At work today i was smacked in the face

[Indenturedebtor]

I was directly confronted with the inherent facism of religion. My General Manager passed out the following bit of tripe at the conclusion of our weekly useless friday morning meeting:

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Today before you say an unkind word -
Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food -
Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife -
Think of someone who's crying out to GOD (sic) for a companion.

Today before you complain about life -
Think of somoene who went too early to heaven.

Before you complain about your children -
Think of somone who desires children but they're barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep -
Think of the people who are living in the sreets.

Before whining about the distance you drive -
Think of somoene who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job -
Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another -
Remember that not one of us is without sin we all answer to one MAKER. (sic)

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and thank GOD (sic) you're alive and still around.

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Now, don't get me wrong, it can be healthy and even virtuous to appreciate what you have. It can be very unhealthy to focus only on where you want to be and not on where you are. However, aside from the obvious innapropriateness of bringing this to a meeting, its true meaning is revealed when given the context.

You see, in the car business most stores lose at least one salesperson a month. We are no different, and since business is a little slow we've been losing some experienced guys lately. But rather than examining what management could do to address this attrition, we are told to be happy with what we have. Whats more it is not only morally objectionable for us to question what we're gaining from our employers for our efforts, but a sin in the eyes of the spaghetti monster.

Don't question, don't object, don't wish for more, or even long for less. Just keep your head down and be thankful for what you have.

Vomit.

Whatever we have in this life, good or bad, is mostly the result of people who were disatisfied with something and decided to do something about it! From walking upright to email: dissatisfaction is the mother of invention and the font of betterment!

Fascist pigs!

To be fair my management team is overall the best I have seen in the car business. For the industry they do make an effort to see that we're working happy. But the whole ideal that's laid out above springs directly from a religious upbringing in my opinion. Organized religion promotes facism. In general they all seem to promote blind adherence to a paternal group of gods and demagogues that should never be questioned only obeyed. Ones whole life is to be built around a rigid ideal that promotes passive acceptance of ones own inferiority and sublimation in the group.

The world is described in terms of black and white, all is either good or bad, and these dichotomies are also not to be questioned.

Gah I can't even go on. Oh for an ethical world.

[valerief]

1. Working for ninnies sucks. It's so undignified. nt

[Joe for Clark]

2. But sometimes things really are black and white.

The people that gave this crap - consider the bias - make your own judgements.

But there are in fact black and whites sometimes - maybe they confuse the colors.

Joe

[Warren DeMontague]

3. How about "before you proseltyze to your employees

think about saving it for your church." :shrug:

[Truthiness Inspector]

4. His business, his choice

It isn't fascism. If you don't like it, you are free to move about the planet and work somewhere else.

[varkam]

7. Yeah, it's not like employers have any sort of responsibilities....

to their employees or anything. What's that, Jose? You don't have any safety equipment? Well, if you don't like it, you can go work somewhere else!

:eyes:

[Truthiness Inspector]

8. I'm not following you. What? n/t

[varkam]

12. Alright, I'll spell it out.

Employers have a responsibility to their employees to provide a physically and psychologically safe workplace to their employees.

[Indenturedebtor]

13. Good responses all

It's good to come here and know that I'm not all alone in my own head.

Yeah the right to work thing Truthiness... That whole ideal has never held water. For one thing that theory would only hold water if we had some sort of social support that made it easier to quit and look for another job. If people don't make enough money they can't just quit and look for another job. For another, my employer does me no more favor in allowing me to make money for him than I do by making him money... but he has the power. It is the responsibility if not the purpose of government to protect the weak from the strong.

But that's besides the point. I have bills to pay, I have no voice on my own, and salesmen don't have unions or generally wages or holidays. Who do I talk to? My Senator? LOL

But again besides the point. My point is that religion primes people for facism.

[Truthiness Inspector]

15. Wrong

It's sounds like your boss owns his own business. If you don't like his practices, tough shit. He is not the government. Also, you were not fired over it, you are just pissed. Too often that gets confused here.

I don't own my own business but if I did I would screen everyone to make sure they have no record of animal abuse, and guess what, that would be my right. Is the government supposed to tell me I must hire an animal-abuser or else I will get sued? FUCK THAT.

You seem like a nice enough guy (and I am not being sarcastic), but your bills are your responsibility.

[JNelson6563]

20. No, not wrong.

Ever read the bible friend? Check out the New Testament. I know everyone thinks the horrors and such are contained in the OT but alas, no.

Go to your NT and read all about how slaves should just go about their smiling way, accepting their lot in life and counting on their "heavenly reward".

Yeah, if that ain't a primer for facism.....

Julie

[Indenturedebtor]

21. He doesn't own the business

He's a general manager, and yes he is a repuke. So is the owner of the company.

