TMLP - Still Angry

[Cerebral_DownTime]

[Boston_butt]

Trying to generate hits with awesome shock value. Although the guy that answered the blog post is probably a centrist.

It appeared that way, no doubt. Came off as what I would imagine to be an arrogant, all-knowing board poster as well.

Still, you could clearly tell he was smarter than everyone in the room and he didn't appear to need pictures to explain himself.

In my various business dealings, I often find the inability to look into a mirror and see your true nature is one of the most destructive habits of a business leader. You don't get to a position of power in an organization by being the "nice guy", no, the guys that climb the ladder are always the most aggressive, and often most egotistical, guys you'd ever meet. The Jerk Store called, and there is plenty of them in stock. Once they do rise to the top, their egos become even larger, their bluster more rich, and their ability to find fault in themselves diminishes to near zero. This almost always creates a death spiral for their associated business interests, unless they are so supremely talented, like Jobs or Gates, and the ideas and products they generate can bear their ego and arrogance, turning the flaws of hubris and vanity into assets. But that is truly rare.

Dan Gilbert is precisely of the mold described above. Whether his wealth was a result of serendipity in business timing, or shrewd business, Gilbert has risen to the top of the veritable food chain, and has let his success define his opinion of himself. One look at his blog, the arrogantly named http://www.choosethinking.com, and you can see his lofty self-opinion, where he pompously suggests "obvious" policy decisions (ignoring the inherent flaws in them), struts his associations with the rich and famous to validate his position in life, and offers general braggadocio thin on substance, like top 25 lists and open letters, as if he's the unquestioned source of wisdom and hope for all. And, because I could not make this up, it is all in comic sans. Yes, he sticks to the comic sans font, unable to admit the font and/or the famous letter was an error in judgment, and instead continues to remind us he was and is a fool. That there is the blinding power of ego.

Good luck getting a working "compromise" with such egos in the room. Because compromising = losing. Gilbert and the like will never admit wrong or fault, and stand behind a losing position steadfastly like Kevin Bacon extolling peace at the end of Animal House. Gilbert will fight to the death for Gilbert's ideas on equity and fairness, for no other reason than they are his ideas, and he's so fucking smart his caviar-laced shit could run a Fortune 500 corporation. All is indeed well, Dan, we will remain calm.


So you speculated about me in your post. Having seen the perils of denying the truth, I must honestly avow that, yes, I am an arrogant, all-knowing board poster. Is that style by design? Yes, but probably some of it has to be the inner superior-feeling jerk, as much as I try to repress him. If there is a subject on which I have particular education or expertise, then I feel duty bound to articulate my position as eloquently as possible, with just a hint of fustian and magniloquence for style. And does that come across as arrogant, haughty, and a little egotistical? Being honest again, it probably does. Oh well. I have no intention of changing it, having reduced "what other people think of me" to about the same level in my personal give-a-shit meter as "if art modell got gang raped by orangutans". Note I'm not defending, or getting defensive, merely, I'm admitting a weakness. And by doing such, I think I'm awesome, because most people can't do this honestly. Arrogance is indeed the flame that fans itself, isn't it?

Additionally, the term "centrist" is a completely arbitrary term which presumes, faultily, that there is only a "right" and a "left". Politics is a multidimensional art, and failure to take an independent viewpoint on each of the issues devalues you as an individual, and makes you a blind drone of the major parties (both of which have fundamental flaws in major components of their base ideologies, imho). For some people, being a drone is a good thing, as clear thinking, common sense, and reason are not ubiquitous traits in the population (they are, in fact, rather rare). That being said, being the arrogant all-knowing type, I prefer to make my own decisions, and as such reject the "centrist" label.

[e0y2e3]

And this happened today.

[peeker643]

Trying to generate hits with awesome shock value. Although the guy that answered the blog post is probably a centrist.

It appeared that way, no doubt. Came off as what I would imagine to be an arrogant, all-knowing board poster as well.

Still, you could clearly tell he was smarter than everyone in the room and he didn't appear to need pictures to explain himself.

