/NYC every week and I barely even saw him. He worked his ass off for 35 years and he's got sh*t to show for it, career wise atleast. I was just having a long talk with him about the working hard phrase. It sounds great and can definately inspire some people. But just because you work your ass off at something, doesn't mean it will always pan out.</div>Isn't that where the phrase kicks in?
I dont want to get in an argument like last time we did when you said that immigrants were one of the reasons you dad was going through this. But I feel liek you are a hundred percent right about what you are saying. More than often success is luck. But like the pestilance said, those people in India work probably just as hard and get a lot less than your dad would. I'm not happy about what is happening to your dad and I feel that it is unfair, but countless of others go through the same and it is just a fact of life that life is not fair. Often the hardest working people like your dad or those people in India end up without a job or making a penny a day like those people in India.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Isn't that where the phrase kicks in?</div>What the hell are you talking about? Re-read what you just bolded and the sentence before that. My uncle did that sh*t, not my dad.I agree with what your saying tmgball. I never said the people in India weren't working hard, it just pisses me off that honest, good people, who work hard get F*cked over so some CEO can get an extra $50,000 in salary. It is a fact of life that is unfair, I realize that, what I'm saying is I'm sick of people saying work hard, you will reach all your goals. That's a total load of crap half the time. People can work hard and achieve their goals. And people can work their enitre lives and get hosed.Al Pacino said it best in Scarface....Do you know what capitalism is? Gettin F*cked.
Half of it is the family you were born it to. If you were born into a wealthy family you have a higher chance of succeeding in life than if you were born into a poor family.
I understand what you're saying but that's just business. You're saying if you were a company's CEO and you had to decide between a man who worked hard that demanded more money and a man who worked just as hard but demanded less money, that you would hire the man who demands more money? It doesn't work like that, but that's why capitalism is F*cked and is one of the major flaws in it. But you'de rather work in a communist country or a socialist country where you're not just getting F*cked by individual companies/corporations but by the government?Socialism has failed. Communism has never really been used the way it was envisioned but so far has considerably failed. Capitalism is really the most solid economic system out there and capitalist countries I'm pretty sure have the best economies.This doesn't go against the quote..it's just that "life isn't fair."If you're father is really as hardworking as you say he'll go out and get a better job that he enjoys and is comfortable with where he won't get F*cked. I understand that he's put in a lot of work but that's just the way it is. He'll receive his pensions so in the end he really won't be getting screwed as bad as you think.
Man - if it's anyone on this forum that understands your (or your dad's) situation it would be me...My dad got laid off in November, and we haven't really recovered from it...I guess we're surviving - but the effects are staggering for my family. Really, in these times, working hard doesn't get you much most of the time. Yes - there are people who actually work hard and get paid off what they deserve- but those people are hard to find now. My dad (and yours) worked hard all of their lives, and when they got laid off, they got jack sh*t for what they've put in. At my job - where I am surrounded by only rich people, I figured out that it's only about knowing people that will make you successful. I still can't believe this sad truth that we have to live in...
Hell, slaves and inmates have to work hard. It's equally important to work smart, be a little selfish, and secure your victories.Love what you do and do what you love, come up with a simple and flexible plan, stay focused, and watch your back.
I'm sorry about your dad but just because it doesn't work out for some doesn't mean that working hard isn't a good motto in general. Also, you really don't seem to like capitalism, yet there probably wouldn't have been any computer programming jobs without it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gentile @ May 20 2007, 06:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Hell, slaves and inmates have to work hard. It's equally important to work smart, be a little selfish, and secure your victories.Love what you do and do what you love, come up with a simple and flexible plan, stay focused, and watch your back.</div>agreed. Anybody whose goal in life is solely to make a lot of money can do it pretty easily. Anybody can, for example, become a nurse with a cheap 2 year degree and make more bank than an MIT professor. It's a question of whether you're doing something that you enjoy doing. As the great Art Blakey said:"Do what you love to do and do it well"