Call me an idealist but I don't think that religion and politics shoud enter the workplace... but if they do they should never be shouted from management to employees. The employess have to power to respond. I don't think that there's anything wrong with civilly discussing almost anything as equals, but since that's impossible in a workplace situation I consider it an abuse of power and a possible abuse of ones' employees to talk about this crap in a meeting.

There are plenty of ways to express the above facist comments without mentioning the spaghetti monster.

I would agree with you that as an individual your rights to screen people for all manner of things would seem to be the right way to go... or to behave in nearly any fashion you wanted as king of your own business domain. However, if your actions or the actions of your business are harmful to society: wah wah wah. We have rules governing businesses and individuals for that reason.

And finally I probably did muddle the issues there between business and government. But they are already muddled aren't they?

[havocmom]

5. Sounds the the crap & context my daughter is putting up with at work

Used to be top company in particular industry and the place is going under after a management change 4 years ago. People who have been there for decades are getting demoted or thrown out but the new manager who came on 4 years ago and helped the nose dive into the ground just tells people to adjust their attitudes. Oh, and she starts her work day with prayer, but she won't get out and rebuild the client base.

Fucking up a business that used to do REALLY well, pissing off ALL the local client base, then blaming the staff that was there in the good old days for the company's decline, all while praying for things to get better...

:banghead:

Who would Jesus lay off?

[Colorado Progressive]

6. Wow. I would be furious if someone had made me listen to THAT at a meeting.

I dont even think that's legal, seriously, check it out. That's intimidation or something. They cant make you feel like you are not a team player groveling POS just because you dont want Jesus drivin your car for you.

[GoneOffShore]

9. If someone had handed me that

I'd have blown my nose in it, balled it up and ostentatiously thrown it in the trash, before I left the meeting.

[alittlelark]

10. Today before you complain of your low wages

Think of those that fought and died for you to have a 40 hr work week and a week of vacation....... keep going

[man4allcats]

11. Well, you could have responded with

that great line from TV's classic comedy Barney Miller when, in reply to Officer Levitt's (Ron Carey's) comment "I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet," the always acerbic Detective Harris (Ron Glass) replied, "Oh, is he out there again?" :-)

[Hekate]

14. This is pretty benign--falls in the category of "civic religion", i.e. the Unspecified God...

...that our society used to refer to publicly in lieu of naming Jesus. Up to 30 years ago we had a sort of consensus about being respectful in public settings toward minority monotheists, namely the Jews and Muslims, as well as skirting the issue of the myriad Christian sects and the way they referred to Mary (or not) and Jesus.

This consensus simply assumed that nearly all of us were monotheists and that nearly all of us believed in a male father-god. It wasn't perfect, but it used to work well enough.

The problem you and the rest of us face is that over the past 30 years this respectful tolerance has been deliberately ripped apart by those who want the US to be a "Christian Nation", and they want to define Christianity in narrow and intolerant terms. Bob Jones University even files books about Roman Catholicism under "Cults" for pete's sake.

So we are pretty sensitized to religious references in public spaces now, and with good reason.

At least you don't seem to share my niece's dilemma. She's in her late 20's, as sweet-natured a girl as you would ever like to know. She was born and raised on the beaches of the Central Coast but moved to Bakersfield several years ago with her husband, and by now finds the ambient bigotry of Bakersfield is wearing on her nerves.

Why so much? Well, periodically someone informs her that as she is Jewish she is certain to spend eternity in Hell. And yes, this takes place at work. Have a nice day, and all that.

Dare I humorously suggest you count your blessings? :eyes:

Hekate

[marions ghost]

16. Basic message --shut up & suck up

also "talk to God about it, you sinners, because we don't care..." The other message is that you too, Mr/Ms Employee, could be out on the street soon, so behave.

:puke: on condescending Rethuglican manipulative mind games. Whoever passed this out is on a real power trip. To that guy:

Today before you say a coercive word
Think of how it is to live life as a slimeball

[and-justice-for-all]

17. They need to thank Natural Selection....

Because without it, they would not be here. While there in the thanking mood, DNA could use a shake and so could microbs/single celled lifeforms...

Invisible friends are for children.

[PDenton]

18. I can appreciate the sentiments , it's not relevent

however, it's just not relevent to business. If a business waits on God to fix everything and make you feel better, I think the business is going to be transferring to selling pencils in a cup soon enough.

[Canuckistanian]

19. "From walking upright to email"

LOL!

Some Freepers seem to have managed that in one step!

:rofl:

[Mz Pip]

22. I'm surprised it

didn't end with:

If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you can read this in English, thank a soldier.

Most of the crap I getthat is filled with "inspiration" ends with those lines. :puke:

Mz Pip
:dem: