Ayn Rand is Screwing with My Brain
Just got home from work.
My store loaned me out to a Neighborhood Market that's going to open soon. That's okay, it's closer to where I live.
But this morning, I'm listening to ASp1 (having already listened to ASp2 earlier) and I see a bunch of the store's employees gather in a big circle near the registers. I'm not paying attention.
I finish up some work in the back, and after listening to John Galt's sell Atlantis to Ellis Wyatt, and listening to Dagny's scream (I swear I'm going to make that a ringtone :D ), I'm walking out past this circle of employees.
Suddenly they all cheer, and one person says, "Give me a W!"... I kid you not these employees all spelled out "W-A-L-M-A-R-T" like they were a bunch of high school kids at a football game.
If that wasn't creepy enough, just before I ducked into the office to clock out, I heard (presumably) the manager ask, "Whose Walmart is this?" and they all shouted, "MY WALMART".
I grew up in the cult era of the 70s, so this really creeped me out.
But, I was thinking like Galt, or Rand. Because, what I thought was, "No, this is not my Walmart; people do not tell me what to do with my property. This is a business. I have contracted to do certain work for you in exchange for a certain amount of dollars. This pep rally is a not-so-subtle attempt to engage my emotions in order to extract from me more work than that for which you have contracted."
Bear in mind, that... person... Sam Walton once said individuals don't win; teams win.
Oxymoron of the day; The Walmart collective.
My store loaned me out to a Neighborhood Market that's going to open soon. That's okay, it's closer to where I live.
But this morning, I'm listening to ASp1 (having already listened to ASp2 earlier) and I see a bunch of the store's employees gather in a big circle near the registers. I'm not paying attention.
I finish up some work in the back, and after listening to John Galt's sell Atlantis to Ellis Wyatt, and listening to Dagny's scream (I swear I'm going to make that a ringtone :D ), I'm walking out past this circle of employees.
Suddenly they all cheer, and one person says, "Give me a W!"... I kid you not these employees all spelled out "W-A-L-M-A-R-T" like they were a bunch of high school kids at a football game.
If that wasn't creepy enough, just before I ducked into the office to clock out, I heard (presumably) the manager ask, "Whose Walmart is this?" and they all shouted, "MY WALMART".
I grew up in the cult era of the 70s, so this really creeped me out.
But, I was thinking like Galt, or Rand. Because, what I thought was, "No, this is not my Walmart; people do not tell me what to do with my property. This is a business. I have contracted to do certain work for you in exchange for a certain amount of dollars. This pep rally is a not-so-subtle attempt to engage my emotions in order to extract from me more work than that for which you have contracted."
Bear in mind, that... person... Sam Walton once said individuals don't win; teams win.
Oxymoron of the day; The Walmart collective.
When I got to the office, I asked, "You've a package for me from Starnesville Wisconsin?"
I intend my 20th Century Motor Corporation hat to be part of the costume I wear for Halloween (they let us dress up, go figger).
The rest of the costume will be my usual clothing, and a special Walmart ID badge I had made up last year.
Yup, the name on it is "John Galt".
We have a couple grouchy old farts (male and female) on my shift.
This one little old lady seems to be particularly annoyed by anyone messing with the plastic balls in the toy department. She'll periodically announce over the PA that people should stop.
One night she said over the PA, "We do NOT play with our balls in the store!" Every employee in the store cracked up, I swear.
That's rich!
Reminded me of something the Atlanta Braves TV play-by-play announcer once said, way back when Ted Turner had his Atlanta station. It was a dull game, and the camera zoomed in on a lone couple sitting in the empty right field stands, clinched in a deadly lip lock.
The announcer (Skip Carey, I think) says: "There's two real Brave's fans...he kisses her on the strikes, and she kisses him on the balls."
A common perspective consideration:
How do you view group or collective action? Is it a herd mentality blindly following orders like automatons for the goals of another, or is it individuals adding/trading their capacities for their own satisfaction and enrichment?
I am enjoying the levity on this thread! Thanks for brightening the day.
O.A.
Oh well, I guess Sam Walton liked that kind of stuff. =/
---
He's right, though. A well-coordinated team can accomplish so much more than any individual working on his or her own ever could. I enjoyed Atlas Shrugged, but this is why I believe the philosophy it presents is that of a small businessman, not a large one.
If you want to know more about the differences between small business mentality and big business mentality, you should read Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad, Poor Dad."
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/d4...
This buys into the idea that activity equates to success. A well coordinated team of Girl Scouts would be no match for, say a single navy Seal.
A well-coordinated consortium of inept businesses couldn't match the success of a business run by a competent individual.
A skilled, well coordinated team will outmatch a clown on a unicycle with a seltzer bottle in almost any situation.
Any other adjectives you'd like to add on to make your statement valid?
And as far as military unit of many soldiers vs the individual, I have one word for you... sniper.
When I had W-2 employees, I never thought of treating them like that. We were just people trying solve problems.
If they don't dial that back, I wouldn't continue to be a part of it. There are plenty of people out there who need things done and don't act like clowns.
I suspect you will provide more value, and receive more money in turn, if you find people who don't feel the need for rallies to get fired up about doing a good job.
What Gattica is teaching me (thanks to Ayn Rand screwing with my brain):
Don't save anything for the swim back.
I keep meaning to start two message threads (actually about a half dozen but I'm trying not to make a nusiance of myself) one about "Randian" movies/tv shows and one about "Randian" books and other stories.
"Randian" in this case would be a movie, tv show or book that either embraced or promoted some aspect of Rand's philosophy.
I just found this: http://www.cafepress.com/obamamayorstarn...
Capitalism is an economic system, not a political system. >_>
"We'll do anything you say. We'll give you a free hand. We'll co-operate. We'll compromise. We'll split fifty-fifty. We'll keep the sphere of politics and give you total power over the sphere of economics. We'll turn the production, of the country over to you, we'll make you a present of the entire economy. You'll run it any way you wish, you'll give the orders, you'll issue the directives—and you'll have the organized power of the State at your command to enforce your decisions. We'll stand ready to obey you, all of us, from me on down. In the field of production, we'll do whatever you say. You'll be—you'll be the Economic Dictator of the nation!"" - Atlas Shrugged
More prosaically, you can't rigidly separate one from the either, and those so power hungry they'd be dictator wouldn't give up power over the economy.
OH! THAT REMINDS ME!
MY 20TH CENTURY MOTOR CORPORATION HAT IS HERE!
Gotta go to the complex office to get it... can't wait for them to open... open... c'mon... OPEN!