And ironically if they actually ran the business, they would quickly come to the same conclusion that shopkeepers have come to since the start of trade: "No problem, here's your $5, see you next week."
The fact that his compensation is not affected by the store's performance (at least in his mind) makes him think that his ego is more important than the store's well-being.
also guessing that somewhere in his corporate training it was made very clear that anything that would diminish profits, no matter how egregious the mistake or the malfeasance, is strictly prohibited.
by this i'm not suggesting that all mom and pop stores are honest, either - in nyc many can be just as rude and know that if they've alienated one customer, another sucker eventually takes their place
i really started to notice a seething hostility from wokester customer service boys and girls around 2017-18 when i was spending a lot of time in gentrified brooklyn. they glared at anyone past 30 or who didn't place their order via app
I think that's a part of it, in our society people under 30 view people over 30 as if they were star war creatures or members of a different species. Not everyone, of course, but there is a bit of a trend. Add to that the political nonsense, the injury, and we are where we are!!
I was watching Josh Slocum's latest video and I had an epiphany: communism is the rise of a few totally miserable people who desire to make everyone as miserable.
Yes, that is exactly it! I've been saying it for years. The Bolsheviks, very tragically, weaponized the resentful people and the ones who were sad against the ones who had a good life more or less, and of course it is all nuanced but the above was done as a strategy, and it worked to make people fight with each other!!
I was watching one of my fave movies last nite, REDS and I was thinking how it would be awesome to get some drinks/ tea and watch this with Tessa!
I love it because the love story is beautiful. I've read some of Emma G's work (character in the movie) but as far as the historical background revolution in the CParty in US and Russia I don't think I'm well informed. (It's Labor Day today... I know I used to be able to sing The Nationale, a powerful freedom song, but I wasn't good at it when I watched REDS this time.)
Anyway I was trying to figure out how to bring up my questions to you and anyone who wants to weigh in, then you wrote Bolsheviks, so:
What did you think of the movie REDS?
As a love story?
As political drama, how much "history vs fiction"?
The movie's structure with the breakouts to talking heads/historical ppl?
If it hadn't been for the Russian defeat in the incredibly stupid and deadly Great War, perhaps the Bolsheviks wouldn't have prevailed? What do you think, Tessa?
It works the other way too. I've seen customers in Whole Foods, angry because the cashier forgot to give them their 10 cents refund because they brought their own bag and they will go to customer service, complain about the moron of a.cashier and demand their 10 cents. These same virtuous green planet people then go and take 5 bags of complimentary ice, wrapped in plastic bags, and put all their produce in plastic bags and leave the store in a huff because the overworked bagger pointed to where the complimentary ice was and they had to walk a few feet and get it themselves. They also go in the self checkout line with a cart full of groceries, even though there is a long line of people waiting and even though there is a sign saying 12 items or less and apparently, there is nothing the staff can do about it. People also walk out with stolen items all the time and the staff has no choice but to let them do it. I think there is a helplessness in people, a sense that the world has gone mad, plus people are suffering in so many ways and they they don't know what do about it because there doesn't seem to be any answers. Fyi, I also have experienced the Soviet cashiers by the way, in the 1980s and they were indeed frightening.
Unpleasant people exist in every social role, I agree.
However, I have been personally physically assaulted by a WF security guard TWICE (same angry woman, allegedly with a history of abusive behavior). True story. And I was NOT shoplifting.
I was in a market produce section and I couldn't help myself from staring at 2 women who were having a conversation by a pile of cherries because they just kept on eating them like they were free or something! Then I got that aggressive snarled, "What chu lookin at?" Bitch on the end implied but not voiced. I just walked away. Fruit entitlement?
They will have colorful dreams about when they were in the abundant produce aisle tasting the sweet cherries and no one stopping them. It'll be their DreamWorld soon.
