I detest systems.....

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’ll try to keep this just side of a rant.

I’m not a joiner or a believer in systems as a rule. I don’t mean computer systems, I mean social systems. As a rule I tend to believe that most of them snuff our individuality and free thought.

I’ll give you an example of systems I find to be completely laughable at certain times and sad at others…

  • organized religion
  • para-military organizations (of which I consider boyscouts to be one, less the guns)
  • Tim (horse teeth) Robins entire system circus
  • The seven deadly habits of highly infectious people books
  • Chicken soup for the soul - as far as I’m concerned the only things chicken soup is good for are colds and hunger.
  • Jenny Craig and Weightwatchers
  • Amateur sports leagues.

… the list goes on…

I know that most of these folks start out with good intentions, but something goes wrong somewhere along the line and these organizations become some living and breathing entities of their own. They begin to generate wild eyed desciples and fanatical adherents. Seems people who join these places often are too willing to leave their brain in a jar by the door and often forget to collect it on the way out.

Mob mentality rules in these kinds of places and it’s hard to be the lone voice of reason because of all the devout shouting.

What’s my point? Well, I’m not sure I have one. The thing is, I guess any time you get a bunch of seemingly reasonable folks together, regardless of the cause, the group invariably turns into a living, seathing mass of self indulgent energy that is somehow more than the sum of it’s parts.

Then again, it may be that I am simply an anti-social prick.
:stuck_out_tongue:

2

Let’s put these novels we call “systems” on the shelves,
And to lift ourselves up, let us descend into ourselves.

  • Voltaire
3

Not trying to put word in your mouth, but are these your reasons?:

Um, cheesy, touchy-feely poetry and other assorted blather that make people feel gooey inside as opposed to actually dealing with the problem?

Good-intentioned for those who want to lose weight, but ultimately try to control way too many aspects of one’s life (mindset, habits…), as opposed to just weight loss?

Uh, you got me on that one

4

Sorry, that should have read “Pro Sport Leagues” not amateur.
It’s a bunch of grown men/women playing a GAME! For Christ sake, it’s a GAME! They are overgrown children, coaches, players, owners, officials, sports reporters… all of them. Lighten up people. I think you all need to get some real jobs to realize how lucky you are.

5

Quick, the problem you’re noticing is called corporatism. It is the persistent rival school to representative democracy. I can send you an extract about it from John Ralston Saul’s book The Doubter’s Companion if you email me (for copyright reasons, I won’t post it here).

6

Thanks Matt. I just happen to have a copy of that book myself. I think I’ll dust it off and re-read it. I’ve forgotten how good it really is. Cheers.

7

I recommend the entry entitled Corporatism.