A READER WRITES: “I keep on getting passed over for promotion in the office. My boss is driving me mad. What can I do to improve my career?”BB SAYS: Corporations are essentially feudal organisations – they are private tyrannies and deeply hierarchical. Your bosses completely control your destiny within the organisation. Hence, there is only one way to progress within any institution or organisation: suck up to your superiors. This rule applies in all organisations, whether companies, clubs, schools, political parties, universities or whatever.
According to the philosopher Aristotle: the great-souled man is insolent to his superiors, but gently ironic towards his inferiors. The great-souled man resents authority – he has what is now known as a “problem with authority”. Similarly, the great-souled man behaves with kindness towards his inferiors, since he does not feel threatened by them. The great-souled man is magnanimous.
In order to succeed in an organisation you need to follow a very simple rule: be the opposite of Aristotle’s great-souled man. Be a small-souled man, or a mean-spirited man. Be servile and submissive to your bosses. Flatter them. Grovel before them. Snivel. Humiliate yourself before them. In contrast, bully and harass your own sub-ordinates. Terrorise them.
If you follow these rules, you will certainly get a promotion. Then you will have a new boss, and the process can begin all over again.
Dear BB, I have posted a comment under your article concerning Gwyneth Paltrow. Deaspite its length I would be eternally grateful if you would consider posting and commenting on this on the main page of your blog, as it is something I feel very strongly about and I would love to know your opinion on this matter...
ReplyDeleteYours Hopefully
Hi, I'm afraid your post is a bit too long to put on the main page. But it is an interesting post, well-written, and I recommend that people read it - particularly if they are interested in politics or Barak Obama. There are a lot of pertinent ideas in it.
ReplyDeleteI was afraid that you might say that.Perhaps if I were to crop it slightly, I might be able to make you reconsider?? I would really love to know what you think about this?
ReplyDeleteTell you what - we can republish your essay again here, so that people will be more likely to read it. Hope this helps:
ReplyDelete'I have been reading your post,"A Special Message For Obama",and to be honest I have to admit that I am just about sick of this wave of euphoria,that the world seems to have been swept up in,over his election.Everywhere I go I hear people saying how GREAT it is,how INSPIRATIONAL his speeches are and how WONDERFUL it is that America has shown a desire and an ability to make a change!Am I the only one who thinks that this is a load of shite!
Lest'we forget this is the same America who voted for Bush Jr.,not once but TWICE!After 8yrs of that numbnut who wouldn't vote for change? Should we really be commending them for this? Whilst I have to admit it is refreshing to see not only a Democrat but a black man sitting in the White House after two terms of Republican war-mongering.How much do you really believe will change?Is America really gonna be that different now that the head of the monster is infinitely more likeable?I ask you BB,Will Obama resolve the current economic crisis with a wave of his hand,will he bring an end to hunger,persecution and genocide in Africa in places like Darfur,will he 'liberate' Palestine or rebuke Israel for it's disgraceful and shameful actions over the past few mths.Perhaps he will fart ozone and single-handedly solve the problem of global warming or come down our chimneys at Xmas time and give us all our jobs back!The answer in my opinion is "No!",because here is the thing that the rest of the 'sheep' seem to be missing.Show me a politician who didn't wax eloquent during and before his election into office?(Apart of course from Mr.Bush who couldn't wax eloquent in a candle factory).Show me a politician who didn't promise change and speak of progress,of lowering taxes and raising standards of living,of equality and of a new era of togetherness.I have no doubt that Obama genuinely means every word of what he is saying.As do most politicians but here is the catch and the reason why Democracy has failed us time and time again.Politicians talk the talk and walk the walk this is how they secure votes but once they are in power they all answer to the same paymasters,those same greedy 'capitalist' multinational slave drivers that have been fucking up our world for the last hundred years.And also what do you think is Obama's or any politicians top priority now that he has secured his term in office?Will it be any of the things I have mentioned above?Or any of the other multitude of problems facing the world today?Of course the global recession will be high on his list as jobs keep the masses busy and 'happy' and also it keeps them from asking to many questions,or to put it another way it takes there eye off the ball. And the capitalist slavemasters who are really calling the shots will be eager to have it's materialist debt-ridden minions firmly back in the saddle,so that the whole ridiculous cycle can begin again and they can start making inordinate amounts of money off of our labour weary backs.However let us not fool ourselves into thinking that this will be priority number one.His real priority and that of every other politician on securing election,will unfortunately be re-election when the ballot boxes come calling again.This is the main reason why Democracy has failed us and why it will continue to fail us.Re-election is the reason why politicians continually fail to do what they promise to do.The glorious all-inspiring speeches will continue for a while,then the excuses will start arriving.The PROBLEMS have been inherited from the previous regime,the PROBLEMS are so vast that they can not be fixed over night,the PROBLEMS are so vast that they can not possibly be fixed in one term.They will bamboozle us with facts and figures,graphs and percentages,in order to convince us that some improvements have been made and that show signs of promise for the future.Then it will be time for the glorious speeches again and a second term will be secured on the back of more promises and lyrical persuasion but little in the way of real improvement in the lives of the ordinary people.This is how politics works!So I ask you BB and all people everywhere.Please stop with the Obama lauding and the euphoric monomania as we are as far from real change as we have always been and unfortunately until people start to wake up to whats really going on that's very far!!'