Tessa, this brought back memories of trying to be polite to the cashier at the "gastronom", or behind the counter in the "boofyet" (cafeteria) of our dormitory... Scary, most definitely. I am guessing that most of your readers have had little experience with the Soviet-style shopping experience, perfectly engineered to occupy a boatload of every comrade's time to fetch the needed staples/groceries for the day. And the cashier's was the final line in which to stand while holding each and every "bilyet" from the other lines, for bread, cheese, eggs ... As in the scene from Moscow on the Hudson, the "plenty" in American grocery stores in contrast to the 1976 paucity in Moscow grocery stores that I visited would cause a nervous breakdown in anyone.
3RD Rock had a terrifying cafeteria cashier who let everyone take free crackers but made Prof D pay. The story went on into a law suit and the cafeteria cashier got better job...
Yes! A trip to the Eastern block in January ’87 during Gorbachev taught me how good we have it here (until Walmarts self checkouts appeared). Just buying bread (and then cheese-separate store) was a major hassle! Had to order, then to the cashier with your chit, and then back to pick up. The most ridiculous system.
lol, well, during the Soviet times, the husbands of the cashiers were probably some of the best-fed men in the country, besides the party leaders! The cashiers had access to "stuff"! :))
A young, skinny, male Soviet cashier, indeed! Long gone is the day when corporate businesses gave a shit about customer satisfaction, with the exception of Walmart. While I hate the impact this colossus has had on small businesses throughout the land, I do appreciate their emphasis in training employees to be nice. I shop there because not only the employees are nice, and helpful, but so are the customers. I'm reading an amazing book now, published in 1966, called "Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time." 985 large pages of small print and dense content.
In one section he discusses the differences between Western culture and Russian culture, and how Russian culture was shaped partly by the invasion and subjugation of the Slavs by Viking raiders, who adopted Byzantine values and political organization.
Yup - the Varangians (väringar in modern swedish). The word väring or varangian means "oath-sworn companion", since when serving foreign lords it was common to pledge your arm to their cause... for the appropiate agreed-upon pay and privileges of course.
Amazingly, Wikipedia (spits three times) has a quite decent article on them:
We are inundated with narcissistic abuse at every single level. God help us. I know I have cut ties with many people, but reading about the thousands and beyond out there, ugh.
Reminds me of something a United Airlines attendants said a little too candidly on television once: "The customer is the enemy." Oops. Bet her job didn't last long after that.
It is regrettably true that power and authority, of any kind and any degree, go to the head of the vast majority of people, especially those who have low self-worth and feel suddenly important and powerful when given a position.
The covid crisis demonstrated this, which was not about an emergency but an opportunity for many to indulge the most contemptible and pathological human desires to dominate and control (as well as, of course, an opportunity for a few to get very wealthy and for government to claim ever more endless power). This is why all hierarchical societies, which are all structured around power and authority at the top, are all potential police states.
This last weekend, citizens were told, in New York, to mask up and socially distance...again!
Nothing is more shameful to a civilized nation than to allow itself to be “governed” by an irresponsible clique of sovereigns who have given themselves over to dark urges – and that without resisting.
– Hans & Sophie Scholl, White Rose Leaflet #1, 1942
Oh no1 Household bleach? Nothing surprises me anymore as far as the lack of manufacturing standards... has it been going on for a while, or is it a recent thing?
The eighteen year-old D-student high school graduate got to tell the 56yo Harvard medical doctor to "mask up, up above the nose, please" for two years just to get sat at a table ten feet away where they'd immediately take it off. How else did you think this was going to go?
Now some places only have QR code menus and don't take cash. I'll never give them my business. And when I've told them that they don't care. And when I see a place like that busy, knowing all there agree to that, the cashier/hostess has no reason to care about my business. No, they don't care about customer service anymore. And I'll only go to places that do.
Hahaha, not much has changed since. I was in Russia in August and in supermarkets the cashiers still bark “paket?!” («Пакет» a plastic bag) at you even if you hold a used bag in your hand.
