Probably one of the most infamous recent events, 9/11, is so utterly riddled with occult indications, one would have to be blind not to see them. Look them up sometime. Things like the number “11” everywhere, or multiples thereof (110 stories tall). The buildings look like an “11” of course, the date, when they were constructed. On, and on. Oh sure, could all be a “coincidence”, right? And if we suggested that this means that it was done just this way, by intention, we would have to ask, “who” could possibly “engineer” such a fantastic series of apparent “coincidences”? And further, WHY was this done, especially considering the enormous loss of life involved?
Whoever they are, with the advent of 9/11, they have just “demonstrated” a level of power far beyond what is “normally” imaginable, at least to the common man in the street. No, they don’t care what you or I think, but amongst themselves, they clearly decipher the event as of their doing, and to their ultimate ends, since their clear fingerprints were intentionally left on it, albeit in a cryptic manner. This helps fuel their “faith” if you will, in what might be called The Plan. Not to mention, if 9/11 was perpetrated by diabolical occultists, they have now tipped their hand for us too, those few of us who can see. We should get the message, yes, they are prepared to callously KILL thousands. And if thousands could be justified, why not millions…or even BILLIONS?
By the way, we do have an upcoming festival that our occultist masters celebrate, it’s called Beltaine. No, not quite as much fun as they have at the Bohemian Grove at the end of July, but starting on April 30th, it is a two-day pagan festival going into the big Socialist holiday May 1st. Eleven days after Hitler’s birthday (nice). On the day of the founding of the Illuminati, May 1, 1776. And 66 days later, July 4th, 1776? That’s a “good” day, isn’t it? Numerology would take the seventh month, and add it to the fourth day, producing another insidious eleven. (By the way, don’t forget that the Sun operates on an eleven year cycle.) And what of the 1776? A pivotal year, for with the May 1st date, it also signifies “666” numerologically.
Strange stuff, and the religionist can have a field day with the three sixes from the Bible. But, this diabolical number does in fact seem to figure in somehow, whether you are a "believer", or not. Numerology is taken quite seriously, and since this infamous number does appear to occur by intention in various places, it is logical to conclude that those in power have assigned it importance.
SO, the folks that run the show are "occultists". There are some who don’t even know what an “occultist” is, and probably don’t care either, but the real point here is that they are "BAD". They're bad to the bone. Occultists perpetrated 9/11, and they are in charge of the USA. If they are in charge of the USA, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that somehow they are in power, worldwide too, for all practical purposes.
If someone, perhaps some group of people, has this kind of far-reaching power today, then much of what we hold dear is an illusion. Did you vote for president? Under this "conspiratorial" world-view, your vote doesn't matter. Another way to put it is that Clinton, and Bush, and Obama...they were selected, and their policies are those of the ones who put them in office.
If this "hidden hand" (as Benjamin Disraeli put it), if it is benign, or if our rulers are benevolent (even though hidden), then perhaps no one should care. But there is a very good reason the powers that be remain hidden. They are not benign, They are not what the regular common person would consider "good". In fact, they are very, very EVIL, as evidenced by their known actions, such as 9/11.
Would our masters kill "billions" of people, if it suited their Plan? Of course they would, they have already killed many millions! In fact, they are planning that very thing even NOW. We go about our business, we eat, we work, we sleep. And they patiently work The Plan.
What are some of the indications we have of "how" they will accomplish their stated goals? (Yes, they are stated, even written in stone...at least 6 billion people must die for their plan to be realized). One big part of their Plan that has been in the works for many years has to do with...UFOs!
Everyone agrees that if there was a "threat" from Out There, the planet would gladly "unify", to fight the common foe. A big theme in a lot of science fiction. But if such a thing happened (or seemed to happen), as an "invasion", and in the end there was a unified, One World government, wouldn't that probably be a good ending? Well, for the 6 billion casualties, define "good"!? This idea is not new, it is one that has had much time and resources invested in it, and recent news items also point in this direction as well.
Did you know that one of the moons of Mars was recently found to be HOLLOW? Soundings were done indicating that inside are many "rooms", large spaces, angular walls, etc. The outside of this moon also looks "artificial", now that close-up photos are being released. Could it be? The name of this moon is Phobos, Greek for "Fear"... (And if you want the sequel, the other moon is called Deimos (Terror!). Obama recently signed an accord with the Russians, and then immediately after went to Florida to discuss the future of NASA. Things may be moving right along for what has been called "disclosure". What this means is that an official announcement could be made that says, "We are not alone...".
But the operative word is FEAR. Our masters are going to make some serious hay out of this. A couple of days ago, another announcement from that most famous quadriplegic physicist, Dr. Hawking. He suddenly tells us that there are almost certainly aliens, but get this, that he does not think it's wise to contact them! Why? He puts it rather ominously. "When the white man came to America, it wasn't so good for the Indians..."
The amount of power our masters have is mind-boggling. If the time is "right" for this UFO affair, then it's going to make 9/11 utterly forgettable. Already, most of the world's population has bought in to the 2012 "Doomsday" story. Add to this the introduction of "aliens", who kill people by the millions?
Phobos was "chosen" it seems for a very good reason...
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
How Was Your 420? Drugs And Another 2012 Conspiracy!
These days most people seem to know what "420" means. Maybe some of the older folks out there still don't, but keep reading, we'll get you up to speed. "420" is drug culture code, and it doesn't mean just one thing, but for now, let's just say it's "time" to smoke some weed. As in, 4:20 PM.
As for many subculture slang terms, trying to understand the connection between the term, and it's meaning, is not always easy. One of the popular stories that is told about how 420 came about went back to the early 1970's. A group of high school kids in San Rafael, California, called the "Waldoes", used to meet after school to smoke pot, under the statue of Louis Pasteur, and the convenient meeting time they had agreed upon was 4:20 in the afternoon. It doesn't take too much imagination to see how from there, the mere mention of "420" was enough for the group's communications to morph in various ways about their favorite activity. And today, you probably guessed, it's gone full-blown, and has become a national pot smoker's day.
So, who cares, other than pot smokers? Well, for one thing, if you took 420 and turned it into a DATE (April 20th), you might start to wonder if the story about the Waldoes was true, or just a nice cover for something more sinister. Anyone important born on this date by chance? How about Adolph Hitler? The prophet Mohammed? Surely a coincidence!
Here's another interesting coincidence. That statue of Louis Pasteur, father of microbiology, who gave us vaccinations...could he have something more to do with "420" as well? And if somehow there is intention behind these strange coincidences, what could it be? What kind of person, or people would come up with odd stuff like this, and why?
Of course, the minute you ask questions like these you have already entered the Twilight Zone. But, just for fun, let's see where it goes...
Mohammed. No, this isn't an attempt to bash a religion, but we should ask ourselves, what does he symbolize, and what "connection" might he have to Hitler, if any? Today, in the West, Islam is certainly seen by many as "at war", regardless of who perpetrated 9/11. Hitler was also at war with the world so-to-speak. But really, isn't it a stretch to insinuate connections between people born centuries apart, just because they happened to have shared a birthday? And yet, wouldn't it be just incredible if such a connection did exist?
Well, these two historical figures are connected by more than just their birthday. How about a birth YEAR? Now I'm going to bring in another number, to see if it somehow helps. 666. (You probably guessed!) Christians know this figure is mentioned in the last book of the Bible, and it's supposed to indicate who Antichrist is. Whether you are a believer, or not, one thing to understand is that we may be dealing with "believers" of some type. But more on that later.
Two "solutions" to the puzzle in the 13th Chapter of Revelation about the Number of the Beast have to do with "when" you begin counting. The first could be to use the ancient Olympiad count, which began in 776 BC, and goes by fours, with some adjustments in between, due to the lack of a year "zero", etc. The second solution involves the beginning of the Julian calendar in 45 BC. Each solution points to a person. In the first case, the "year" indicated comes to 1889 AD. In the second case, the year is 622 AD. Are you seeing it? Hitler was born in 1889 of course, easy one. And Mohammed? Well, 622 AD was not his birth year, but even more significantly, it is "Year One" of the Muslim calendar (for reasons you can look up if you choose). This brings us round to Hitler again. Could the year 1889 also be "Year One" of some kind?
Oh my goodness, and we began with 420. And what of Louis Pasteur? In 1862, on April 20th, Pasteur's lab assistant Bernard completed the first test that would lead to the process called "pasteurization". Oh stop now with these coincidences!
By now, I've surely lost most readers, but if you're still here, hang on a bit more. Let's take yet another approach to discovering what "420" might really be about. Ask any pot smoker you know, and they will tell you that these numbers have a "hold" on them. Why? Because the numbers are now wired into their brains as "time to smoke"! And everyday, actually twice a day, when the clock comes 'round to 4:20, they are hit with that old urge. Rather insidious, especially if you're trying to quit, isn't it? In fact, it almost sounds too good to be true for the pot "industry" if you will. To have a "program" embedded into your customers that works like clockwork! But quo bono, who benefits? The drug dealers certainly benefit, but "who" are "they".
"They" call themselves "The Company". In fact, they have done so for centuries. Ever hear of the East India Company? Yes, they were instrumental in turning many Chinese into opium dependent slaves, with plenty of profit going right back to the Crown. Today, the CIA also calls itself "The Company", and their main business? Drug trade. Worldwide, they run the best part of the show. Is your kid an addict? Just your tax dollars, hard at work!
Obviously, we've stumbled into a hornet's nest. And the big question still remains. Who's "calendar" began in 1889? If "their" calendar counted differently, say, by elevens for some reason (it's the Sun, look it up), where are we at today? Well, 9/11 was in 2001. Adding eleven to that brings us to 2012. "They" are the occultists who literally run the world. Whether you "believe" or not, the fact is they believe. They do things for their reasons. Why should we care? Because it's not just your drug-addicted kid who they tossed into the dust-bin. Millions of casualties, more mount by the day. And my goodness, 2012 is just around the corner!
Comments?
As for many subculture slang terms, trying to understand the connection between the term, and it's meaning, is not always easy. One of the popular stories that is told about how 420 came about went back to the early 1970's. A group of high school kids in San Rafael, California, called the "Waldoes", used to meet after school to smoke pot, under the statue of Louis Pasteur, and the convenient meeting time they had agreed upon was 4:20 in the afternoon. It doesn't take too much imagination to see how from there, the mere mention of "420" was enough for the group's communications to morph in various ways about their favorite activity. And today, you probably guessed, it's gone full-blown, and has become a national pot smoker's day.
So, who cares, other than pot smokers? Well, for one thing, if you took 420 and turned it into a DATE (April 20th), you might start to wonder if the story about the Waldoes was true, or just a nice cover for something more sinister. Anyone important born on this date by chance? How about Adolph Hitler? The prophet Mohammed? Surely a coincidence!
Here's another interesting coincidence. That statue of Louis Pasteur, father of microbiology, who gave us vaccinations...could he have something more to do with "420" as well? And if somehow there is intention behind these strange coincidences, what could it be? What kind of person, or people would come up with odd stuff like this, and why?
Of course, the minute you ask questions like these you have already entered the Twilight Zone. But, just for fun, let's see where it goes...
Mohammed. No, this isn't an attempt to bash a religion, but we should ask ourselves, what does he symbolize, and what "connection" might he have to Hitler, if any? Today, in the West, Islam is certainly seen by many as "at war", regardless of who perpetrated 9/11. Hitler was also at war with the world so-to-speak. But really, isn't it a stretch to insinuate connections between people born centuries apart, just because they happened to have shared a birthday? And yet, wouldn't it be just incredible if such a connection did exist?