I was rather hoping to know your opinion on this matter.Whether or not it is read by others is of little importance,however I appreciate that it is of a length perhaps unsuitable for your main page and am grateful for your decision to reprint it here.Perhaps you would also like to reply to this matter on this page also??
ReplyDeleteYours Sincerely
A long time reader!
I disagree with everything in this lengthy post. Obama certainly cannot solve every problem single-handed. However the root of most of our problems is that we are divided and disconnected from each other, we feel disempowered and cynical and our apathy allows special interest groups to run away with our world. Obama's great significance is that he has injected much needed enthusiasm, hope and confidence to face the problems and he has brought people together. For a real sense of hope don't look at Obama but in the millions of people who cheer him on - who are saying that they are sick of the old ways and want to work together to achieve something better for everyone. Cynicism is a cancer - it would be better for you to avoid it and insted do something kind for someone.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I agree that people tend to have an imaginary connection with public figures. We think that we have a personal connection with Barack Obama. People need heroes – they think that the heroes are going to sort out their problems. But mostly only they can sort out their own problems. They are likely to be disappointed by Obama. Almost by definition, in order to become powerful you have to have an excessive lust for power – so people in positions of power are nearly all frauds.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, it is great to see a black President of the USA. The symbolism of that is worth something – that is something positive. I was somewhat moved by the whole thing myself. And after 8 years of Bush, it is great to see an intelligent, articulate President who is capable of talking a bit of sense. The question is: is Obama more like JFK (somebody who was charismatic but did not change very much) or FDR (somebody who did actually change things)? Let’s give him a chance before writing him off completely.
So I find myself somewhere in between Anonymous and Karl – one can be too cynical, but one can also be too naïve. One must try to retain a balance between the two.
As for the neo-cons, war-mongers, free-market dogmatists and evangelical Christian nutters – they “haven’t gone away you know” - they will try to make a comeback in future, even though they have been comprehensively discredited at this stage. They had their eight years and everything they did was a disaster. America has rejected them – hopefully forever.
Thank you for describing my 'lengthy' post as a cancer!However I feel you have missed the main point of my post.I certainly do not look at Obama or any other politician for a real sense of hope and that was if you didn't notice the main point of my argument!However this is not the first time that the much needed enthusiasm,hope and confidence,of which you speak has been injected into our society and I am certain it will not be the last.The reason that it will not be the last is that it will ultimately fail to change anything and it will need to be injected into society again in the future!That is in fact the problem,words and speeches are great for injecting hope,however they are only words.As for doing something kind for someone,don't assume that because I am cynical that I am incapable of kindness or for that matter,that because we disagree slightly that we are worlds apart!!
ReplyDeleteDear BB, I have been reading the posts on this page.While I do not agree with everything that Anonymous has said I do agree with a lot of it and understand his 'cynicism'.
ReplyDeleteHowever I would like to draw your attention to a line in Karl's post,about Obama "injecting some much needed enthusiasm,hope and confidence",into the world.I find this a little perplexing and bemusing.My question to you is this,'Why do people constantly rely on other people or figures to inject such feelings into their lives?Why do people need political figures,religion and the like to offer enthusiasm,hope and confidence into their lives?
Are we really incapable of looking inside ourselves and to the people around us for such emotions?Why do we need to look to others to provide us with reassurance on such matters?"