truthaholic.

You’ve got to change your evil ways

Sherrie Adams — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:26:58 +0000

Every time I watch a movie I always want justice for the Good Guy. I want the happy ending and I want the Bad Guy to pay. I was wondering what all the real-life Bad Guys think when they go to the movies – let’s face it, Bad Guys need entertainment too! There are rapists, murders, kidnappers and thieves out there who all enjoy a good flick. There are less terrifying Bad Guys out there too, and I wonder about them as well. The less terrifying Bad Guys are the married people who screw around on their spouse for sport, the employees who steal from their job, the slackers who run from bill collectors and the back-stabbers who will screw anyone for a buck. You know…your run-of-the-mill people who suck.
Who do all of these people root for when they see movies? How do they react when they see a Bad Guy character in a movie doing the same crappy thing they do in real life? How do they react when they actually see how it affects the victims, their family members and friends? How do they react when none of the other moviegoers like the Bad Guy character? Does it make them reevaluate their bullshit? How do they justify despicable and duplicitous behavior? I always wonder when I see a Bad Guy on the screen: who would support this asshole in real life? Who would be friends with that jerk? Who likes this character? Like in The Silence of the Lambs, who was rooting for the crazy moth guy? Was it other crazy moth guys? I guess it’s good that I don’t know the inner workings of people who suck on these levels, and I hope I never do. I am just wondering if there is anyone out there who is a former, recovering, or even practicing Bad Guy that can clue me in on how you view entertainment. I also would like to know: has a movie or movie character ever made you change your evil ways?

Things they would not teach me of in college

Sherrie Adams — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:10:03 +0000

I believe in going to specialists and experts. I believe that everyone has their niche. Following that line of thinking: if someone is going to college to be a psychiatrist, why do they have to take another 4 years of the same crap they took in high school? Isn’t this distracting them from the area in which they are hoping to be an expert and dedicate their lives? Shouldn’t college be about specificity and focus and NOT on being well rounded in an array of topics? The 12 years of school BEFORE college took care of that, no? Shouldn’t it be about zeroing in on ONE thing and running with it? I mean, when was the last time you sought out an accountant-plumber-personal trainer? Do ya need 4 more years of world history to be a shrink?
I remember when I was in high school and people told me that I’d like college because I could choose my classes. What a crock! College was just another high school – but with sex, alcohol and ashtrays. I was shocked that I had to take more of the same bullshit classes again in college, which is why I lasted about 3 minutes and dropped out. College isn’t really about what you want – it’s about perpetuating what the college administration wants – money – all hidden behind the convenient veil of independence, freedom, and education (or every college-goer’s favorite term: partying).
College is a business, like anything else. Ultimately, they are there to make money, to meet their enrollment quotas, and to stay in business. Therefore, their goal isn’t to make sure you excel at what is suitable for you or even that you pick a reasonable path at all, but rather to churn out as many tuition paying grads as possible. If it were any other way, there wouldn’t be such things as “basic/core courses.” What? Really? Everyone needs to take these classes regardless of their focus? Sounds like a way to get 5 years out of people who only need 2-3 years to be excellent at whatever their focus is. Trade schools have the right idea by cutting out all that tripe. Let’s face it; most people don’t know what they want when they go to college. What an expensive way to discover one’s self!
I think you should have your mind made up when you get to college. College isn’t the place to decide what you want to be; college is the place to become qualified at what you will be. Most people I know are NOT in the field they studied and aren’t making the money they thought they would. They’re in debt up to their f-ing eyeballs in student loans – this means the system is severely flawed!
So if you don’t know what you want, don’t be selfish and view college as a free-for-all and waste your parents’ money! Find out WHO you are first and what you want to be by knowing your strengths and by critical thought – you know, the kind of thinking you didn’t learn in high school. You also discover your passion by soul searching and research. This means ask people who are in the fields you’re interested in and ask them what the pros and cons are. Realize that college is a business and not a spiritual counseling, hippie fun time getaway for you to “discover yourself.”