Some people got a taste of authority during covid and they found they really, really liked it.
"...and they found they really, really liked it." Yep, they liked it a whole lot!
And ironically if they actually ran the business, they would quickly come to the same conclusion that shopkeepers have come to since the start of trade: "No problem, here's your $5, see you next week."
The fact that his compensation is not affected by the store's performance (at least in his mind) makes him think that his ego is more important than the store's well-being.
Precisely!!
also guessing that somewhere in his corporate training it was made very clear that anything that would diminish profits, no matter how egregious the mistake or the malfeasance, is strictly prohibited.
by this i'm not suggesting that all mom and pop stores are honest, either - in nyc many can be just as rude and know that if they've alienated one customer, another sucker eventually takes their place
I think it's an accurate guess!! :))
I think the guy was prone to feeling pissy as well. He was just so angry over something that didn't even have to do with him!!
young guy (20s), right?
i really started to notice a seething hostility from wokester customer service boys and girls around 2017-18 when i was spending a lot of time in gentrified brooklyn. they glared at anyone past 30 or who didn't place their order via app
I think that's a part of it, in our society people under 30 view people over 30 as if they were star war creatures or members of a different species. Not everyone, of course, but there is a bit of a trend. Add to that the political nonsense, the injury, and we are where we are!!
I remember the “don’t trust anyone over 30” meme from the 60s. Not much has changed, it would appear.
The tyranny of the petty bureaucrat. Squashing the bugs who mistakenly think this is the Former America.
I was watching Josh Slocum's latest video and I had an epiphany: communism is the rise of a few totally miserable people who desire to make everyone as miserable.
https://disaffectedpod.substack.com/p/held-hostage-the-undoing-of-an-american
Yes, that is exactly it! I've been saying it for years. The Bolsheviks, very tragically, weaponized the resentful people and the ones who were sad against the ones who had a good life more or less, and of course it is all nuanced but the above was done as a strategy, and it worked to make people fight with each other!!
Sounds exactly like woke cancel culture
Yep. I wrote something related a few months ago about the woke culture. In my opinion, it is a classic example of "divide and conquer."
https://tessa.substack.com/p/wokism
Well said
Thank you, William!!
Trotsky got "cancelled" by Stalin in the end...
Wow, you mentioned The Bolsheviks!
I was watching one of my fave movies last nite, REDS and I was thinking how it would be awesome to get some drinks/ tea and watch this with Tessa!
I love it because the love story is beautiful. I've read some of Emma G's work (character in the movie) but as far as the historical background revolution in the CParty in US and Russia I don't think I'm well informed. (It's Labor Day today... I know I used to be able to sing The Nationale, a powerful freedom song, but I wasn't good at it when I watched REDS this time.)
Anyway I was trying to figure out how to bring up my questions to you and anyone who wants to weigh in, then you wrote Bolsheviks, so:
What did you think of the movie REDS?
As a love story?
As political drama, how much "history vs fiction"?
The movie's structure with the breakouts to talking heads/historical ppl?
Just a slight detour from comments main topic(s).
I have not seen the movie, sorry!! :))
If it hadn't been for the Russian defeat in the incredibly stupid and deadly Great War, perhaps the Bolsheviks wouldn't have prevailed? What do you think, Tessa?
I think the Bolshevik revolution was funded by the West, Sutton wrote about it.
"The rise of a few totally miserable people who desire to make everyone else as miserable." I thought you were talking about the United States.
Woketrans culture
I had ocasion to to read this about "Trotskyism" last night, and to send it to somebody as an explanation of a comment I made: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trotskyism#:~:text=Trotskyism%20meant%20the%20idea%20that,undertake%20the%20initial%20socialist%20measures.