In my various business dealings, I often find the inability to look into a mirror and see your true nature is one of the most destructive habits of a business leader. You don't get to a position of power in an organization by being the "nice guy", no, the guys that climb the ladder are always the most aggressive, and often most egotistical, guys you'd ever meet. The Jerk Store called, and there is plenty of them in stock. Once they do rise to the top, their egos become even larger, their bluster more rich, and their ability to find fault in themselves diminishes to near zero. This almost always creates a death spiral for their associated business interests, unless they are so supremely talented, like Jobs or Gates, and the ideas and products they generate can bear their ego and arrogance, turning the flaws of hubris and vanity into assets. But that is truly rare.

Dan Gilbert is precisely of the mold described above. Whether his wealth was a result of serendipity in business timing, or shrewd business, Gilbert has risen to the top of the veritable food chain, and has let his success define his opinion of himself. One look at his blog, the arrogantly named http://www.choosethinking.com, and you can see his lofty self-opinion, where he pompously suggests "obvious" policy decisions (ignoring the inherent flaws in them), struts his associations with the rich and famous to validate his position in life, and offers general braggadocio thin on substance, like top 25 lists and open letters, as if he's the unquestioned source of wisdom and hope for all. And, because I could not make this up, it is all in comic sans. Yes, he sticks to the comic sans font, unable to admit the font and/or the famous letter was an error in judgment, and instead continues to remind us he was and is a fool. That there is the blinding power of ego.

Good luck getting a working "compromise" with such egos in the room. Because compromising = losing. Gilbert and the like will never admit wrong or fault, and stand behind a losing position steadfastly like Kevin Bacon extolling peace at the end of Animal House. Gilbert will fight to the death for Gilbert's ideas on equity and fairness, for no other reason than they are his ideas, and he's so fucking smart his caviar-laced shit could run a Fortune 500 corporation. All is indeed well, Dan, we will remain calm.


So you speculated about me in your post. Having seen the perils of denying the truth, I must honestly avow that, yes, I am an arrogant, all-knowing board poster. Is that style by design? Yes, but probably some of it has to be the inner superior-feeling jerk, as much as I try to repress him. If there is a subject on which I have particular education or expertise, then I feel duty bound to articulate my position as eloquently as possible, with just a hint of fustian and magniloquence for style. And does that come across as arrogant, haughty, and a little egotistical? Being honest again, it probably does. Oh well. I have no intention of changing it, having reduced "what other people think of me" to about the same level in my personal give-a-shit meter as "if art modell got gang raped by orangutans". Note I'm not defending, or getting defensive, merely, I'm admitting a weakness. And by doing such, I think I'm awesome, because most people can't do this honestly. Arrogance is indeed the flame that fans itself, isn't it?

Additionally, the term "centrist" is a completely arbitrary term which presumes, faultily, that there is only a "right" and a "left". Politics is a multidimensional art, and failure to take an independent viewpoint on each of the issues devalues you as an individual, and makes you a blind drone of the major parties (both of which have fundamental flaws in major components of their base ideologies, imho). For some people, being a drone is a good thing, as clear thinking, common sense, and reason are not ubiquitous traits in the population (they are, in fact, rather rare). That being said, being the arrogant all-knowing type, I prefer to make my own decisions, and as such reject the "centrist" label.

While this is a fascinating look inward (and outward) I was actually referring to myself. I answered your blog post on IGoHardNow and OJ has referred to me as arrogant and believing me myself to be 'the smartest man in the room' (which I admit to if it is me and OJ hanging out in some room) .

And because I vote to the right yet still had the nerve and audacity to appreciate the OWS movement, he dubbed me a centrist, albeit derisively, for whatever reason.

As for your post that responded to Lee's, well, I actually linked both of those in my weekly article that runs on this site and that likely drove at least half a dozen people to read what you and Lee wrote. As I mentioned in the article, those posts actually caused me to look at fandom in a couple different lights.

But I digress. Carry on. I don't want to get in the way.

This is almost like Stanley Roper overhearing a portion of Jack, Janet and Chrissy's conversation. Sadly though, without the sexual innuendo.

[Boston_butt]

Well... fuck.




(PS the link to your article got me back here perusing the boards again. I liked it - well done - and thanks for the mention)

[peeker643]

Well... fuck.