There is no political solution for our troubled evolution

Sherrie Adams — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:44:36 +0000

Why do smart people have to dumb themselves down to be accepted by the masses? For example, I don’t like the pandering that politicians must do to win votes. I don’t like that Hillary Clinton had to eat a hotdog and do shots with the locals in an attempt to prove that she’s a regular, average person. HELLO, she’s not average! She shouldn’t be average; she was the First Lady and was running for president!
Why does the thought of our candidates being average give people a GOOD feeling? I want someone exceptional and brilliant running our country. I want this person to be a strong and powerful leader with insightful and effective ideas. I can’t stand that some people voted for George Bush because he seemed like a guy who you’d want to have a beer with. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been hired for a job based on my “beer drinking/hangout-ability.” By the way, what’s with our perception of alcohol evoking comfort in voting for a candidate?
Did it really give people a warm and fuzzy feeling when Obama showed his terrible bowling skills? Is this supposed to be some indication that he’s an average Joe? Aren’t average Joes actually good at bowling because they do it a lot?
I just don’t want all of this nonsense to influence people’s decision. When it’s time to vote, think of America as a business that you own…a business you started from the ground up, and the manager/president that you hire will either grow or deteriorate your business. You’re the owner and in charge of hiring the best person for the job. Vote for the good of the country as a whole and NOT JUST your bank account. Don’t be selfish; there are 300 million people in the United States. Although it sometimes feels like our little worlds are the most important, there’s a bigger picture to consider. Block out all of the dumbing down that the candidates have to do to appeal to the less fortunate people in America who aren’t as informed and enlightened as you are.
Get all of the images of the candidates dancing, bowling, shaking hands, holding babies, cheering with their supporters, eating fast food with the locals, and doing shots out of your head. They’re not sports heroes, actors, or rockstars; they’re presidential candidates and I’d like them to start acting like it – but first we have to stop glorifying them when they dumb themselves down. Let this moment be the LAST time your mind goes to those unnecessary places and let’s smarten up and look at what’s important in any election – the real issues.

Is she really going out with him?

Sherrie Adams — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:04:19 +0000

Have you ever noticed all of those commercials and TV shows that have a balding, overweight, below-average looking, average income guy with a spunky, cute, fit chick? Why is the overweight, broke guy on King of Queens married to a hot, fit girl? It’s not believable. People in real life aren’t usually so mismatched.
Most of the time in real life, the bald, fat guy gets the hot, fit girl when he also happens to be rich. Don’t TV producers and writers know this? Why do they keep pairing attractive, fit women with broke, much less attractive counterparts? I have mostly male readers on this site so I’m not sure if they’re bothered by this since it depicts a great scenario for men. Either way, it’s not in line with how the world works – well, nothing on TV is, but this really irks me.
It wasn’t like this in the 50′s. Remember the 50′s? OK, me neither, but remember those old TV shows, movies and commercials from that era? There wasn’t a double standard in the same way there is today. It wasn’t so unbalanced. The men were fit and handsome. They were paired with women who were equally as attractive (except The Honeymooners).
In some ways, women have come so very far. We’ve had a woman running for president, we have women owning businesses, and many women now wait until they’re good and ready to get married. Women understand they don’t HAVE to have children or be married to be significant in the world; yet we still have this double standard in the media that it’s OK for a broke/average-income guy to be unkempt, while a woman must stay youthful and beautiful.
Anyway, it’s a drag. This message seeps subconsciously into little girls and fully-grown women’s brains in our society; women are expected to live up to a standard that men aren’t also held to. I’m all about keeping things fair and balanced and sending a realistic message, but I think the media is way off the mark on this one.

Mr. Telephone Man, there’s something wrong with my line

Sherrie Adams — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:09:55 +0000

Alright, I’m getting really tired of the cell phone company’s automated prompts that play before you leave a voicemail for someone. When I call someone, I just want to leave a message quickly, not jump through a bunch of hoops!
Why do they have all of those silly prompts: “Record your message after the tone. To send a numeric page, press 5 now.” Who sends a numeric page anymore these days? Is it still 1992 or something?
“When you are finished with your message you may hang up or press pound for more options.” More options? Wait, you want me to listen to more prompt menus? I’m just leaving a message here – simple stuff. Can I just get to the freakin’ beep?
And then, when I am listening to my own voicemails, I get all these prompts telling me what phone number it came from and what time and day each message was left – more time wasting!
Is it possible the cell phone companies just want to keep us on the phone longer so they make more money? Think about it: if millions of people spend an extra 15 seconds per call waiting for the prompts just to leave messages, that ends up being a pretty nice built-in profit from forcing people to use more minutes. Anyway, I think we all know the drill with leaving a message for someone; we don’t need those instructions anymore!
So this is my voicemail message to Verizon, Sprint, US Cellular, T-Mobile, and all the rest: To refund me the money I’ve spent on waiting for your lame-o prompts, press 1. To keep overcharging me and wasting my time, press 2. To leave me a message with some BS legal/corporate reasoning behind your time-wasting instructions, press 3. To offer me a…whoops – lost the signal! Guess they’ll have to start all over again. Cha ching!