It works the other way too. I've seen customers in Whole Foods, angry because the cashier forgot to give them their 10 cents refund because they brought their own bag and they will go to customer service, complain about the moron of a.cashier and demand their 10 cents. These same virtuous green planet people then go and take 5 bags of complimentary ice, wrapped in plastic bags, and put all their produce in plastic bags and leave the store in a huff because the overworked bagger pointed to where the complimentary ice was and they had to walk a few feet and get it themselves. They also go in the self checkout line with a cart full of groceries, even though there is a long line of people waiting and even though there is a sign saying 12 items or less and apparently, there is nothing the staff can do about it. People also walk out with stolen items all the time and the staff has no choice but to let them do it. I think there is a helplessness in people, a sense that the world has gone mad, plus people are suffering in so many ways and they they don't know what do about it because there doesn't seem to be any answers. Fyi, I also have experienced the Soviet cashiers by the way, in the 1980s and they were indeed frightening.
Unpleasant people exist in every social role, I agree.
However, I have been personally physically assaulted by a WF security guard TWICE (same angry woman, allegedly with a history of abusive behavior). True story. And I was NOT shoplifting.
It seems that generally speaking, people are getting nastier.
I was in a market produce section and I couldn't help myself from staring at 2 women who were having a conversation by a pile of cherries because they just kept on eating them like they were free or something! Then I got that aggressive snarled, "What chu lookin at?" Bitch on the end implied but not voiced. I just walked away. Fruit entitlement?
There is a legal term called "Theft by Consumption" that covers this.
Whether the store management considers it worth making an example is another matter.
OMG, they would never attempt to try to make an example of this particular situation!
Horrible. That will all change when the food starts disappearing.
They will have colorful dreams about when they were in the abundant produce aisle tasting the sweet cherries and no one stopping them. It'll be their DreamWorld soon.
Brought to mind by the bleach + fish history, here's a hopefully comedic homage to Gilda Radner.
Here is a reminder or introduction to the genius of Emily LItella: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZLeaSWY37I
.
Scene: SNL set of old with Gilda Radner as Emily Litella
.
Emily Litella:
What's all this I hear about the Nobel Prize in Physics being awarded to a couple of Europeans who studied hogs and bison ?
Shouldn't something like that be covered by a Nobel Prize in Zoology ?
I mean...pigs are pretty much everywhere, but bison ?
Couldn't they at least find an Indian scientist to honor for studying bison ?
Oh, well...what do you expect from a prize committee based in a country
that dips perfectly good whitefish in lye ?
Anyway, I'm Emily Litella and thats...
.
Offscreen voice of Don Pardo:
Miss Litella, the prize in Physics was for work on the Higgs boson, not hogs and bison.
The Higgs boson allows some fundamental particles to have mass and form atoms.
Without it, everything would move at the speed of light and have no mass.
.
Emily Litella:
Oh, that's very different....nevermind !
Tessa, this brought back memories of trying to be polite to the cashier at the "gastronom", or behind the counter in the "boofyet" (cafeteria) of our dormitory... Scary, most definitely. I am guessing that most of your readers have had little experience with the Soviet-style shopping experience, perfectly engineered to occupy a boatload of every comrade's time to fetch the needed staples/groceries for the day. And the cashier's was the final line in which to stand while holding each and every "bilyet" from the other lines, for bread, cheese, eggs ... As in the scene from Moscow on the Hudson, the "plenty" in American grocery stores in contrast to the 1976 paucity in Moscow grocery stores that I visited would cause a nervous breakdown in anyone.
Yes, they so ruled everyone, those cashiers!!! :)
Reminds me of Seinfeld's Soup Nazi.
3RD Rock had a terrifying cafeteria cashier who let everyone take free crackers but made Prof D pay. The story went on into a law suit and the cafeteria cashier got better job...
Yes! A trip to the Eastern block in January ’87 during Gorbachev taught me how good we have it here (until Walmarts self checkouts appeared). Just buying bread (and then cheese-separate store) was a major hassle! Had to order, then to the cashier with your chit, and then back to pick up. The most ridiculous system.
