Damn organlearners,
You cause me a lot of trouble.
JOE_PODOLSKY@HP-PaloAlto-om4.om.hp.com wrote in LO14500
> Yes, I passed Cynicysm 401 with flying colours. I don't know if this
> saying is an old one, or one that I truly coined, but my definitions for
> cynics and skkeptics is that a skeptic does not believe a thing can be
> done, while a cynic knows it's being done, but for the wrong reason(s).
The institute who certified you certainly played a prank on you. Is it
not true that Institues of Learning say that they honour the virtuous
ideals of their learners? Is it not true that cynicism is the opposite - a
contempt for the virtuous sentiments of others? Please bear in mind (even
you, Joe) that the rector of that instititute is SATIRE. Fortunately,
pranks or learning, people are doing it for me.
> Microspeak is a wonderful tool.
What are tools? Are they not things which humans create and use to enslave
fellow humans and nature into eternal bondage? Are they not things which
would never have happened on their own? Do they not require humans to
prevent them to perish? You should put it much stronger - such tools are
absolutely essential for the Cro-Magnon animals (humans) to keep on
conquering nature.
You must remember, the more humans spend money in their war with nature,
the richer I become. This is what makes me a god.
> If it [water] is undrinkable, it's "Rich and Hearty".
> If it's poisonous, we can sell it to the Third World as
> fertiliser!.
It is indeed fortunate that the rest of nature still do not advertise
virtual dreams and clinch the deal in real money. Have you ever tried to
bluff a lion, ready to kill you, that it should rather dream about a
tenderised, king-sized steak? Have you seen what a baboon will do in the
same situation? It loosens its bowels, makes a summersault, covers itself
with whatever comes out, and shatters the dream of even the most
indiscriminate, hungry lion. Nobody will pay money for that.
> How the hell did I get to the Third World??
The same way as the baboon - the most clever animal yet to animate the
human animal. I will soon have to command humans to begin with the
complete extermination of baboons. They might invent a new sort of money
which I might not be able to control. That would be disastrous for me.
Luckily, I have already dealt with gorillas, shimpansees and
oerang-oetangs - and made a lot of worshippers while doing it.
> The thing I am most surprised at is that no-one has sued ...
What wonderful ways you humans have devised to become rich. You use
attorneys to do it in private by sueing those who still have something
left. You use politicians to do it in public by taxing those who still
have some. Do you not think that somewhere someone is laughing all the way
to the bank? Is there anything so gratifying as to hire a stooge to lead
the ignorant to the slaughtering? Oh, I love it when you do all these
things for me.
> (Disclaimer: cars used on public roads and driven by humans
> are not covered by the previous statement).
Well now, you have almost pulled one on me. I must remember a god does not
discover in a moment of contemplation that nature is full of disclaimers.
I use all the mimicry, camouflaging and brilliant colours in nature to
make even more worshippers. But now I have gained more insight to let
money role. Nature is one immense conspiracy, a subversion of which humans
have learnt only the surface of it. Thank you. You have pleased this god.
See, even the gods can learn.
> This money thing is a bit of a worry, alright. I think James hit it
> on the head. It's confirmed whenever you consider our "consumer"
> products.
You are all wrong! Nothing is better than to go for money. If only the
nonworshippers would also go for it. If only all would learn fast enough
not to cause such waves that they may become trouble for me. Het your act
together or else I will abcxyz you.
> Why should they [customers] fork out money for a
> product with the lifespan of a honeybee?
Because they are ignorant fools who wish to remain so. They are very
important and they know it. The more the ignorant fools among the
customers, the better for business. However, this rule is not even as
important as the following one. Use every possible cheap means to sell any
expensive rubbish over and over again to the same custormer - rob the
customer - what more fun can there be in life. However, the most important
rule: keep your customers happy by telling that a new paradise has
arrived. Never, never, never refer to the old paradises because than all
the fun will vanish forever. This will do me a great disservice.
> I think a lot of big manufacturers, not just HP, have lost the plot
> in a number of ways. They produce more flimsy, B-grade trash than ever
> before. Their customers are deserting them in droves (our REAL
> customers, I mean, not the 10 or 20 corporate accounts who don't buy
> elsewhere because they can't afford to change their vendor).
It cannot be true! Why will people with a personal account ever think
anything different from people acting under a corporate account. However,
I think this message is the best one which my big guys have ever thought
up. "Dont do what we are doing because we are doing exactly what you are
doing." I love these big worshippers who mislead the poor little learners
so badly. I wonder whom of them have set you up to this subversion.
> I think there has to be a capacity for honest appraisal of our work
> by ourselves, before a corporate entity will be able to do the same for
> itself, and learn from mistakes instead of apportioning blame. It's the
> demographic, we cry; It's the market forces; It's the environment; It's
> the stockholders; it's the competition. It's everybody but us.
Ach so, now you want to start a new reich, a revolution. Your civilisation
would not like it at all. It has mesmerised the whole world with its
ignorant arrogance, and now you want to correct it? Either you are a fool
which will also anger the other gods. Or you are buzy with a very clever
conspiracy to make humans even more dependent of an economy which uses my
technique of selling the same tripe over and over again. I must call my
senior executives and ask whom of them have given you thsi dubious task. I
like fools, but hate it when a silly human tries to make a fool out of me.
> What I don't like or understand is the gristle of corporate fear of
> profits falling, and customers leaving, and public perceptions, if
> they're SEEN to make a mistake. Then the blind twitching and squirming
> and rictus of internal reorganisation as they scamper to avoid blame
> (which is almost as good as learning from a mistake, but far less
> costly) and then try to make more, instead of better.
Do not try that red herring trick again. Your customers are not that
stupid. Rats never eat rats when there is nothing else to eat. Rats give
each other the chance to abandon the ship before the ordinary passengers
even notice anything unusual. Or do you have any other explanation why
the rich get richer while the poor get poorer? You shall not confuse my
worshippers too much - they are already paying me good money.
> I think Phaedrus had it right : there is a 'classical' Quality, and
> an 'intrinsic' Quality in all things, and we can only do things better
> when we understand that difference. It seems many people, myself
> included, have lost to a greater or lesser degree that ability to
> differentiate between 'better' and 'more'.
>
> Whew. That's 'better'. ;)
Dont you see it - the wizard is leaving the stage, waving his hat,
smiling, happy to pick up the money which the crowd had paid to see him.
Try to beat him because in this way you will all make more money in my
name.
However, even I must confess, it becomes more and more diffcult to keep
humans in a state willingness to be fooled. But since I have so much
vested in money already, I have done a remarkable job and fear no
showdown. I also have hired enough young wizard kids to keep on fooling
everybody. I must remember to spend some of my fortune to screen the kids.
Someone of them might succeed in pulling off a trick even on me. Then all
the shows will be over forever. Nobody will want that. Nobody wants me out
of the way.
May all you organlearners begin to make lots of money and fool all the
customers. There is no better wish from me, MAMMON.
I have bought one of my wizards to send you this message. He will sign it
for me. I must remember to give him a opportunity to make lots of money. I
dare not lose him.
--At de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre for Education University of Pretoria Pretoria, South Africa email: amdelange@gold.up.ac.za
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>