Well, these two historical figures are connected by more than just their birthday. How about a birth YEAR? Now I'm going to bring in another number, to see if it somehow helps. 666. (You probably guessed!) Christians know this figure is mentioned in the last book of the Bible, and it's supposed to indicate who Antichrist is. Whether you are a believer, or not, one thing to understand is that we may be dealing with "believers" of some type. But more on that later.
Two "solutions" to the puzzle in the 13th Chapter of Revelation about the Number of the Beast have to do with "when" you begin counting. The first could be to use the ancient Olympiad count, which began in 776 BC, and goes by fours, with some adjustments in between, due to the lack of a year "zero", etc. The second solution involves the beginning of the Julian calendar in 45 BC. Each solution points to a person. In the first case, the "year" indicated comes to 1889 AD. In the second case, the year is 622 AD. Are you seeing it? Hitler was born in 1889 of course, easy one. And Mohammed? Well, 622 AD was not his birth year, but even more significantly, it is "Year One" of the Muslim calendar (for reasons you can look up if you choose). This brings us round to Hitler again. Could the year 1889 also be "Year One" of some kind?
Oh my goodness, and we began with 420. And what of Louis Pasteur? In 1862, on April 20th, Pasteur's lab assistant Bernard completed the first test that would lead to the process called "pasteurization". Oh stop now with these coincidences!
By now, I've surely lost most readers, but if you're still here, hang on a bit more. Let's take yet another approach to discovering what "420" might really be about. Ask any pot smoker you know, and they will tell you that these numbers have a "hold" on them. Why? Because the numbers are now wired into their brains as "time to smoke"! And everyday, actually twice a day, when the clock comes 'round to 4:20, they are hit with that old urge. Rather insidious, especially if you're trying to quit, isn't it? In fact, it almost sounds too good to be true for the pot "industry" if you will. To have a "program" embedded into your customers that works like clockwork! But quo bono, who benefits? The drug dealers certainly benefit, but "who" are "they".
"They" call themselves "The Company". In fact, they have done so for centuries. Ever hear of the East India Company? Yes, they were instrumental in turning many Chinese into opium dependent slaves, with plenty of profit going right back to the Crown. Today, the CIA also calls itself "The Company", and their main business? Drug trade. Worldwide, they run the best part of the show. Is your kid an addict? Just your tax dollars, hard at work!
Obviously, we've stumbled into a hornet's nest. And the big question still remains. Who's "calendar" began in 1889? If "their" calendar counted differently, say, by elevens for some reason (it's the Sun, look it up), where are we at today? Well, 9/11 was in 2001. Adding eleven to that brings us to 2012. "They" are the occultists who literally run the world. Whether you "believe" or not, the fact is they believe. They do things for their reasons. Why should we care? Because it's not just your drug-addicted kid who they tossed into the dust-bin. Millions of casualties, more mount by the day. And my goodness, 2012 is just around the corner!
Comments?
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Ebay "Community Values"...
Have you ever wandered around the eBay site, and stumbled upon their five Community Values? Here they are...
1. We believe people are basically good.
2. We believe everyone has something to contribute.
3. We believe that an honest, open environment can bring out the best in people.
4. We recognize and respect everyone as a unique individual.
5. We encourage you to treat others the way you want to be treated.
Golly, sure sounds nice! Obviously, some idealism here, which has it's place, but the eBay of today really sings a different tune. In fact, their tune today might have been used as continuous background noise for the sci-fi movie "1984", about that dystopian world of the future, where everything seems to be the opposite of the way it's supposed to be. The famous line from the book that was made into a movie was, "Freedom is Slavery". There is also a "Ministry of Truth", that pumps out the propaganda instead, etc.
So why another dark comparison when looking at eBay's oh-so-special, and super-nice-sounding Community Values? Well, because it's all pure, unadulterated horse-shit, that's why! Sure, it may serve in some way as propaganda, even fooling some of the more naive among us, but their "Values" so-called stand in such sharp contrast to the reality, they only serve to nauseate the thinking person. How so? Let's take a look in more detail, in case you haven't thought about these "Values" much before.
First one says people are basically good. OK, I realize this is a popular notion today, especially among the more candy-ass and privileged within this matrix, but for those of you who feel that people are basically good, consider stepping outside of your box (or your pod) for a moment. Where would we have come to believe such a wild notion? As we look back into history, a long list of evils, almost exclusively done by people, to other people, confront us. Ugly names like Stalin, Hitler and Mao stare us in the face. Tales of millions perishing at the hands of dictators, or because of war, or greed, etc. No doubt if we wait long enough, our history books will be rewritten, but for today, perhaps we should consider the very real possibility that people are NOT basically good. Seems like a no-brainer really.
But are we saying that people are basically evil instead? Well, this would be a predictable conclusion, since we started off with the notion of "goodness" after all. But we need to take a step back before trying to simplistically label people one way or the other. Let's see what we can agree upon. People most often appear to act in their best interests, at least short-term. Yes, it's true there are smokers, and drinkers, etc., and they seem to take regular actions that could eventually cut their lives short, but that's another matter. Most people would probably agree that people tend to act according to what they believe is in their interests. Anything inherently "evil" about that? Maybe, maybe not. Looking back again at history, we do find a traditional explanation for the darker side of human nature known as The Fall. Religionists will be quick to recognize the term, but for the rest, there is a very old idea, passed down through the generations of humankind, that Man was originally created "good", but soon went wrong by making a bad choice, and now is not as he was. Tradition tells us about a Garden, the original pair (Adam and Eve), and a snake or serpent as well. That's the Fall, with the result being that people "should be" better, but today are not, and may actually have a "tendency" to do "bad" things, or at least selfish things. There's more to it, but that's the gist, and does appeal to an intuition that we may have as we evaluate our own behaviors. No, people are NOT "good", and while not automatically "evil", we would be fools to ignore the fact that people do bad things, sometimes very bad things!
And so, Community Value number one, put it in the toilet where it belongs. Let's replace it with something more real, and more useful. People are, what they have ever been. Not necessarily good, nor bad, but given the right circumstances, things can go wrong in a hurry. In applying this to the marketplace, let us recall the ancient Roman dictum, "caveat emptor", let the buyer beware. Yes, that's the way it was, is, and will be, no matter how big a company, or a government gets, that's supposed to "protect" you, and no matter how many centuries go by. Same goes with other situations. Ladies and gentlemen, wake up, when you need that cop, he will not be there. You're going to either be prepared to defend yourself, as best you can, or you will suffer the consequences. And later, don't expect to feel so great when some moron recites some silly shit about "good" people, along with a sorry-ass little smile to go with it. Yeah, tell that to the girl who got raped. Good? Give me a break.
Back to the marketplace. When you buy that medicine for your child, have you done your homework first? Did you merely trust your doctor? Shame on you! You get to join the ranks of the thousands of people who did the same, who felt they had little or no responsibility. And even if your child escaped this time, what about the next? Same goes with anything you buy. Take responsibility! And when you think about what actually goes on in every normal business transaction, you will know that you can't just relax, and hope Big Brother will take care of you. Because your job as the buyer is to get what you want for as little as you can get away with. And the guy you're buying from has the opposite job, he wants to get the absolute most money out of you, and give you the least he can get away with. In between these poles, a deal can be struck. But as in the days of old, when no one was yet so foolish as they are today, you do not let your guard down! And shame on eBay for pandering to the stupid idea of "good" people, which can only set sellers up for more insanity, with unrealistic buyer expectations, based on propaganda.
On to number two. Everyone has something to contribute. So? So fucking what! The better thing to ask here of eBay: Are you letting people make their contributions? Or are you meddling to the point where many just turn away in disgust? Yes, many people have lots to contribute, and I personally don't care about "everyone" (?), that's irrelevant. But the issue here is to go beyond mere recognition that people have something to contribute. Let them DO it too, for crying out loud! The eBay of today isn't letting that happen, but more on that below.
Number three. How about the idea that an honest and open environment can bring out the best in people? Sounds rather nice (again). Sheesh, wake up dummies! This kind of statement smacks of propaganda on it's face! First of all, anyone who actually deals with eBay knows that they are far, far from promoting an honest and open environment. Instead, they willingly promote fraud on their site, through the use of "hidden" identities, facilitating shill-bidding, etc. It takes considerable chutzpah for such a criminal outfit to try and wrap themselves in this moral flag. Second, how is an "honest and open" environment even conceivable? Yes, there is a legitimate notion of "transparency" out there, (look it up eBay!), but the minute we appeal to moralistic terms, such as "honest", we step into the propaganda game. Fuck that. Third, assuming we could have such a wondrous environment, would it really bring out the "best" in people? Exactly how would that work?
You want to know what brings out the "best" in everyone? CONSEQUENCES. This is literally a foreign word over at eBay, but admit it, there is nothing else quite like good, old-fashioned consequences to truly "bring out the best" in people. You don't want your employee to steal from you? Set up a camera! You'd like to make sure you don't get raped up the ass? DO NOT drop the fucking soap to begin with! It's common sense really.
But eBay doesn't do "consequences" anymore, at least not for one HALF of the transaction, since the buyers have been given carte blanche, and sellers must just "hope" they're "good" people! Hopeless more like. Get real eBay! You stupid asshole John Donahoe, you are a criminal, and are building up a shitload of bad karma. One day (soon I hope), I would love to read some news about how some (basically) "good" person car-jacked the fuck out of you, and left your sorry worthless ass for dead. Wake up you mega-prick!
Number four. This one is sweet, which almost rhymes with "unique". But the unique part is only dumb because is so obvious. Yes, we're all fucking unique! Who cares?! The problem is that they say they "respect" everyone. No, that is a lie. They have seriously disrespected their sellers, most especially their small and medium sized, shall we say even, the most unique of their sellers? You want to know what real disrespect is my friends? No, it's not just sneaking off in the morning. How about this one? How about you have your fun with the little lady, and then you KILL her? My, my, now THAT is some serious disrespect! But that is exactly what eBay is doing to their sellers! Slowly killing them off, after having taken their time, their money, in some cases, maybe even their lives, as discouragement leads to despair. Yes, real, unique lives are being broken. Through the callousness of the greedy-fuck Dickahoe and company. The true collective uniqueness is being killed off, so that one day, in the words of that Stallone movie, as enunciated by Sandra Bullock, "All restaurants are Taco Bell!" Thanks Dickahoe!
Number five. Oh how we could all wish Dumb Ass Donahoe really believed such a thing! To treat others, as we would like to be treated? What a concept. But we would be beating a now, very-dead horse to go on too much.
When we all get to Heaven, or Nirvana, or WhereEver, we shall oh-so gladly treat each other as we want to be treated! We might even treat one another with kindness, and respect! Joy would be EveryWhere, and we would finally be Happy! And then we woke up. Sorry folks, this silly utopianism isn't reality. As individuals, we can each make a personal choice to perhaps follow such a noble dictum as the Golden Rule. But as a group, or a "community" (sounds so nice!), it ain't gonna happen.
Let's get real, and replace number five with: "We believe both buyer, and seller were created Equal..." You can make up the rest, but until this basic notion is restored, forget these stupid "community values", and don't expect eBay to be a healthy marketplace.
Comments?
1. We believe people are basically good.
2. We believe everyone has something to contribute.
3. We believe that an honest, open environment can bring out the best in people.
4. We recognize and respect everyone as a unique individual.
5. We encourage you to treat others the way you want to be treated.
Golly, sure sounds nice! Obviously, some idealism here, which has it's place, but the eBay of today really sings a different tune. In fact, their tune today might have been used as continuous background noise for the sci-fi movie "1984", about that dystopian world of the future, where everything seems to be the opposite of the way it's supposed to be. The famous line from the book that was made into a movie was, "Freedom is Slavery". There is also a "Ministry of Truth", that pumps out the propaganda instead, etc.
