Raging Against The Machine Again

Our NetFlix expires in just 2 Days and given the current financial Situation, we can't renew it, so, I'm not binge watching anything I can't finish.  I watched an excellent DocuSeries that was short, about "Lost Children".  It was about those Four Kids of the Mucutuy Family aged 13, 9, 4 and only 11 Months Old, who Survived a Plane Crash that Killed all the Adults, including their Mother, and went down in the Amazon Jungle.  It was actual Footage with very few re-enactments and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Especially when the Indigenous Population with their Cultural Knowledge were able to locate and find the Children when the entire Military and Technology could not.  The Children were also Indigenous and lasted 40 Days!  I knew it had a Happy Ending, but it was still an excellent Documentation of how it was accomplished and brought People together, from different Cultures, but for a common Noble Humanitarian Cause.

I also watched some Comedians, Adrienne Iapalucci, Hasan Minhaj, Kathleen Madigan, Marc Maron, Ms. Pat, several others... always a Treat, they've had some good ones and Hour long Specials for each that I've never seen before.   I did have some Good News, The Son got his Job back.   I knew the Corporate Game his Employer was trying to pull by not giving anyone Laid Off the correctly Signed Paperwork to apply for Unemployment and Nutritional Assistance.   So, I Coached him what to threaten them with.  He'd been more than Patient, even called the Previous HR Supervisor, who had left the Company some time ago and was up to her Job.   She said what they were doing was not in compliance, we knew that, she contacted the New HR Woman and told her she needs to Comply.  They still didn't, but I knew what their next strategy and move would be.  So, we were prepared for it.

 Then The Son made his Threats and of coarse, then they Doubled Down and offered him his Job back, same Terms, so that he still wouldn't be able to collect Benefits if he declined.  The Game Playing was fairly predictable on how they were trying to screw over those they Laid Off.  But, what they didn't know is I'd predicted this would be their Counter Move and told him to just accept, with SAME Terms he left with, then keep looking for another Job and leave them on HIS Terms this time.  So, he starts Tomorrow Morning.  Of coarse, they screwed all the Laid Off Workers of all their PTO, which was erased when they got Laid Off and they didn't get compensated for.

  They'd Laid Off the highest paid and most experienced Workers, as far as we know, The Son is the only one offered his Job back becoz he was becoming a Problem, a persistent one.   Some Laid Off Workers might not have even gotten Paid for the time already Worked last, The Son at least did coz he was On That too, like White on Rice!  I still think the Company is in crisis and who they kept are the least experienced, lowest paid and least competent Workers.   So, now it's been a few Weeks of only having that kind of Staffing, I'm certain Production suffered and probably Quality Control too.  So he is likely going back to a mess, but, if he doesn't get too far inside his own Head he can bide time, make Money, then leave at his own discretion to start a Job somewhere else.

 So, I told The Son to Negotiate what he wanted from a perceived position of strength.   It was a bluff that worked and he's relieved, tho' he said perhaps he should have asked for a Raise.  But, since, he's had no income and they weren't giving him what he needed to receive and qualify for Benefits he's been in a tough spot not receiving anything at all.   Lots of Jobs Open are much lower paying and now he at least will be getting the same Salary as before, no pay reduction at all, since, he insisted on the Terms he was getting prior to Layoff.   So, he's repairing his Car now to get it in shape again, and said that by starting Tomorrow Morning he'll get Four Days Pay out of this current Pay Period they have.   If he'd started later he'd of had to wait 2 Weeks to collect a Paycheck, which, would have been a prolonged Hardship.   

Four Days pay at least will benefit him and he's Hopeful Unemployment may still qualify him for the time he was out of Work, but, we're not sure they will?   The Paperwork {unsigned} they'd given didn't say it was a Temporary Layoff or that he'd get his Job back.   So, anyway, it's Good News but they're still a shitty Employer and so he's not planning on staying any longer than he has to, knowing they throw the Best Employees under the Bus like they did.   The Man and I went to do Environmental Cleanup again and gleaned 40 Lbs. of Aluminum Cans this Morning!   Much better haul than the 28 Lbs. we'd gleaned the Day Before.   It's giving us some much needed discretionary income right now, for essentials like Gas and some Groceries we were out of.

One of Amber's Grown Daughters spent the Night and is having Dinner with us.  Her Mom had brought over Tamales the other Day for everyone.  They were okay, but not as good as usual, becoz she'd made "Gringo" Tamales for The Man's sake, so, they were mostly Vegetable filling with very little Spices and rather bland for the rest of us.   He always complains that everything the rest of us eat is too Spicy, even if it's really not, but, for him it is.  He grew up on such a Bland Diet of tasteless Foods that I just can't feed the rest of us stuff that has no Flavor.   *LOL*   We usually do make him something Milder, but, with the Tamales, I do Wish she hadn't made all of them Bland coz nobody else really liked them. 