Now don’t just stand there bust a move

Sherrie Adams — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:17:44 +0000

I’m really annoyed by people who don’t take the bull by the horns and bust a move in life – mainly because I know that the world will not wait for them. There are talented, skilled, awesome people out there who will never be recognized because they’re unmotivated or simply don’t know how to hustle. Unless you’re connected, born rich, or a lucky genius (which most are not) you have to be assertive to get what you want.
I’m assertive by nature and it’s apparent in everything I do, even something as simple as crossing a street. One hot summer day I was waiting with about 30 people to cross a busy downtown Chicago street. The “Do Not Walk” sign was flashing; however, there were NO cars in sight as far as the eye could see. Everyone stayed in their place while they waited for the “Walk” sign to flash. It was strange that no one assessed the situation and chose the obvious – except me. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy when I decided to be a big girl, look both ways and cross the street all by myself – and ignore the sign which was misguiding me. It’s like, OK, the Walk sign doesn’t have a brain, it doesn’t know that there are NO cars, but YOU DO so bust a move already, people! I kept thinking: don’t they feel kind of silly waiting for a sign to tell them something they learned to do when they were in second grade? Life’s too short to wait for a sign.

Meet the new boss…same as the old boss

Sherrie Adams — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:35:38 +0000

Yes, it’s true: some bosses are straight up assholes and out for themselves! But many (like me!) are just a squirrel trying to get a nut and aren’t killing other squirrels to get it. I used to be a really flexible, nice boss who wanted to positively influence my employees. I used to say sorry when I was wrong. I used to practice good manners; I’d say please when I wanted something and thank you when I got it. I feel I still am this person but I do it all with extreme caution…
Let’s fast forward a few years and see the results of being a nice boss, shall we? I’ve been blown off – and not just by my employees – I’m talking about the interviews to actually hire those employees! I’ve been stolen from, lied to, (and I mean stupid, unbelievable lies! After all, I can respect a good lie) and I’ve been totally disregarded.
Your boss has a lot of bullshit to deal with. No one seems to ever think about the sacrifices bosses make for their employees and customers, or about the lengths we go to just to make everything pleasant and efficient. We are extremely underappreciated! If you couple being a boss with being a small business owner as well, it’s a double whammy – everything needs to be paid for: the toilet paper, the chairs, the rugs, the pens, the paper – even billing the customer costs money. Did you know that everything costs double for a business owner? I’m not kidding! A phone line at a business is twice as much as a residential phone line! Did you know if you earn $12 per hour that it actually costs your boss almost $15 per hour after taxes and payroll costs to pay you? And I haven’t even mentioned the biggest thorn in every business owners’ side…rent! People can be careless and wasteful with our hard earned stuff.
Listen – bosses and employees come from 2 different mindsets. The boss/owner will work as hard as she has to and wait patiently for her (often small) reward. Meanwhile, many employees do as little work as possible in the shortest amount of time and want the biggest reward immediately, if not sooner.
There will always be a conflict here. There are hardworking employees out there, and I am lucky that I have some from time to time. It’s just really hard to be as nice as you’d like to be because it often backfires. People will always push the envelope, and sadly, will view a boss’ niceness as a weakness to be taken advantage of. If your boss is an asshole, it’s quite probable that he didn’t start out that way, and after years of abuse he feels the need to protect everything he’s worked for. Imagine that. Now stop reading this and get back to work!