(PS the link to your article got me back here perusing the boards again. I liked it - well done - and thanks for the mention)

No problem. Like I said, it was thought provoking. I always look forward to your posts and I enjoyed what you wrote on IGHN. Shit, I enjoyed what you wrote above, at my expense

Post more often. That way OJ falls even further down the ladder.

[hiko]

Trying to generate hits with awesome shock value. Although the guy that answered the blog post is probably a centrist.

It appeared that way, no doubt. Came off as what I would imagine to be an arrogant, all-knowing board poster as well.

Still, you could clearly tell he was smarter than everyone in the room and he didn't appear to need pictures to explain himself.

In my various business dealings, I often find the inability to look into a mirror and see your true nature is one of the most destructive habits of a business leader. You don't get to a position of power in an organization by being the "nice guy", no, the guys that climb the ladder are always the most aggressive, and often most egotistical, guys you'd ever meet. The Jerk Store called, and there is plenty of them in stock. Once they do rise to the top, their egos become even larger, their bluster more rich, and their ability to find fault in themselves diminishes to near zero. This almost always creates a death spiral for their associated business interests, unless they are so supremely talented, like Jobs or Gates, and the ideas and products they generate can bear their ego and arrogance, turning the flaws of hubris and vanity into assets. But that is truly rare.

Dan Gilbert is precisely of the mold described above. Whether his wealth was a result of serendipity in business timing, or shrewd business, Gilbert has risen to the top of the veritable food chain, and has let his success define his opinion of himself. One look at his blog, the arrogantly named http://www.choosethinking.com, and you can see his lofty self-opinion, where he pompously suggests "obvious" policy decisions (ignoring the inherent flaws in them), struts his associations with the rich and famous to validate his position in life, and offers general braggadocio thin on substance, like top 25 lists and open letters, as if he's the unquestioned source of wisdom and hope for all. And, because I could not make this up, it is all in comic sans. Yes, he sticks to the comic sans font, unable to admit the font and/or the famous letter was an error in judgment, and instead continues to remind us he was and is a fool. That there is the blinding power of ego.

Good luck getting a working "compromise" with such egos in the room. Because compromising = losing. Gilbert and the like will never admit wrong or fault, and stand behind a losing position steadfastly like Kevin Bacon extolling peace at the end of Animal House. Gilbert will fight to the death for Gilbert's ideas on equity and fairness, for no other reason than they are his ideas, and he's so fucking smart his caviar-laced shit could run a Fortune 500 corporation. All is indeed well, Dan, we will remain calm.


So you speculated about me in your post. Having seen the perils of denying the truth, I must honestly avow that, yes, I am an arrogant, all-knowing board poster. Is that style by design? Yes, but probably some of it has to be the inner superior-feeling jerk, as much as I try to repress him. If there is a subject on which I have particular education or expertise, then I feel duty bound to articulate my position as eloquently as possible, with just a hint of fustian and magniloquence for style. And does that come across as arrogant, haughty, and a little egotistical? Being honest again, it probably does. Oh well. I have no intention of changing it, having reduced "what other people think of me" to about the same level in my personal give-a-shit meter as "if art modell got gang raped by orangutans". Note I'm not defending, or getting defensive, merely, I'm admitting a weakness. And by doing such, I think I'm awesome, because most people can't do this honestly. Arrogance is indeed the flame that fans itself, isn't it?

Additionally, the term "centrist" is a completely arbitrary term which presumes, faultily, that there is only a "right" and a "left". Politics is a multidimensional art, and failure to take an independent viewpoint on each of the issues devalues you as an individual, and makes you a blind drone of the major parties (both of which have fundamental flaws in major components of their base ideologies, imho). For some people, being a drone is a good thing, as clear thinking, common sense, and reason are not ubiquitous traits in the population (they are, in fact, rather rare). That being said, being the arrogant all-knowing type, I prefer to make my own decisions, and as such reject the "centrist" label.

1. You don't have to be rich to sport those characteristics. That accurately describes my ex-wife to a T, and she's never had any money (that I haven't been forced to give her).

2. Ignore the centrist comments. The people that see life as Dem vs. Rep, right vs. left, black vs. white, good vs. evil are bleating sheep, or, as you aptly put it, drones. Boring.

3. Embrace arrogance. You don't want to be associated with these people.