  Worse, he's notorious for not eating what you feed to him even if it's made Special for him.   And so he better eat these damned Tamales so she didn't waste her Time and Resources indulging him?!   He's become fussy like a Toddler about Food in general and will spend more time moving it around his plate and playing with it than eating it.   Tiredness and lack of concentration and focus are the issue with those who have Dementia and so focusing on a Meal all the way thru becomes difficult.  I went thru it with my Mom too when she got Dementia.  So I notice the similarities to The Man's cognitive decline that are more than Symptoms of his Traumatic Brain Injury, which was long enuf ago I know those challenges well now.  Having both, well, it becomes a real Mixed Bag.

Amber's Daughter was malingering and The Daughter likes the Young Woman, but, the Kid had outstayed her Welcome.  She likes being here, so does her other Sister, but, Hosting anyone for more than a couple Days is about it for us.  *LOL*   I just don't wanna Entertain someone else's Twenty-something Year Old for Days, I got things to do places to go, you know?  *Smiles*   As it is Princess T has been High Drama lately, coming down off a Full Moon has been particularly Mood Deregulating for her this Month, Holy Mother of God!!!   She dropped her Nose Ring down the Drain this Morning... don't ask... that's what I said, how does one DO that?!   And so she was almost in Tears and Dramatic as Fuck by the time I dropped her off at Work, and at 6:00 A.M. that's just too early for High Drama for Yours Truly anymore.  *Eye Roll*  A Hot Coconut Macaron Coffee did Help, it was a Chilly 58 Degrees out there too.  *Smiles*

At least the price of Gas was down  under Three Bucks a Gallon so I filled up at the Convenience Store before heading back Home.  Used our Can Recycle Money coz my Emergency Money Transfer out of Savings hasn't fucking hit yet, Four Days later!!!  Pisses me off that now they are forcing Apps on everyone, if you refuse to use one, they delay everything ridiculously long if you do it the way it used to Wire transfer Funds immediately.   I mean, it IS my fucking Money, I shouldn't have to wait more than Four Days to receive it no matter which way I Transfer Funds for fucks sake!!!  But, I'm Raging Against The Machine Again, so... it is what it just is.  My Social Security and State Pensions have been delayed too, no Idea as to Why?  The Son had been a Head Case last Night overthinking returning to an Employer he now loathes, coz of how dirty they did everyone with lengthy tenure and a good Work Ethic.

I'd managed to Talk him Down off that Ledge and Coach him on how best to Stay Calm and Play THEM this time around.  Even if you Hate The Game, Learn how to Play it to your Advantage Son.  It's not as if Women and Minorities haven't been doing it for Centuries already when it's not a level Playing Field.  So, Man Up!!!   When I put it to him like that I know he's gonna put his Game Face on and do whatever he has to just do.  He sometimes talks to too many People and everyone tends to be an Armchair Quarterback when it's not them in The Game being Played, Right?   Especially his Bro's, OMG, the Young Man Coaching can be rife with stupid Testosterone laden ideas and Losing suggestions!  

 When he told me what his Bro's said, I asked, well, are ya gonna choose to Lead with your Balls like them Son, or your Head like I Taught ya to?  Coz I can Rack some Balls in Corporate America, but, a good Head Game is something I'd have to way more Strategically Play if my Adversaries, especially if they're Males, are using their Heads too!  *Winks*   He decided he'd put his Balls away and use his Head, Wise choice.  *LOL*  So, Yes, his Boss there is still the Village Idiot and everyone knows it. But all the Good Bosses quit soon after the Company got Sold by an Astute and Respected Businessman who ran it well for Decades and built it from the Ground Up, but wanted to Retire.  And another Village Idiot type with a Trust Fund bought it, didn't know how to Hire competent Staff to run it for him, and now here we are, with Workers running damage control behind poor Management Choices.  Kinda like our Country right now is facing come January.

And regarding that Trust Fund Baby Two Point O dilemma, let me pontificate on my most recent Observations.  Lately I am hearing Village Idiot Autopsy Assessments by the Losing side now... like, well, I think we Need our own Joe Rogan!!!   Fucks sake, so, that's a Solution... we gotta dumb down to having another one of those to Win Elections, we're fucking doomed for sure then!!!   Listen, I don't mind Joe Rogan's Comedy Hour skits, or him Hosting some Fear Factor Show... but, getting advice from a Joe Rogan and what Audience you'd be Reaching for there... to ensure Leadership Placement... come on!!!  It would just add to the problem.   Do we really need both sides entertaining and Courting Voters with vulgarity, Fart Jokes and such?   NO, we don't Need more of THAT in a farce or feeble attempt to keep folks Informed enuf to Vote Intelligently and with Reliable and Accurate Information afforded them!  *Eye Roll*