So why another dark comparison when looking at eBay's oh-so-special, and super-nice-sounding Community Values? Well, because it's all pure, unadulterated horse-shit, that's why! Sure, it may serve in some way as propaganda, even fooling some of the more naive among us, but their "Values" so-called stand in such sharp contrast to the reality, they only serve to nauseate the thinking person. How so? Let's take a look in more detail, in case you haven't thought about these "Values" much before.
First one says people are basically good. OK, I realize this is a popular notion today, especially among the more candy-ass and privileged within this matrix, but for those of you who feel that people are basically good, consider stepping outside of your box (or your pod) for a moment. Where would we have come to believe such a wild notion? As we look back into history, a long list of evils, almost exclusively done by people, to other people, confront us. Ugly names like Stalin, Hitler and Mao stare us in the face. Tales of millions perishing at the hands of dictators, or because of war, or greed, etc. No doubt if we wait long enough, our history books will be rewritten, but for today, perhaps we should consider the very real possibility that people are NOT basically good. Seems like a no-brainer really.
But are we saying that people are basically evil instead? Well, this would be a predictable conclusion, since we started off with the notion of "goodness" after all. But we need to take a step back before trying to simplistically label people one way or the other. Let's see what we can agree upon. People most often appear to act in their best interests, at least short-term. Yes, it's true there are smokers, and drinkers, etc., and they seem to take regular actions that could eventually cut their lives short, but that's another matter. Most people would probably agree that people tend to act according to what they believe is in their interests. Anything inherently "evil" about that? Maybe, maybe not. Looking back again at history, we do find a traditional explanation for the darker side of human nature known as The Fall. Religionists will be quick to recognize the term, but for the rest, there is a very old idea, passed down through the generations of humankind, that Man was originally created "good", but soon went wrong by making a bad choice, and now is not as he was. Tradition tells us about a Garden, the original pair (Adam and Eve), and a snake or serpent as well. That's the Fall, with the result being that people "should be" better, but today are not, and may actually have a "tendency" to do "bad" things, or at least selfish things. There's more to it, but that's the gist, and does appeal to an intuition that we may have as we evaluate our own behaviors. No, people are NOT "good", and while not automatically "evil", we would be fools to ignore the fact that people do bad things, sometimes very bad things!
And so, Community Value number one, put it in the toilet where it belongs. Let's replace it with something more real, and more useful. People are, what they have ever been. Not necessarily good, nor bad, but given the right circumstances, things can go wrong in a hurry. In applying this to the marketplace, let us recall the ancient Roman dictum, "caveat emptor", let the buyer beware. Yes, that's the way it was, is, and will be, no matter how big a company, or a government gets, that's supposed to "protect" you, and no matter how many centuries go by. Same goes with other situations. Ladies and gentlemen, wake up, when you need that cop, he will not be there. You're going to either be prepared to defend yourself, as best you can, or you will suffer the consequences. And later, don't expect to feel so great when some moron recites some silly shit about "good" people, along with a sorry-ass little smile to go with it. Yeah, tell that to the girl who got raped. Good? Give me a break.
Back to the marketplace. When you buy that medicine for your child, have you done your homework first? Did you merely trust your doctor? Shame on you! You get to join the ranks of the thousands of people who did the same, who felt they had little or no responsibility. And even if your child escaped this time, what about the next? Same goes with anything you buy. Take responsibility! And when you think about what actually goes on in every normal business transaction, you will know that you can't just relax, and hope Big Brother will take care of you. Because your job as the buyer is to get what you want for as little as you can get away with. And the guy you're buying from has the opposite job, he wants to get the absolute most money out of you, and give you the least he can get away with. In between these poles, a deal can be struck. But as in the days of old, when no one was yet so foolish as they are today, you do not let your guard down! And shame on eBay for pandering to the stupid idea of "good" people, which can only set sellers up for more insanity, with unrealistic buyer expectations, based on propaganda.
On to number two. Everyone has something to contribute. So? So fucking what! The better thing to ask here of eBay: Are you letting people make their contributions? Or are you meddling to the point where many just turn away in disgust? Yes, many people have lots to contribute, and I personally don't care about "everyone" (?), that's irrelevant. But the issue here is to go beyond mere recognition that people have something to contribute. Let them DO it too, for crying out loud! The eBay of today isn't letting that happen, but more on that below.
Number three. How about the idea that an honest and open environment can bring out the best in people? Sounds rather nice (again). Sheesh, wake up dummies! This kind of statement smacks of propaganda on it's face! First of all, anyone who actually deals with eBay knows that they are far, far from promoting an honest and open environment. Instead, they willingly promote fraud on their site, through the use of "hidden" identities, facilitating shill-bidding, etc. It takes considerable chutzpah for such a criminal outfit to try and wrap themselves in this moral flag. Second, how is an "honest and open" environment even conceivable? Yes, there is a legitimate notion of "transparency" out there, (look it up eBay!), but the minute we appeal to moralistic terms, such as "honest", we step into the propaganda game. Fuck that. Third, assuming we could have such a wondrous environment, would it really bring out the "best" in people? Exactly how would that work?
You want to know what brings out the "best" in everyone? CONSEQUENCES. This is literally a foreign word over at eBay, but admit it, there is nothing else quite like good, old-fashioned consequences to truly "bring out the best" in people. You don't want your employee to steal from you? Set up a camera! You'd like to make sure you don't get raped up the ass? DO NOT drop the fucking soap to begin with! It's common sense really.
But eBay doesn't do "consequences" anymore, at least not for one HALF of the transaction, since the buyers have been given carte blanche, and sellers must just "hope" they're "good" people! Hopeless more like. Get real eBay! You stupid asshole John Donahoe, you are a criminal, and are building up a shitload of bad karma. One day (soon I hope), I would love to read some news about how some (basically) "good" person car-jacked the fuck out of you, and left your sorry worthless ass for dead. Wake up you mega-prick!
Number four. This one is sweet, which almost rhymes with "unique". But the unique part is only dumb because is so obvious. Yes, we're all fucking unique! Who cares?! The problem is that they say they "respect" everyone. No, that is a lie. They have seriously disrespected their sellers, most especially their small and medium sized, shall we say even, the most unique of their sellers? You want to know what real disrespect is my friends? No, it's not just sneaking off in the morning. How about this one? How about you have your fun with the little lady, and then you KILL her? My, my, now THAT is some serious disrespect! But that is exactly what eBay is doing to their sellers! Slowly killing them off, after having taken their time, their money, in some cases, maybe even their lives, as discouragement leads to despair. Yes, real, unique lives are being broken. Through the callousness of the greedy-fuck Dickahoe and company. The true collective uniqueness is being killed off, so that one day, in the words of that Stallone movie, as enunciated by Sandra Bullock, "All restaurants are Taco Bell!" Thanks Dickahoe!
Number five. Oh how we could all wish Dumb Ass Donahoe really believed such a thing! To treat others, as we would like to be treated? What a concept. But we would be beating a now, very-dead horse to go on too much.
When we all get to Heaven, or Nirvana, or WhereEver, we shall oh-so gladly treat each other as we want to be treated! We might even treat one another with kindness, and respect! Joy would be EveryWhere, and we would finally be Happy! And then we woke up. Sorry folks, this silly utopianism isn't reality. As individuals, we can each make a personal choice to perhaps follow such a noble dictum as the Golden Rule. But as a group, or a "community" (sounds so nice!), it ain't gonna happen.
Let's get real, and replace number five with: "We believe both buyer, and seller were created Equal..." You can make up the rest, but until this basic notion is restored, forget these stupid "community values", and don't expect eBay to be a healthy marketplace.
Comments?
Friday, April 16, 2010
Yes, There Really Is A God Virginia!
Yes Virginia, there really is a god! Don't listen to those small-minded people who say otherwise, because they are wrong. We live in a skeptical age, and many refuse to believe in that which they can not touch, or see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible to their little minds. And all our minds are little Virginia, as measured by an intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes Virginia, there is a god. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give your life it's highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would the world be without god! Why, it would be as dreary as a world without Virginias! It would be a world without child-like faith, without romance or poetry, to make this existence tolerable. And if there were no enjoyment (except in that of sight and sense), then the eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in god? You might as well not believe in Santa Claus! And even if your father was able to hire a million men to watch every chimney on Christmas Eve, to catch Santa as he came down, and they failed, just what would that prove anyway? Of course nobody sees Santa, but that's no reason to think there is no Santa! Perhaps the most real things in the world are those that can not be seen. And it isn't hard to imagine that there are many wonderful things we can't conceive of, that are no less real than the many we can see.
You may tear apart the baby's rattle to see what makes the noise, but perhaps there is a veil covering the unseen things of this world that no one can tear apart. Only faith, poetry, romance and love are strong enough to push back the veil enough to see what may lay beyond. And what can be seen then, in all it's glory, is it not just as certain, just as real as anything else? Ah Virginia, in all the world, there is nothing else as real or abiding as this unchanging glory, not fit for eyes that are in fact completely blind anyway.
No god?? Insanity! A million years from now he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
BUT NOW Virginia, if I were to tell you that there really was no "god", or Santa Claus for that matter, how would it make you feel? For everything I said above, while true, may only be true only for the child. As St. Paul once said, long ago, "When I was a child, I thought as a child..." But he went on to say that now that he was a man, he had to put aside the silly things of childhood. But is Santa really so silly after all? On Christmas morn, the presents really are all 'round the tree! As the gifts are opened, is there not real joy on the faces of every child? And should that joy diminish, when one has finally been told the simple truth, that "Santa" is really Mommy and Daddy after all? Is it no less wondrous that their love for you, their selfless generosity, has given to you such a splendid morning? Could it perhaps be even more beautiful than imagining the fat old man in the red suit?
And so it may be for what men have called "gods", or God, over these many thousands of years. Could this great "man", with the long white beard, who we have always been told exists...could he too be something like Santa Claus? Surely, there must be something to believe in far more noble, and ennobling, than the monster of the Old Testament? Indeed, if I needed to find someone more moral than the "god" I was brought up to believe in, then I could quite easily substitute my very human mother for him! And why not? After all, was she not "Santa Claus" as well? No, she was not all powerful, nor was she all-knowing, but what power she had, was expended for those she loved. What knowledge she had, she tried to use for the good of all she loved. And somehow, it was good enough, as small as it might have been, in comparison to that infinite "God" of common faith and religion.
Maybe the god of Christianity is "too big". Maybe we need to look back a bit, to simpler times, and see the wisdom of the primitive peoples, who brought god down to something more real in their lives, even if it was but an animal. Maybe we need the wisdom of the children, who can honestly tell the whole world that their Papa is the strongest, and their Mama is the best. Truly, if GOD is ever to be the greatest, the most worthy of human worship, he has to be better than us. And while the god of the Old Testament is certainly not even as good as the most immoral of all men (and therefore not worthy of worship), still, there "must" be something, perhaps even "Someone" who can give meaning to the greatest things we know. Love. Selflessness and devotion. Beauty. Oh Greatest Someone...Wherefore art Thou??
Yes Virginia, there is a god. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give your life it's highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would the world be without god! Why, it would be as dreary as a world without Virginias! It would be a world without child-like faith, without romance or poetry, to make this existence tolerable. And if there were no enjoyment (except in that of sight and sense), then the eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in god? You might as well not believe in Santa Claus! And even if your father was able to hire a million men to watch every chimney on Christmas Eve, to catch Santa as he came down, and they failed, just what would that prove anyway? Of course nobody sees Santa, but that's no reason to think there is no Santa! Perhaps the most real things in the world are those that can not be seen. And it isn't hard to imagine that there are many wonderful things we can't conceive of, that are no less real than the many we can see.