And if you think you have it rough, look at her hubby.
lol, well, during the Soviet times, the husbands of the cashiers were probably some of the best-fed men in the country, besides the party leaders! The cashiers had access to "stuff"! :))
Reminds me of my time in the army.
Never piss off the medics
Or the quartermasters
Or the sound guy, if you are a musician. :))
🎯
First pick!
A young, skinny, male Soviet cashier, indeed! Long gone is the day when corporate businesses gave a shit about customer satisfaction, with the exception of Walmart. While I hate the impact this colossus has had on small businesses throughout the land, I do appreciate their emphasis in training employees to be nice. I shop there because not only the employees are nice, and helpful, but so are the customers. I'm reading an amazing book now, published in 1966, called "Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time." 985 large pages of small print and dense content.
In one section he discusses the differences between Western culture and Russian culture, and how Russian culture was shaped partly by the invasion and subjugation of the Slavs by Viking raiders, who adopted Byzantine values and political organization.
Yup - the Varangians (väringar in modern swedish). The word väring or varangian means "oath-sworn companion", since when serving foreign lords it was common to pledge your arm to their cause... for the appropiate agreed-upon pay and privileges of course.
Amazingly, Wikipedia (spits three times) has a quite decent article on them:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varangians
They love it when you tell them they should find a different job.
We are inundated with narcissistic abuse at every single level. God help us. I know I have cut ties with many people, but reading about the thousands and beyond out there, ugh.
Reminds me of something a United Airlines attendants said a little too candidly on television once: "The customer is the enemy." Oops. Bet her job didn't last long after that.
My ego is much bigger than yours
My masculinity massive, be assured
Power and tact, I hammer with strength
Importance and status to pay my rent
And so I dictate to you
You don't dictate to me
Listen to my ego
You worthless squished pea
Oh great! I can use this for some other types of ego***man***iacs I see online. I will give cred of course!
Haha go for it
It was just the first thing that sprung to mind.
A lot of egos out there
Blinded by their own self importance
Assumptions and bigotry
Bless them
But it would be nice if they opened their eyes for once
It is regrettably true that power and authority, of any kind and any degree, go to the head of the vast majority of people, especially those who have low self-worth and feel suddenly important and powerful when given a position.
The covid crisis demonstrated this, which was not about an emergency but an opportunity for many to indulge the most contemptible and pathological human desires to dominate and control (as well as, of course, an opportunity for a few to get very wealthy and for government to claim ever more endless power). This is why all hierarchical societies, which are all structured around power and authority at the top, are all potential police states.
This last weekend, citizens were told, in New York, to mask up and socially distance...again!
Nothing is more shameful to a civilized nation than to allow itself to be “governed” by an irresponsible clique of sovereigns who have given themselves over to dark urges – and that without resisting.
– Hans & Sophie Scholl, White Rose Leaflet #1, 1942
Hi Tessa, From personal experience I know bleached fish is not unheard of in the US too.
Oh no1 Household bleach? Nothing surprises me anymore as far as the lack of manufacturing standards... has it been going on for a while, or is it a recent thing?
Don't really know how common it is. I do know I have bought salmon a couple of times that were definetly dipped in bleach.
Wow, and not good. :)
The eighteen year-old D-student high school graduate got to tell the 56yo Harvard medical doctor to "mask up, up above the nose, please" for two years just to get sat at a table ten feet away where they'd immediately take it off. How else did you think this was going to go?
Now some places only have QR code menus and don't take cash. I'll never give them my business. And when I've told them that they don't care. And when I see a place like that busy, knowing all there agree to that, the cashier/hostess has no reason to care about my business. No, they don't care about customer service anymore. And I'll only go to places that do.
Hahaha, not much has changed since. I was in Russia in August and in supermarkets the cashiers still bark “paket?!” («Пакет» a plastic bag) at you even if you hold a used bag in your hand.
LOL. Well, here, the gen Z ones sometimes triple check if you REALLY need another paper bag after you tell them twice that you do. :))