Yes, I know they all are Old enuf to Vote and you wanna Reach them where they're at and Appeal to a less Mature, Evolved or Educated Audience, I get it.  They are residing in their Echo Chambers and Information Silos, in The Land Of Tik Tok and Podcast Bro's,  so, to Connect you need to Meet them where they Live and are AT.  But, I do Believe you can do so by not scraping bottom and embarrassing yourselves to do it or be disingenuous, I really do. You don't have to be condescending or bougee to Connect to People who are at various levels of Maturity and those who unfortunately got a piss poor Education, probably thru no fault of their own.   They will catch on quickly to a phony and someone who thinks they're Superior to them and Honestly, sometimes the Democrats tend to Reach Out that way IMO to Voters.  Hey, we're better than you, but we really Need your Vote man.  And Honestly, we'll look out for you Peons and Youngsters, we really will, and the other Side is just Faking it and Lying.  *Eye Roll*

  It's not well received, nor should it be.  And yep, the ReTrumplicans are Playing them all brilliantly, but, actually make no apologies for it and have been pretty crass about what's Up and yet the Voters seem to feel that's being more "Authentic" apparently?   As an Independent I see that each Side just Plays a lot of Voters and even if someone lacks a good Education, or Maturity, they do need to be treated Respectfully, with Dignity, and Met at their Point of Need.  If someone isn't being Met at their Point of Need, it won't matter what you Say to them anyway, what are you Doing FOR them in Actions is all they will ever Respond to.   When I was doing Street Ministry Work, in all the Decades of doing it, Actions always spoke Louder than mere Words.   Preach to all the World, use Words only if you have to.

 No matter how eloquent or even True the Words may be, if it's not backed up with Actions that Touched THEM personally and made a difference to those you were attempting to Reach, it didn't matter to them at all.  If Tangible evidence that improved their Situation wasn't available, why would they Listen to you or Care beyond their immediate Need not even being Met?   So trotting out Stats of how many more Jobs were Created and made available, when someone is still either unemployed or underemployed, means nothing to them coz it didn't Involve them.   Improving Infrastructure and Hiring those who did the Work of improving it means nothing to someone who can't even afford their own Transportation or doesn't use that Infrastructure.  Lowering Mortgage Rates means nothing if someone can't get a Loan anyway.  Honestly, even the Border Crisis is really mostly perceived by what Spin is put on it for the most Political Gain by whose Spinning it.

And I've said it before, but, it bears repeating, most folk don't even have a rudimentary grasp on Economics, so they really don't accurately know how it Works.   Far too many think in a Capitalist Society such as ours, that their President and Government is setting the Prices.   So the placing of blame, or giving credit, is often grossly misplaced.   I've gotten into those arguments with people who honestly Believed that 45/47 set Gas Prices low during Pandemic and gave him Credit for what he never controlled at all.  Yep, we all were in Lockdown, nobody was going anywhere, so The Oil Companies had a Negative Price per Barrel {Historic Negative $-36.98 per Barrel in April 2020}, too much Supply, no Demand, and couldn't give that shit away!   And that's how it actually Works, across the Board, with every Commodity, Economics 101.

Even explained in great Detail how it Works, nope, they were unable to receive that information and process it.   And, they had about as much comprehension about how Tariffs Work either, and how devastating that whole "Policy" would be.  Because, their Financial IQ and Economics comprehension just is marginal at best, never Taught in any meaningful way to Educate them about any of it.  So, saying a huge Tariff assessed against all Imports, and China is gonna PAY for it, sounds feasible to them even if it's BS, and it's actually them and all of us, who will ultimately PAY, and Big!!!  Not to mention Global Impact of Poor Policy implemented by a Poorly run American Administration of Grifters, Career Criminals, Con Artists and Incompetence at high levels of Government due to Nepotism and Bro Hires and Appointments.  So, they know what they know, don't know what they just don't know, and often can't tell what they don't know. 

I do think it's Important to keep trying to Connect to and Reach folks so they can become better Informed with more Accurate Information.  People that Know Better tend to Do Better.  And, I Honestly don't feel that most people like knowing they were taken advantage of or taken for granted.   I think Distrust is at an all time high becoz discerning what is authentic or accurate isn't just that easy anymore and with AI it's gonna become more and more difficult.  I do Hope that people will become more Open to receive better Information and not keep running with Low Information.   I do Hope that some semblance of National Unity becomes possible and even probable in the Future, becoz United we Stand and Divided we will surely Fall.

  

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As Christmas fast approaches I'm swinging towards immersing you in those Uplifting Visuals now, shining some Light into the Darkness... Dawn... The Bohemian