You may tear apart the baby's rattle to see what makes the noise, but perhaps there is a veil covering the unseen things of this world that no one can tear apart. Only faith, poetry, romance and love are strong enough to push back the veil enough to see what may lay beyond. And what can be seen then, in all it's glory, is it not just as certain, just as real as anything else? Ah Virginia, in all the world, there is nothing else as real or abiding as this unchanging glory, not fit for eyes that are in fact completely blind anyway.
No god?? Insanity! A million years from now he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
BUT NOW Virginia, if I were to tell you that there really was no "god", or Santa Claus for that matter, how would it make you feel? For everything I said above, while true, may only be true only for the child. As St. Paul once said, long ago, "When I was a child, I thought as a child..." But he went on to say that now that he was a man, he had to put aside the silly things of childhood. But is Santa really so silly after all? On Christmas morn, the presents really are all 'round the tree! As the gifts are opened, is there not real joy on the faces of every child? And should that joy diminish, when one has finally been told the simple truth, that "Santa" is really Mommy and Daddy after all? Is it no less wondrous that their love for you, their selfless generosity, has given to you such a splendid morning? Could it perhaps be even more beautiful than imagining the fat old man in the red suit?
And so it may be for what men have called "gods", or God, over these many thousands of years. Could this great "man", with the long white beard, who we have always been told exists...could he too be something like Santa Claus? Surely, there must be something to believe in far more noble, and ennobling, than the monster of the Old Testament? Indeed, if I needed to find someone more moral than the "god" I was brought up to believe in, then I could quite easily substitute my very human mother for him! And why not? After all, was she not "Santa Claus" as well? No, she was not all powerful, nor was she all-knowing, but what power she had, was expended for those she loved. What knowledge she had, she tried to use for the good of all she loved. And somehow, it was good enough, as small as it might have been, in comparison to that infinite "God" of common faith and religion.
Maybe the god of Christianity is "too big". Maybe we need to look back a bit, to simpler times, and see the wisdom of the primitive peoples, who brought god down to something more real in their lives, even if it was but an animal. Maybe we need the wisdom of the children, who can honestly tell the whole world that their Papa is the strongest, and their Mama is the best. Truly, if GOD is ever to be the greatest, the most worthy of human worship, he has to be better than us. And while the god of the Old Testament is certainly not even as good as the most immoral of all men (and therefore not worthy of worship), still, there "must" be something, perhaps even "Someone" who can give meaning to the greatest things we know. Love. Selflessness and devotion. Beauty. Oh Greatest Someone...Wherefore art Thou??
Friday, April 9, 2010
eBay DSR's: Dumb, Stupid and Ridiculous!!
For those who sell on eBay, a sequel to the unfolding feedback nightmare was served up in 2009 that was supposed to enhance the feedback system. Detailed Seller Ratings ("DSR's") were introduced on the heels of the hugely idiotic change in feedback policy that prohibited sellers from leaving meaningful feedback for buyers. While on it's face, it couldn't be seen as anything but a titanically unwise move, some excuses were provided, and sellers continued on. But after something so utterly ridiculous, how could anyone imagine anything worse?
Apparently, eBay's feedback guru, Brian Burke, was already busy, not just (mis)using his imagination, but engineering the silly DSR's for his boss. But while Burke is mostly blamed for this nonsense, let's face it, he is NOT one of the Big Four (who fancy themselves the "Fantastic Four"!), but is further down the ladder. Obviously, he is far enough down to be a major ass-kisser, so when CEO Donahoe gave the order to come up with something to make eBay more like Amazon, such as a "Five Star" ratings system, Burke got to work, and handed his boss what he wanted. Sure, Donahoe is completely insane, and everyone knows it, but did that stop all his sniveling underlings from licking his boots? No doubt, Burke had to have suspected that things couldn't possibly be screwed with, so massively, without literally risking eBay's future. But, when he thought about his raises, and bonuses, all long-term considerations obviously went out the window. And besides, what if the new changes really did work? Wouldn't he get big credit, and maybe one day be seen for the (evil) genius that he really wanted to be?
Well, Burke may have been between a rock and a hard place, and maybe we would have done the very same thing after all. He had to give his boss what he wanted. But there's always risk in following lunatics. Dickahoe is famous for taking all credit for all that goes well, while at the same time casually sacrificing some poor schmuck who gets selected for blame when things go wrong. And besides being such a total dick, the bastard has such incredible chutzpah, that his track record even includes blaming old Meg Whitman, who gave him his big chance to fuck the universe in the first place. Yes, he does bite the foolish hands that feed him. Listen up Board of Directors: Stop feeding the maniac! Duh!
So, back to the DSR's. How Dumb and Stupid are they? On the surface, they sort of seem rather tame. The buyer gets to "rate" the seller on some important transaction issues (such as communication, shipping charges, etc.), basically taking his purchasing experience, and putting it into "numbers" for all to see. Further, the buyer gets to do this "anonymously" (sort of), which is theoretically supposed to ensure that an "honest" set of detailed ratings will be left. In addition, maybe it's nice that if something "small" goes wrong, the buyer has the chance to mention it, without feeling the need to leave a negative feedback. And it all happens with a simple to use, visual "Five Star" system, that any second-grader can figure out. It's all good, right?
Well, before answering, let us see how eBay actually uses this system. Since the DSR's come down to a number ultimately, composed of the buyer's ratings, this number can theoretically be used to help determine who the "bad" sellers are, at least based upon the buyer's opinions (which should be the only thing that matter, right?). Ebay actually takes this info and uses it to severely penalize the sellers that fall beneath some average, which is in fact a "moving average", based on comparisons to all sellers, somewhat like grading on the curve. It almost seems "fair", doesn't it? And if you read what some of the business school academics are saying, it seems as if they are mostly convinced too, how wonderful this ingenious system is. Even it's obvious Achilles Heel (purely subjective opinions drive it) doesn't matter as much, because the system is virtually self-adjusting, as it compares all the sellers, making for a "standard of seller excellence" (if you will), that can theoretically never be too far off. My goodness, Burke has done it! He has managed to put together the ideal system! Or has he?
So why do so many sellers hate DSR's? It must just be the "bad sellers", whining out of all proportion, as you would expect them to do, right? And you can also read about many happy "eBay cheerleaders", who constantly post their bull-shit on the eBay Discussion Boards, with their nauseating mantra, "Adapt!" Hopefully, no one is so gullible that they actually believe such idiocy. And no, you can't really get a feel for true seller dissatisfaction by reading the dumb-ass discussion boards. Sellers are very cautious these days, knowing that the eBay "thought police" are out there, and can arbitrarily shut them down, if they appear to be causing too much trouble. Some may recall that not too long ago, eBay actually had blogs, but they were outlawed, because too many rebels seemed to be congregating there, and that just won't do! If you are a naive seller, be careful, don't get too crazy, stay as PC as you can, and maybe The Man (affectionately known as "Massa" by sellers) will let you sell another day!
OK then, so what is the deal with DSR's? How bad can they be? First, let's not forget what started the whole thing off (besides the chief-maniac that is). Ebay thought it might be nice to destroy the existing feedback system by making sure only "positive" feedback could be left for buyers. Stop and really think about the implications of that, other than nullifying the entire system. A buyer now has no responsibility? Seriously? The buyer pays, and in the official words of eBay, they have therefore "fulfilled their obligation to the eBay community, and can deserve only positive feedback". Really? By simply making a payment, that's it? Surely, no one can be so foolish as to imagine it can be so simple?
In fact, in all our business dealings with people, we presuppose some level of trust, or basic goodwill at least, or else we wouldn't want to deal with the person. This is basic, and it's what the original online reputation system addressed quite nicely, for years. Ebay's feedback system was in fact the world's most studied online reputation system, ever. So, another way to put it, eBay effectively destroyed this ESSENTIAL two-way trust, when they abandoned buyer responsibility. Sure, the "system", such as it is, hobbles along nonetheless, but it does so in spite of the changes, and has been dealt a powerful blow. As it stands now, the seller has been left utterly defenseless against buyers who can masquerade as literally "perfect" (remember, since no negative feedback is allowed, everyone "looks" great!), when in fact they are liars and extortionists, who have incidentally also been given the enormous power to shut down any (small/medium) seller that does not want to cooperate with their schemes.
Before writing this off as some too-tiny percentage of buyers, realize that the size of the fraudulent buyer population is not the biggest issue at all. The mere fact that such a tiny minority was handed such enormous power, THAT is the issue, and eBay committed this inexcusable crime! Now, the unscrupulous few, literally have the power to wreck MANY sellers, with the vast majority of those who are wrecked being small to medium size sellers. Why is this? Because the whole game automatically must revert to statistics. That's right. The severity of this issue is actually something that can be properly apprehended using (not misusing!) the discipline of statistics. More on this below, but if this is the case, then we must ask why eBay perpetrated such a terrible thing, since they must KNOW what the consequences are, and by now, they have solid data that indicates the future all too well.
The answer is simple. What is happening, is exactly what was intended. Enough of the "unintended consequences", folks, they fully intended to do what they have done, but continue to lie about it. Everyone agrees that they want to change the "image" eBay has. No longer will it be the online "flea market". It will be a "mall". New items, up-scale items, BIG sellers only, who eBay doesn't have to worry about. Doesn't that sound wonderful? Well, so does Gorbachev's vision of an Earth with only a billion people, who can all live large, and enjoy the limited planetary resources, with a quality of life fit for kings! Except for the part about how 6 billion people have to die, to realize their Utopian dream. And so it is with eBay. Yes, they can become whatever they want! But most of their small and medium size sellers will have to go!
Back to statistics. For a smaller seller, even a "medium" seller, the number of transactions that you need to do becomes quite large, in order to effectively cancel out the magnified power given to the tiny few unethical buyers. But it's worse than that. That "population" of bad buyers actually is UNDERSTATED, because you need to add the LEGION of utterly STUPID buyers to the few bad ones. You know, the buyers that don't feel they need to read the listing. The ones who looked at the picture only, and thought they were getting something else. The ones who went looking for an apple, but found your orange, and got very pissed when the orange showed up. They also went ballistic when they discovered you actually charged for shipping! No, this is hardly an exaggeration! Real sellers, in the trenches, deal with this nonsense day in, and day out. But they won't for long. Because eBay is using the STATISTICAL CERTAINTY of condemning smaller and medium sellers, as the reason to drum them right out the door. Which, if you recall the above, is what they wanted all along.
You see, Wal-Mart, and Costco, and Sears, etc., they have been dealing with "bad buyers", dumb buyers, buyer's remorse, fraudsters, thieves, etc., for decades or more! But they are big, and they can simply "factor it in", and charge you more. And for those who are now thinking, "Well then, factor this into your business model! Adapt!" First of all, SHUT UP, dumb-ass! Second, tell this crap to the mom-and-pop outfit who used to make a decent living, providing excellent service, honest value, etc., who was unfortunate enough to have a Wal-Mart move in across the street. Sure, just "adapt"! Sure, just raise your prices! And when no one buys your stuff, then what? Shut your doors, you're done. And your customers? Send them to fucking Wal-Mart, where else can they go?!
And that IS a problem. Not just for the mom-and-pop, but for everyone. The issue is huge, too big for this piece here, but look into it. The Wal-Martization of America is one of the reasons we have lost our way. We can complain, but if we buy at Wal-Mart, then it's our fault too. If we buy cheap Chinese goods, it's our fault too. What's our fault? Jobs lost. A declining standard of living. An increasingly dim future for our children, etc. No, this is not easy to sort out, but don't push it aside as irrelevant, it is very important, and may end up being a life and death matter, before it's done playing out.
Back to feedback, and DSR's. The feedback system was disabled by the criminal "no neg" policy. This stupidity would already place sellers at considerable risk that was not present in the system before the change. Added risk means an automatic reappraisal of business strategy. Certainly, some sellers would not survive such a change. And then, the DSR's. Final nails in the coffin of the loathsome small/medium seller. Because when you relegate the survival of your business to mere chance, it isn't prudent to continue on anymore, even "if" you happen to be lucky for a while. It's not just a sea-change in the risk level, it's a completely unreasonable burden to place upon the seller who is not friggin' Wal-Mart! It's hugely significant, and catastrophic for everything that made eBay great. The writing is on the wall, you negligent Board of Directors. You should all be sued by the shareholders who are getting hosed so badly. No need to worry about the little sellers though. They are surely your victims, but alas, they are too poor these days to pay any legal bills!
No, we haven't even talked about how eBay really misuses the DSR's yet. And since they can be used to put sellers out of business, we best look at them very carefully, especially with eBay's not-quite-stated goal of eradicating all but the biggest sellers. Here's the way it works. A very minuscule number of 1 or 2 stars left for a seller, kicks them out of the "Top Rated Seller" program, and worse, if they can't muster enough "5's", they're in trouble too. It does no good to argue that the difference between a 4 (satisfied) and a 5 (very satisfied) is moronic. When I eat a good meal, I'm satisfied. Maybe I'm given to hyperbole, so I tell my wife I'm "very" satisfied? Fine, but this is eBay we're talking about! They just can't be serious, but they are, because your average rating must exceed "4", or else! Failure to achieve this ridiculously subjective level of "very satisfaction" results in "hiding" that seller's items for sale, since eBay will promote the other sellers above them. Since they aren't seen, they don't sell. Since they don't sell, they're out of business! Of course, none of this affects larger sellers, because their stats are big enough to absorb erroneous, rogue and bogus ratings. And no, the seller pushed aside doesn't even have to be a "bad seller" at all! In fact, a buyer can inadvertently leave a "one" or "two", and the severe consequences to the poor (smaller) seller are still the same! Worse, this empowers the "competition" to intentionally torpedo the small seller, who consistently offered product at better prices, since the smaller seller is now a very, very "easy target". It gets worse! Unless the targeted formerly "good" seller begins selling a LOT of items, the chances of getting past the unintended and fully intended DSR "ones" (easily from the competition), makes it harder and harder to achieve the status necessary to receive search visibility. And yes, it gets worse! The victimized seller, now facing a bleak future, may feel the need to "fight back", trying to damage his competition as well. Worse. Now, when a fraudulent buyer demands to be payed off, the poor seller has an incentive to just do it. They hate the whole game, but what can they do? And it gets worse. The good buyers now have fewer options, and must pay higher prices. They have no idea that eBay has created such an unhealthy business environment to begin with, but they lament the loss of some favorite seller or two, wonder why prices have gone up so much, and are now afraid to leave "honest" feedback, because sellers will block them from ever bidding again on their items if they dare say what went wrong You see, this is the only power left for the emasculated seller, so they do it more than ever before, and the buyer is left bewildered. How has this happened? And worse. The entire unnatural atmosphere begins to breed previously unanticipated temptations. Sellers who used to makes thousands each month on a few dozen sales, must now make hundreds of sales, not just to fight the statistical battle, but because eBay has mandated such a requirement, in order for them to have a small chance at qualifying for the coveted Top Seller status. They begin selling small-dollar, silly items, just to get their number of transactions up. They begin thinking up other "busy-work" schemes, that aren't merely unproductive, perhaps they really do encourage fraud? Now, in desperation, formerly sterling sellers resort to shill bidding, when necessary. Their desperation has caused them to say just about anything to get a sale! They no longer can focus on bringing a great experience to their customers, because eBay has literally placed them on a treadmill! And on and on it goes.
This is what happens when human nature is regarded so little by those in charge. People are what they have ever been. People are rarely noble creatures, and under the right (wrong) circumstances, can descend even lower than animals in their moral depravity. It is essential that rulers, leaders, have a wise understanding of what people are, and what they are not. Otherwise, unintended consequences will surely follow.
Now, worst of all. Please remember, all this mayhem and horror on eBay is quite likely NOT unintended at all! It sounds almost too preposterous, but no, they have their "dark purposes". And I would further submit, that even the idea that Dumbahoe and company are just trying to remodel the company into a better Amazon, that they are just naive, unwise, stupid, etc. No, that is too simplistic of an explanation, and it falls way short. Could be there is a bigger picture here. Remember, for years eBay served as a place the entrepreneur could go to bootstrap to a better life. It was the place the abandoned single mother could go, and still make good for her children. The provider who was suddenly "downsized" out of a job, they could still make ends meet while looking for the next job. And now, in the middle of the worst economy EVER, this last bastion of hope for survival is conveniently GONE?? Just an interesting coincidence?
I would enjoy your comments...
Apparently, eBay's feedback guru, Brian Burke, was already busy, not just (mis)using his imagination, but engineering the silly DSR's for his boss. But while Burke is mostly blamed for this nonsense, let's face it, he is NOT one of the Big Four (who fancy themselves the "Fantastic Four"!), but is further down the ladder. Obviously, he is far enough down to be a major ass-kisser, so when CEO Donahoe gave the order to come up with something to make eBay more like Amazon, such as a "Five Star" ratings system, Burke got to work, and handed his boss what he wanted. Sure, Donahoe is completely insane, and everyone knows it, but did that stop all his sniveling underlings from licking his boots? No doubt, Burke had to have suspected that things couldn't possibly be screwed with, so massively, without literally risking eBay's future. But, when he thought about his raises, and bonuses, all long-term considerations obviously went out the window. And besides, what if the new changes really did work? Wouldn't he get big credit, and maybe one day be seen for the (evil) genius that he really wanted to be?
Well, Burke may have been between a rock and a hard place, and maybe we would have done the very same thing after all. He had to give his boss what he wanted. But there's always risk in following lunatics. Dickahoe is famous for taking all credit for all that goes well, while at the same time casually sacrificing some poor schmuck who gets selected for blame when things go wrong. And besides being such a total dick, the bastard has such incredible chutzpah, that his track record even includes blaming old Meg Whitman, who gave him his big chance to fuck the universe in the first place. Yes, he does bite the foolish hands that feed him. Listen up Board of Directors: Stop feeding the maniac! Duh!
So, back to the DSR's. How Dumb and Stupid are they? On the surface, they sort of seem rather tame. The buyer gets to "rate" the seller on some important transaction issues (such as communication, shipping charges, etc.), basically taking his purchasing experience, and putting it into "numbers" for all to see. Further, the buyer gets to do this "anonymously" (sort of), which is theoretically supposed to ensure that an "honest" set of detailed ratings will be left. In addition, maybe it's nice that if something "small" goes wrong, the buyer has the chance to mention it, without feeling the need to leave a negative feedback. And it all happens with a simple to use, visual "Five Star" system, that any second-grader can figure out. It's all good, right?
Well, before answering, let us see how eBay actually uses this system. Since the DSR's come down to a number ultimately, composed of the buyer's ratings, this number can theoretically be used to help determine who the "bad" sellers are, at least based upon the buyer's opinions (which should be the only thing that matter, right?). Ebay actually takes this info and uses it to severely penalize the sellers that fall beneath some average, which is in fact a "moving average", based on comparisons to all sellers, somewhat like grading on the curve. It almost seems "fair", doesn't it? And if you read what some of the business school academics are saying, it seems as if they are mostly convinced too, how wonderful this ingenious system is. Even it's obvious Achilles Heel (purely subjective opinions drive it) doesn't matter as much, because the system is virtually self-adjusting, as it compares all the sellers, making for a "standard of seller excellence" (if you will), that can theoretically never be too far off. My goodness, Burke has done it! He has managed to put together the ideal system! Or has he?
So why do so many sellers hate DSR's? It must just be the "bad sellers", whining out of all proportion, as you would expect them to do, right? And you can also read about many happy "eBay cheerleaders", who constantly post their bull-shit on the eBay Discussion Boards, with their nauseating mantra, "Adapt!" Hopefully, no one is so gullible that they actually believe such idiocy. And no, you can't really get a feel for true seller dissatisfaction by reading the dumb-ass discussion boards. Sellers are very cautious these days, knowing that the eBay "thought police" are out there, and can arbitrarily shut them down, if they appear to be causing too much trouble. Some may recall that not too long ago, eBay actually had blogs, but they were outlawed, because too many rebels seemed to be congregating there, and that just won't do! If you are a naive seller, be careful, don't get too crazy, stay as PC as you can, and maybe The Man (affectionately known as "Massa" by sellers) will let you sell another day!
OK then, so what is the deal with DSR's? How bad can they be? First, let's not forget what started the whole thing off (besides the chief-maniac that is). Ebay thought it might be nice to destroy the existing feedback system by making sure only "positive" feedback could be left for buyers. Stop and really think about the implications of that, other than nullifying the entire system. A buyer now has no responsibility? Seriously? The buyer pays, and in the official words of eBay, they have therefore "fulfilled their obligation to the eBay community, and can deserve only positive feedback". Really? By simply making a payment, that's it? Surely, no one can be so foolish as to imagine it can be so simple?
In fact, in all our business dealings with people, we presuppose some level of trust, or basic goodwill at least, or else we wouldn't want to deal with the person. This is basic, and it's what the original online reputation system addressed quite nicely, for years. Ebay's feedback system was in fact the world's most studied online reputation system, ever. So, another way to put it, eBay effectively destroyed this ESSENTIAL two-way trust, when they abandoned buyer responsibility. Sure, the "system", such as it is, hobbles along nonetheless, but it does so in spite of the changes, and has been dealt a powerful blow. As it stands now, the seller has been left utterly defenseless against buyers who can masquerade as literally "perfect" (remember, since no negative feedback is allowed, everyone "looks" great!), when in fact they are liars and extortionists, who have incidentally also been given the enormous power to shut down any (small/medium) seller that does not want to cooperate with their schemes.
Before writing this off as some too-tiny percentage of buyers, realize that the size of the fraudulent buyer population is not the biggest issue at all. The mere fact that such a tiny minority was handed such enormous power, THAT is the issue, and eBay committed this inexcusable crime! Now, the unscrupulous few, literally have the power to wreck MANY sellers, with the vast majority of those who are wrecked being small to medium size sellers. Why is this? Because the whole game automatically must revert to statistics. That's right. The severity of this issue is actually something that can be properly apprehended using (not misusing!) the discipline of statistics. More on this below, but if this is the case, then we must ask why eBay perpetrated such a terrible thing, since they must KNOW what the consequences are, and by now, they have solid data that indicates the future all too well.
The answer is simple. What is happening, is exactly what was intended. Enough of the "unintended consequences", folks, they fully intended to do what they have done, but continue to lie about it. Everyone agrees that they want to change the "image" eBay has. No longer will it be the online "flea market". It will be a "mall". New items, up-scale items, BIG sellers only, who eBay doesn't have to worry about. Doesn't that sound wonderful? Well, so does Gorbachev's vision of an Earth with only a billion people, who can all live large, and enjoy the limited planetary resources, with a quality of life fit for kings! Except for the part about how 6 billion people have to die, to realize their Utopian dream. And so it is with eBay. Yes, they can become whatever they want! But most of their small and medium size sellers will have to go!
Back to statistics. For a smaller seller, even a "medium" seller, the number of transactions that you need to do becomes quite large, in order to effectively cancel out the magnified power given to the tiny few unethical buyers. But it's worse than that. That "population" of bad buyers actually is UNDERSTATED, because you need to add the LEGION of utterly STUPID buyers to the few bad ones. You know, the buyers that don't feel they need to read the listing. The ones who looked at the picture only, and thought they were getting something else. The ones who went looking for an apple, but found your orange, and got very pissed when the orange showed up. They also went ballistic when they discovered you actually charged for shipping! No, this is hardly an exaggeration! Real sellers, in the trenches, deal with this nonsense day in, and day out. But they won't for long. Because eBay is using the STATISTICAL CERTAINTY of condemning smaller and medium sellers, as the reason to drum them right out the door. Which, if you recall the above, is what they wanted all along.
You see, Wal-Mart, and Costco, and Sears, etc., they have been dealing with "bad buyers", dumb buyers, buyer's remorse, fraudsters, thieves, etc., for decades or more! But they are big, and they can simply "factor it in", and charge you more. And for those who are now thinking, "Well then, factor this into your business model! Adapt!" First of all, SHUT UP, dumb-ass! Second, tell this crap to the mom-and-pop outfit who used to make a decent living, providing excellent service, honest value, etc., who was unfortunate enough to have a Wal-Mart move in across the street. Sure, just "adapt"! Sure, just raise your prices! And when no one buys your stuff, then what? Shut your doors, you're done. And your customers? Send them to fucking Wal-Mart, where else can they go?!
And that IS a problem. Not just for the mom-and-pop, but for everyone. The issue is huge, too big for this piece here, but look into it. The Wal-Martization of America is one of the reasons we have lost our way. We can complain, but if we buy at Wal-Mart, then it's our fault too. If we buy cheap Chinese goods, it's our fault too. What's our fault? Jobs lost. A declining standard of living. An increasingly dim future for our children, etc. No, this is not easy to sort out, but don't push it aside as irrelevant, it is very important, and may end up being a life and death matter, before it's done playing out.
Back to feedback, and DSR's. The feedback system was disabled by the criminal "no neg" policy. This stupidity would already place sellers at considerable risk that was not present in the system before the change. Added risk means an automatic reappraisal of business strategy. Certainly, some sellers would not survive such a change. And then, the DSR's. Final nails in the coffin of the loathsome small/medium seller. Because when you relegate the survival of your business to mere chance, it isn't prudent to continue on anymore, even "if" you happen to be lucky for a while. It's not just a sea-change in the risk level, it's a completely unreasonable burden to place upon the seller who is not friggin' Wal-Mart! It's hugely significant, and catastrophic for everything that made eBay great. The writing is on the wall, you negligent Board of Directors. You should all be sued by the shareholders who are getting hosed so badly. No need to worry about the little sellers though. They are surely your victims, but alas, they are too poor these days to pay any legal bills!
No, we haven't even talked about how eBay really misuses the DSR's yet. And since they can be used to put sellers out of business, we best look at them very carefully, especially with eBay's not-quite-stated goal of eradicating all but the biggest sellers. Here's the way it works. A very minuscule number of 1 or 2 stars left for a seller, kicks them out of the "Top Rated Seller" program, and worse, if they can't muster enough "5's", they're in trouble too. It does no good to argue that the difference between a 4 (satisfied) and a 5 (very satisfied) is moronic. When I eat a good meal, I'm satisfied. Maybe I'm given to hyperbole, so I tell my wife I'm "very" satisfied? Fine, but this is eBay we're talking about! They just can't be serious, but they are, because your average rating must exceed "4", or else! Failure to achieve this ridiculously subjective level of "very satisfaction" results in "hiding" that seller's items for sale, since eBay will promote the other sellers above them. Since they aren't seen, they don't sell. Since they don't sell, they're out of business! Of course, none of this affects larger sellers, because their stats are big enough to absorb erroneous, rogue and bogus ratings. And no, the seller pushed aside doesn't even have to be a "bad seller" at all! In fact, a buyer can inadvertently leave a "one" or "two", and the severe consequences to the poor (smaller) seller are still the same! Worse, this empowers the "competition" to intentionally torpedo the small seller, who consistently offered product at better prices, since the smaller seller is now a very, very "easy target". It gets worse! Unless the targeted formerly "good" seller begins selling a LOT of items, the chances of getting past the unintended and fully intended DSR "ones" (easily from the competition), makes it harder and harder to achieve the status necessary to receive search visibility. And yes, it gets worse! The victimized seller, now facing a bleak future, may feel the need to "fight back", trying to damage his competition as well. Worse. Now, when a fraudulent buyer demands to be payed off, the poor seller has an incentive to just do it. They hate the whole game, but what can they do? And it gets worse. The good buyers now have fewer options, and must pay higher prices. They have no idea that eBay has created such an unhealthy business environment to begin with, but they lament the loss of some favorite seller or two, wonder why prices have gone up so much, and are now afraid to leave "honest" feedback, because sellers will block them from ever bidding again on their items if they dare say what went wrong You see, this is the only power left for the emasculated seller, so they do it more than ever before, and the buyer is left bewildered. How has this happened? And worse. The entire unnatural atmosphere begins to breed previously unanticipated temptations. Sellers who used to makes thousands each month on a few dozen sales, must now make hundreds of sales, not just to fight the statistical battle, but because eBay has mandated such a requirement, in order for them to have a small chance at qualifying for the coveted Top Seller status. They begin selling small-dollar, silly items, just to get their number of transactions up. They begin thinking up other "busy-work" schemes, that aren't merely unproductive, perhaps they really do encourage fraud? Now, in desperation, formerly sterling sellers resort to shill bidding, when necessary. Their desperation has caused them to say just about anything to get a sale! They no longer can focus on bringing a great experience to their customers, because eBay has literally placed them on a treadmill! And on and on it goes.
This is what happens when human nature is regarded so little by those in charge. People are what they have ever been. People are rarely noble creatures, and under the right (wrong) circumstances, can descend even lower than animals in their moral depravity. It is essential that rulers, leaders, have a wise understanding of what people are, and what they are not. Otherwise, unintended consequences will surely follow.
Now, worst of all. Please remember, all this mayhem and horror on eBay is quite likely NOT unintended at all! It sounds almost too preposterous, but no, they have their "dark purposes". And I would further submit, that even the idea that Dumbahoe and company are just trying to remodel the company into a better Amazon, that they are just naive, unwise, stupid, etc. No, that is too simplistic of an explanation, and it falls way short. Could be there is a bigger picture here. Remember, for years eBay served as a place the entrepreneur could go to bootstrap to a better life. It was the place the abandoned single mother could go, and still make good for her children. The provider who was suddenly "downsized" out of a job, they could still make ends meet while looking for the next job. And now, in the middle of the worst economy EVER, this last bastion of hope for survival is conveniently GONE?? Just an interesting coincidence?
I would enjoy your comments...
Sunday, April 4, 2010
What "They" Want: To Control Everything, Including You!
You can always tell when someone is a conspiracy nut, because they love to use the term "they" when identifying whoever is responsible for the various bad things "they" are up to. Ask them who "they" are, and you won't always even get much of an answer, but to be fair, most do have some vague notion of who "they" are, and if they're conspiracy nuts, they'll be happy to let you know.
Could be they're convinced it's the new (or former) president, the one they didn't vote for, and the stupid/terrible people behind him. Or maybe it's just the government. Don't ask "which one", because it's a dumb question! Surely you KNOW they're not talking about the government of Alaska! Maybe they've been around the pike a few times, and have come to believe in shadowy forces BEHIND the government. You know, the Masons. Or the Jews. Or the super-wealthy. Or maybe even the British Royal Family!
And why stop there! If you're really "in the know", you're going to have to eventually lay the woes of the world at the doorstep of the Vatican. Yes, now there's an obvious choice. But we can't stop there, can we? Because if you're one of the very few, perhaps you've been let in on the Big Secret, that it's actually the Black Pope (not that German guy dressed in White, he's just window dressing!). Of course! It all makes sense now! Black people just pretend to be oppressed, when in fact they're secretly in charge! Oh how simple it all is, when you are in-the-know. Is it any surprise Obama is now called Mr. President? Duh!
But we're not done yet, because that guy in charge of all those Chester-the-Molester priests (called the "Jesuits"), well it's HE who must be the one who's really pulling all the strings! Oh yes, and haven't you heard? The "Black Pope" is really an old white dude, who takes his orders direct from Satan himself!!
Hey, and we haven't even mentioned 9/11 yet. But come on now, can so many people be wrong? One or more of the above conspiracy theories would have to be at least "partly" true, wouldn't you think? OK, so let's go with it a little, and see where it takes us.
How about the idea that "the Jews" are really behind it all. It's not just a popular idea, it's a rather traditional one too, been around for a while. On the one hand, you might actually know a Jew, or be one yourself, and right there decide it's not going to work for you. But on the other hand, it does seem like Jews run Hollywood, right? And aren't there a whole lot of 'em in top government spots too? And a ton of them are filthy rich! Plus, how else could Israel have ever come to be, unless they had a whole heck-of-a-lot of power? You know, we might have something here...
Or what about the Catholic Church. They've been around quite a while, seems like they might be a good choice. And come to think of it, weren't they always pushing around the Jews? You know, if they weren't burning their books, or worse, burning their children, right?, they were obviously behind getting them kicked out of country after country, right? So, in this case, it seems possible that "catholic" trumps "jew". Sheesh, it's not that hard, it's just logic my friends!
But wait! A howl of protest has erupted from the Catholics, who know their history better than that. No one ever burned children for crying out loud! And speaking of getting kicked around, wasn't it to Rome that many Jews went, to get satisfaction from the Pope, who felt so sorry for them that they were even given their own ghetto, complete with papal protection? And pahleeze do not forget Pope Pius XII (the pope in WW2), who actually HID Jews within the Vatican! And shall we forget John Paul II? Heck, lots of people said he had a Jewish grandmother!
OK, OK. Fine. Maybe no one is "guilty" for the mess we might just as well call, "The Way It Is". After all, why not have a "nice" conspiracy theory that doesn't pick on anyone, or at any rate, takes the blame to the very tip-top, and lays it on the desk where Bucks Do Not Pass? Maybe we can all just agree that God, or Whoever is ultimately in charge, just set the whole lousy game up this way, for his own good reasons. "It's just the way it is."
OR, what if "they" would just love it if you chose any one of the above!? Finally, we might be approaching the "truth" of the matter! No, let us not too hastily reject the notion of conspiracies, they're a FACT of life, even if you haven't figured out which one is best just yet. How could there not be conspiracies, when in every family there might be quite a few? Oh come on now, haven't you thought about it that way before? "Don't worry honey, we won't tell Mom (Dad) about it. It will be our little secret!" "Yes dear, Uncle Chucky shouldn't have done that, but do NOT worry your father with any of this! Uncle Chucky won't do it again, I promise. Now, let's go get that ice cream cone!" "Daddy's girl, right? Don't tell Mommy, she might get jealous!"
No, you're not a "nut" if you suspect that such very human behavior, is entirely scalable. 9/11, JFK, Pearl Harbor...We might hear them laughing in the private chambers, "Just let enough time go by..."
Objection! "You simply cannot hide anything as large as 9/11. I refuse to believe that our great nation had anything to do with this crime. Why is it so hard to believe that Arabs (who hate our freedoms!) would do this?!"
No, this is not a piece about 9/11. Carry on, believe what thou wilt. But the point should be clear that conspiracies first of all are as real as can be. And second, they can be far bigger than merely hiding the family molester from common knowledge. Of course, allowing molestation to go on for generations is hardly small, but that's another story. Real conspiracies, large and small, are part of the human experience. By the way, if you find yourself still in the knee-jerk mode, rejecting this notion, then it's time to quit reading. Stop, go back to your television for further instructions, and try to forget you ever considered anything that might be unpatriotic, or politically incorrect. In fact, shame on you for still reading this!
As for the rest of us, it might be important to take a small step back at this point, and consider the enormous hostility, the fear perhaps, or the lack of seriousness, and even our own "knee-jerk" response when confronted with this pesky word "conspiracy". Can we acknowledge that we may actually suffer some level of "programming" here, societal or otherwise? If so, from whence could it have originated? Considering that conspiracies are logically the norm, that indeed they must exist, that they are in fact the most likely explanation for many things around us, then shouldn't we wonder why we have seemingly developed a blind-eye to this sort of thing? How did such a thing happen? Has it always been this way?
To answer that, just head back up to the beginning of this piece. Let's have our fun. Let's snicker at the silly conspiracy theorist! That's mostly how, and it seems to work, especially if the media cooperates (for whatever reasons). The better question is "Why?" Here we're dealing with something ingrained now in our culture. Considerable effort must have gone into establishing this generalized attitude, today accepted by the majority. And certainly Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, they were not shy about the nefarious forces afoot even in their day, and wrote about them, so at least back then, things weren't quite as they are now in this department. Yes, it is likely decades in the making, but perhaps even centuries...
First of all, stop your knee from jerking. Centuries? Folks, this business is serious, might I even say, "dead" serious, especially after so many years of mounting human casualties. But centuries? In fact it has now been FIVE centuries since Machiavelli penned his famous work The Prince. In his masterpiece of worldly advice (as given to The Prince of the title), the person who seriously seeks greater power need only follow the book's diabolical prescriptions to achieve their greatest ambitions. Without spelling it all out, the book recommends the use of extreme dissimulation to achieve it's ends, and yet it also insists on keeping the subjects happy with the notion that they enjoy a benign ruler. Of course, their ruler is hardly benign in reality. In fact, he best operates without true mercy (only pretended is allowable), in secret, and amongst carefully prepared lies for public consumption, that all help him to achieve his goals.
Does this still sound a bit too crazy? Well, look it up, it's actually considered Political Science. In fact, we would be foolish to imagine that at this late date, such a "craft" is not only alive and well, but it should in fact be the rule, and this of itself, explains a whole lot. We do live within a "matrix" if you will, and it has been carefully prepared by those who have a plan (for us). No, you shall not be privileged enough to get a peek at the various plays in their play book. No, you can't even really know who "they" are! Or can you? Perhaps we'll take that up the next time.
Could be they're convinced it's the new (or former) president, the one they didn't vote for, and the stupid/terrible people behind him. Or maybe it's just the government. Don't ask "which one", because it's a dumb question! Surely you KNOW they're not talking about the government of Alaska! Maybe they've been around the pike a few times, and have come to believe in shadowy forces BEHIND the government. You know, the Masons. Or the Jews. Or the super-wealthy. Or maybe even the British Royal Family!
And why stop there! If you're really "in the know", you're going to have to eventually lay the woes of the world at the doorstep of the Vatican. Yes, now there's an obvious choice. But we can't stop there, can we? Because if you're one of the very few, perhaps you've been let in on the Big Secret, that it's actually the Black Pope (not that German guy dressed in White, he's just window dressing!). Of course! It all makes sense now! Black people just pretend to be oppressed, when in fact they're secretly in charge! Oh how simple it all is, when you are in-the-know. Is it any surprise Obama is now called Mr. President? Duh!
But we're not done yet, because that guy in charge of all those Chester-the-Molester priests (called the "Jesuits"), well it's HE who must be the one who's really pulling all the strings! Oh yes, and haven't you heard? The "Black Pope" is really an old white dude, who takes his orders direct from Satan himself!!
Hey, and we haven't even mentioned 9/11 yet. But come on now, can so many people be wrong? One or more of the above conspiracy theories would have to be at least "partly" true, wouldn't you think? OK, so let's go with it a little, and see where it takes us.
How about the idea that "the Jews" are really behind it all. It's not just a popular idea, it's a rather traditional one too, been around for a while. On the one hand, you might actually know a Jew, or be one yourself, and right there decide it's not going to work for you. But on the other hand, it does seem like Jews run Hollywood, right? And aren't there a whole lot of 'em in top government spots too? And a ton of them are filthy rich! Plus, how else could Israel have ever come to be, unless they had a whole heck-of-a-lot of power? You know, we might have something here...
Or what about the Catholic Church. They've been around quite a while, seems like they might be a good choice. And come to think of it, weren't they always pushing around the Jews? You know, if they weren't burning their books, or worse, burning their children, right?, they were obviously behind getting them kicked out of country after country, right? So, in this case, it seems possible that "catholic" trumps "jew". Sheesh, it's not that hard, it's just logic my friends!
But wait! A howl of protest has erupted from the Catholics, who know their history better than that. No one ever burned children for crying out loud! And speaking of getting kicked around, wasn't it to Rome that many Jews went, to get satisfaction from the Pope, who felt so sorry for them that they were even given their own ghetto, complete with papal protection? And pahleeze do not forget Pope Pius XII (the pope in WW2), who actually HID Jews within the Vatican! And shall we forget John Paul II? Heck, lots of people said he had a Jewish grandmother!
OK, OK. Fine. Maybe no one is "guilty" for the mess we might just as well call, "The Way It Is". After all, why not have a "nice" conspiracy theory that doesn't pick on anyone, or at any rate, takes the blame to the very tip-top, and lays it on the desk where Bucks Do Not Pass? Maybe we can all just agree that God, or Whoever is ultimately in charge, just set the whole lousy game up this way, for his own good reasons. "It's just the way it is."
OR, what if "they" would just love it if you chose any one of the above!? Finally, we might be approaching the "truth" of the matter! No, let us not too hastily reject the notion of conspiracies, they're a FACT of life, even if you haven't figured out which one is best just yet. How could there not be conspiracies, when in every family there might be quite a few? Oh come on now, haven't you thought about it that way before? "Don't worry honey, we won't tell Mom (Dad) about it. It will be our little secret!" "Yes dear, Uncle Chucky shouldn't have done that, but do NOT worry your father with any of this! Uncle Chucky won't do it again, I promise. Now, let's go get that ice cream cone!" "Daddy's girl, right? Don't tell Mommy, she might get jealous!"
No, you're not a "nut" if you suspect that such very human behavior, is entirely scalable. 9/11, JFK, Pearl Harbor...We might hear them laughing in the private chambers, "Just let enough time go by..."
Objection! "You simply cannot hide anything as large as 9/11. I refuse to believe that our great nation had anything to do with this crime. Why is it so hard to believe that Arabs (who hate our freedoms!) would do this?!"
No, this is not a piece about 9/11. Carry on, believe what thou wilt. But the point should be clear that conspiracies first of all are as real as can be. And second, they can be far bigger than merely hiding the family molester from common knowledge. Of course, allowing molestation to go on for generations is hardly small, but that's another story. Real conspiracies, large and small, are part of the human experience. By the way, if you find yourself still in the knee-jerk mode, rejecting this notion, then it's time to quit reading. Stop, go back to your television for further instructions, and try to forget you ever considered anything that might be unpatriotic, or politically incorrect. In fact, shame on you for still reading this!
As for the rest of us, it might be important to take a small step back at this point, and consider the enormous hostility, the fear perhaps, or the lack of seriousness, and even our own "knee-jerk" response when confronted with this pesky word "conspiracy". Can we acknowledge that we may actually suffer some level of "programming" here, societal or otherwise? If so, from whence could it have originated? Considering that conspiracies are logically the norm, that indeed they must exist, that they are in fact the most likely explanation for many things around us, then shouldn't we wonder why we have seemingly developed a blind-eye to this sort of thing? How did such a thing happen? Has it always been this way?
To answer that, just head back up to the beginning of this piece. Let's have our fun. Let's snicker at the silly conspiracy theorist! That's mostly how, and it seems to work, especially if the media cooperates (for whatever reasons). The better question is "Why?" Here we're dealing with something ingrained now in our culture. Considerable effort must have gone into establishing this generalized attitude, today accepted by the majority. And certainly Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, they were not shy about the nefarious forces afoot even in their day, and wrote about them, so at least back then, things weren't quite as they are now in this department. Yes, it is likely decades in the making, but perhaps even centuries...
First of all, stop your knee from jerking. Centuries? Folks, this business is serious, might I even say, "dead" serious, especially after so many years of mounting human casualties. But centuries? In fact it has now been FIVE centuries since Machiavelli penned his famous work The Prince. In his masterpiece of worldly advice (as given to The Prince of the title), the person who seriously seeks greater power need only follow the book's diabolical prescriptions to achieve their greatest ambitions. Without spelling it all out, the book recommends the use of extreme dissimulation to achieve it's ends, and yet it also insists on keeping the subjects happy with the notion that they enjoy a benign ruler. Of course, their ruler is hardly benign in reality. In fact, he best operates without true mercy (only pretended is allowable), in secret, and amongst carefully prepared lies for public consumption, that all help him to achieve his goals.
Does this still sound a bit too crazy? Well, look it up, it's actually considered Political Science. In fact, we would be foolish to imagine that at this late date, such a "craft" is not only alive and well, but it should in fact be the rule, and this of itself, explains a whole lot. We do live within a "matrix" if you will, and it has been carefully prepared by those who have a plan (for us). No, you shall not be privileged enough to get a peek at the various plays in their play book. No, you can't even really know who "they" are! Or can you? Perhaps we'll take that up the next time.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Rape of the eBay Seller: Human Nature Violated
Once upon a time, the Land of eBay was a great nation, a free country, whose citizens enjoyed the benefits of very little government (the best kind). But things changed. Greedy corporate wolves, ever anxious to devour what ever they can, eventually found themselves in charge. They began to gorge on their nation, handing themselves fat salaries, monstrous bonuses, and rollicking in power far beyond their wildest dreams. Certainly, these greedy beasts were ill-equipped to to manage a great nation, let alone guide it into the future. As a result, the once great eBay, was reduced to a very sad state of affairs.
Today, the Beast at the Top (aka John Donahoe), continues to feast upon the soon-to-be carcass. Ebay languishes, alive, but just barely, by any noble standards. It is said that Donahoe's inhuman and brutal treatment of his customers (the Sellers) is only a dim foreshadowing of what the Beast plans for the Simpleton Stockholder. Certainly, his belly may be full, but other ignoble ideas begin to cross his twisted and depraved mind as he observes his Simpleton Shareholders bending over to pick up the proverbial soap.
At this juncture, there's no use asking "if" he's about to screw the Shareholder, historically, he's been doing it right along! But we can still ask "when". When will the Beast ram it all the way Home? Or perhaps more poignantly, will the bastard at least use some Vaseline as he tears them a new one?
SOME GOOD NEWS. A consensus seems to be developing that Dumbahoe has indeed been identified as the (obvious) problem (finally!). Of course, top-level corporate retention plans, and the high cost of paying these sociopaths off, does tend to slow down the process. His days are likely numbered, and a new CEO may be around the corner. Maybe Meg Whitman has told the son-0f-a-bitch that he can be Mr#2 if she's becomes the latest governator of the Socialist Republic of California. "John, you can do SO much more damage as my lap-dog! And it is SO You, too! Plus, since I'm camera-shy, maybe you can do most of the media stuff for me!" Well, in spite of the fact that John Dumbahoe was hand-picked by Meg to run eBay when she left, the piece-of-shit has spared no opportunity to blame any and all problems on HER. Yes, she was no saint, but compared to him, well, there is no comparison, except maybe to Bush Jr., who has earned his place in history as the worst president of the USSA, ever! So no, it may not be realistic to think he will migrate from the corrupt corporate world, into the even more corrupt political one. What may be more likely, he will worm his way over into PayPal, since shareholders there are over-due for a good horse-fucking. And what better guy to do the deed, than the sick poster-child for bestiality and beastliness, John Fucking Donawhore.
Apologies to the gentle reader for the remarks above, and no worries, no more of that will follow. Back to the title. Human Nature. This is the crux of many issues plaguing our society today. From the fascist Right, we have the never-ending appeals to Patriotism (so-called), the appeals to "decency" (what would they know about that?), and the call to the (ig)noble sacrifice of our sons and daughters, in whatever the latest war-for-profit scheme has been sold to the sheeple. From the Left, the never-ending PC drivel, the insulting labeling of everything that fails to conform (Racist! You didn't vote for Obama because...), the stupid calls to their oh-so-noble Global causes (Global Warning anyone? It's an inconvenient TRUTH, whether you like it or not!).
But the Right and the Left have a lot in common. Both enjoy taking advantage of the lower parts of human nature, and have little trouble exploiting the hapless sheeple, who crave mainly bread, and circuses after all. And certainly, neither of them care for the use of reason anymore, both being far too cynical for anything so out-dated anyway. Together, both the Left hand and the Right, are doing their best to herd the Sheeple along, apparently following what might be seen as a coordinated agenda. But where are the Sheeple being herded off to, or in to? What is at the end of the damnable rainbow?
George Orwell's 1984 continues to shed light on the subject. In the book, a nightmarishly distopian world of the future made life utterly miserable. While the people had food to eat, and roofs over their heads, the fact was that the food was hardly eatable, and life was largely unbearable, most especially for those who realized that their world was not how it was "supposed" to be. Perhaps they had even been born into that ugly world, and shouldn't have known anything different, but because human nature does not change, all efforts to exterminate any essential part of it will ultimately fail. And since freedom is so central to healthy human nature, no government, no matter how "all-powerful" it may become, can completely eradicate it. But, all this being said, this fact will not stop the Right and Left from pushing all into some future "utopia", and the reason for this insanity is, again, that same human nature.
Because those who acquire wealth, and power usually are never satisfied, a perpetual dynamic is set in motion that must eventually result in a kind of Law of the Jungle, that continually tends toward the preservation (at a minimum), and expansion of the wealth and power of the most ruthless. Their goal is actually quite simple: To control EVERYTHING.
Today, a small handful of families, with massive multi-generational wealth at their disposal, carry out continuous warfare, primarily against each other, with their ultimate goal of absolute control of all, serving as the impetus. But along the way, many alliances are made, and broken, as they each vie for eventual supremacy. And above and beyond this more or less naturalistic expose, of the forces shaping all our lives, are other explanations that look to a supernatural level, and might even assert there is literally a Devil at the very top, with his own evil agenda, as he manipulates his mostly oblivious minions.
So, that my friends may be cast as something of a Big Picture, with room still left for those given to supernatural scapegoats. As we examine the various things in our own lives, it seems that this should be left in the background, and not forgotten, since it may be exactly what helps us to better understand the many seemingly enigmatic experiences that batter our lives.
And for those of you still waiting for the eBay connection, well here it is finally. Ebay, like many large innovative enterprises that have in recent times emerged, occupies not just an interesting place in today's world, but it is also pregnant with it's own unique power. As such, the predatory forces-that-be, must not only recognize it, but they must also seek to harness it for their own purposes. Far fetched? eBay somehow on the radar of the richest and most powerful? Well, the first step is to realize that such a thing is not just possible, but at this stage, quite likely.
Why is this? Because eBay directly tapped into one of the greatest powers for good (and evil) that the world has ever known. And that power is that of, the entrepreneur. Such power, previously much more diffuse amongst the masses, now had a central place where the many small, even tiny seeds, could begin to grow. Some of these seeds might indeed become mighty oaks! But surely, even such "oaks" could pose no serious threat to the powerful elite, could they? Well, fear may play some part, but that may not be the main reason the elite took an interest in eBay. Perhaps it is something like this: Here was a place that they could gather information on real-world behavior, of people essentially like THEM! Yes, because another way to look at the wealthy and powerful, is to recognize them (or at least their progenitors), as highly successful "entrepreneurs." Sure, their ancestors probably didn't fool around trying to sell widgets to the masses, most of their august families probably had great-grand-fathers who were simply ruthless thugs, or drug pushing royals, or a bit further back, maybe crafty regicides, who only looked like bootlickers, but all along were excellent at misusing any trust foolishly placed in them. Ah yes, these are their forefathers! But now, to have a ready-made "laboratory" that they could play with, while at the same time suppressing a potentially troublesome group (all empowered peoples are troublesome!)? Certainly, this was something they must get their filthy hands into!
And so today, we have a New EBay, a New Amerika, even a whole New World Order! ALL of it is unfolding the way it is, because it makes the most sense for THEIR agenda. But more on that next time!
Comments anyone?
Today, the Beast at the Top (aka John Donahoe), continues to feast upon the soon-to-be carcass. Ebay languishes, alive, but just barely, by any noble standards. It is said that Donahoe's inhuman and brutal treatment of his customers (the Sellers) is only a dim foreshadowing of what the Beast plans for the Simpleton Stockholder. Certainly, his belly may be full, but other ignoble ideas begin to cross his twisted and depraved mind as he observes his Simpleton Shareholders bending over to pick up the proverbial soap.
At this juncture, there's no use asking "if" he's about to screw the Shareholder, historically, he's been doing it right along! But we can still ask "when". When will the Beast ram it all the way Home? Or perhaps more poignantly, will the bastard at least use some Vaseline as he tears them a new one?
SOME GOOD NEWS. A consensus seems to be developing that Dumbahoe has indeed been identified as the (obvious) problem (finally!). Of course, top-level corporate retention plans, and the high cost of paying these sociopaths off, does tend to slow down the process. His days are likely numbered, and a new CEO may be around the corner. Maybe Meg Whitman has told the son-0f-a-bitch that he can be Mr#2 if she's becomes the latest governator of the Socialist Republic of California. "John, you can do SO much more damage as my lap-dog! And it is SO You, too! Plus, since I'm camera-shy, maybe you can do most of the media stuff for me!" Well, in spite of the fact that John Dumbahoe was hand-picked by Meg to run eBay when she left, the piece-of-shit has spared no opportunity to blame any and all problems on HER. Yes, she was no saint, but compared to him, well, there is no comparison, except maybe to Bush Jr., who has earned his place in history as the worst president of the USSA, ever! So no, it may not be realistic to think he will migrate from the corrupt corporate world, into the even more corrupt political one. What may be more likely, he will worm his way over into PayPal, since shareholders there are over-due for a good horse-fucking. And what better guy to do the deed, than the sick poster-child for bestiality and beastliness, John Fucking Donawhore.
Apologies to the gentle reader for the remarks above, and no worries, no more of that will follow. Back to the title. Human Nature. This is the crux of many issues plaguing our society today. From the fascist Right, we have the never-ending appeals to Patriotism (so-called), the appeals to "decency" (what would they know about that?), and the call to the (ig)noble sacrifice of our sons and daughters, in whatever the latest war-for-profit scheme has been sold to the sheeple. From the Left, the never-ending PC drivel, the insulting labeling of everything that fails to conform (Racist! You didn't vote for Obama because...), the stupid calls to their oh-so-noble Global causes (Global Warning anyone? It's an inconvenient TRUTH, whether you like it or not!).
But the Right and the Left have a lot in common. Both enjoy taking advantage of the lower parts of human nature, and have little trouble exploiting the hapless sheeple, who crave mainly bread, and circuses after all. And certainly, neither of them care for the use of reason anymore, both being far too cynical for anything so out-dated anyway. Together, both the Left hand and the Right, are doing their best to herd the Sheeple along, apparently following what might be seen as a coordinated agenda. But where are the Sheeple being herded off to, or in to? What is at the end of the damnable rainbow?
George Orwell's 1984 continues to shed light on the subject. In the book, a nightmarishly distopian world of the future made life utterly miserable. While the people had food to eat, and roofs over their heads, the fact was that the food was hardly eatable, and life was largely unbearable, most especially for those who realized that their world was not how it was "supposed" to be. Perhaps they had even been born into that ugly world, and shouldn't have known anything different, but because human nature does not change, all efforts to exterminate any essential part of it will ultimately fail. And since freedom is so central to healthy human nature, no government, no matter how "all-powerful" it may become, can completely eradicate it. But, all this being said, this fact will not stop the Right and Left from pushing all into some future "utopia", and the reason for this insanity is, again, that same human nature.
Because those who acquire wealth, and power usually are never satisfied, a perpetual dynamic is set in motion that must eventually result in a kind of Law of the Jungle, that continually tends toward the preservation (at a minimum), and expansion of the wealth and power of the most ruthless. Their goal is actually quite simple: To control EVERYTHING.
Today, a small handful of families, with massive multi-generational wealth at their disposal, carry out continuous warfare, primarily against each other, with their ultimate goal of absolute control of all, serving as the impetus. But along the way, many alliances are made, and broken, as they each vie for eventual supremacy. And above and beyond this more or less naturalistic expose, of the forces shaping all our lives, are other explanations that look to a supernatural level, and might even assert there is literally a Devil at the very top, with his own evil agenda, as he manipulates his mostly oblivious minions.
So, that my friends may be cast as something of a Big Picture, with room still left for those given to supernatural scapegoats. As we examine the various things in our own lives, it seems that this should be left in the background, and not forgotten, since it may be exactly what helps us to better understand the many seemingly enigmatic experiences that batter our lives.
And for those of you still waiting for the eBay connection, well here it is finally. Ebay, like many large innovative enterprises that have in recent times emerged, occupies not just an interesting place in today's world, but it is also pregnant with it's own unique power. As such, the predatory forces-that-be, must not only recognize it, but they must also seek to harness it for their own purposes. Far fetched? eBay somehow on the radar of the richest and most powerful? Well, the first step is to realize that such a thing is not just possible, but at this stage, quite likely.
Why is this? Because eBay directly tapped into one of the greatest powers for good (and evil) that the world has ever known. And that power is that of, the entrepreneur. Such power, previously much more diffuse amongst the masses, now had a central place where the many small, even tiny seeds, could begin to grow. Some of these seeds might indeed become mighty oaks! But surely, even such "oaks" could pose no serious threat to the powerful elite, could they? Well, fear may play some part, but that may not be the main reason the elite took an interest in eBay. Perhaps it is something like this: Here was a place that they could gather information on real-world behavior, of people essentially like THEM! Yes, because another way to look at the wealthy and powerful, is to recognize them (or at least their progenitors), as highly successful "entrepreneurs." Sure, their ancestors probably didn't fool around trying to sell widgets to the masses, most of their august families probably had great-grand-fathers who were simply ruthless thugs, or drug pushing royals, or a bit further back, maybe crafty regicides, who only looked like bootlickers, but all along were excellent at misusing any trust foolishly placed in them. Ah yes, these are their forefathers! But now, to have a ready-made "laboratory" that they could play with, while at the same time suppressing a potentially troublesome group (all empowered peoples are troublesome!)? Certainly, this was something they must get their filthy hands into!
And so today, we have a New EBay, a New Amerika, even a whole New World Order! ALL of it is unfolding the way it is, because it makes the most sense for THEIR agenda. But more on that next time!
Comments anyone?
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