We all want to change your head

Sherrie Adams — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:17:01 +0000

OK, I have a complaint about the way most people argue. They start out with seemingly good intentions, and what appears to be a pro-problem-solving approach, but when the stakes get higher they just want to “win,” NOT solve the problem. I understand that solving the problem usually involves BOTH people meeting in the middle, and this means egos must be in check and all true intentions revealed. How come most people don’t view it this way? Why do they get defensive and competitive? This disconnect really pisses me off. Do people need to take a class on arguing? Here’s the way it usually goes: they start off by strongly and logically arguing a specific point, supporting that point, giving reasons and ideas in favor of it. Great, right? Wrong! Because when you actually address their point, ask questions about their point, bring up your reasons why you don’t agree or offer suggestions, (ahem, you know, try to solve the fucking problem) they’ll bring up other, marginally related problems. Every time I give a solution, people with this affliction literally bring up another problem without acknowledging the solution I gave to the first one.
What’s up with that? Are they trying to get me off track by distracting me from the original point? LOL…yeah, good luck. I call that “subject jumping.” Along with ignoring suggestions, they’ll also avoid answering questions. What’s really funny is when I just ask questions like, “Why does that bother you? How does that make you feel? What changes would you like to see happen? How can I make it better?” In return, they’ll ask, “Why are you doing this?” as if I am instigating or undermining them by wanting more information about what their fucking problem is. Ugh! HELLO, I’m trying to HELP you!
I am convinced these people are either crazy, spoiled or insecure (or all 3). They don’t want to actually SOLVE the problem. Perhaps solving it involves admitting they’re wrong or illogical. Solving it means maybe they have to give just a little and they are, by nature, a “taker.” I can recall being in hour long “arguments” with various people and walking away thinking, “oh my god, nothing got done, that was a complete waste of time.” I can recall actually pleading with them to please NOT change the subject until we resolve this topic and begging them to just answer my questions first before moving on. All they can say is that I am being condescending or that I’m impossible! What!?
I guess their deflective tactics work because they’ve been getting results this way their entire lives. They’re smart enough to change the subject and distract people. They’re smart enough to know if they are unreasonable for a long enough time the other person will get exhausted and give up. But they’re not conscious to any of this, which is why I think they’re not so smart after all, and why I don’t fall victim to this behavior. Also, that’s why all the crazy/spoiled/emotionally immature people I have ever argued with end up feeling condescended to. It’s not because I am actually condescending; it’s because I am one of the few people that actually makes them accountable and doesn’t let them get away with their bullshit. They’re not used to this and it terrifies them, a typical reaction for insecure people. So instead of reflecting and questioning their own motivation and tactics, they’ll freak out and resort to blaming my approach so they can feel better about themselves.
I actually love to debate and to analyze people. They have no idea what they’re getting into when they get into one of their bullshit circles of illogic with me. I feel bad for these emotionally inept morons, but not bad enough to let them off the hook. I know that sounds harsh, but really can’t we just grow up and debate intelligently? The saddest part is that I have never been able to help most of them; at least they’ll never admit that to me. Their pride and ego are so big that no one can. They surround themselves with people who perpetuate and accept this behavior.
Maybe you know a person like this or maybe you are this kind of person. If this is you, please think about your goal(s) before you argue. Do me a favor and post a comment and tell me what you think triggers this behavior in you or in others. If you know someone like this please direct them to this blog so they can see what a colossal jackass they are – and change!

It’s an institute you can’t disparage…or can you?

Sherrie Adams — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:52:14 +0000

I don’t understand the romantic fairy tale image people have (mostly women) about marriage and weddings. I don’t know why women are giddy with excitement when they are proposed to. I don’t get why the male has to lure and woo the female with a shiny expensive object to seal the deal. I always see movies where the girls are screaming and jumping with joy and everyone is dying to see the ring; it’s weird to me that people act like it’s such a big accomplishment that someone wants to marry them.
Why is it SO IMPORTANT to get married? Do we need the accountability? Do we need a legal contract to MAKE someone stick it out with us? Are we that faithless about the person we are choosing that we need legal proof of their commitment?
Have you ever REALLY thought about the steps involved in getting married? It’s the furthest thing from ‘romantic’ EVER! It’s supposedly intimate, yet there are 300 people in the room and it took 12 months of preparation. It’s a billion dollar a year industry (that the majority of Americans fail at) that involves blood tests, God, witnesses, legal documents, bribery with an expensive object, and a lot of food and alcohol. Hmmm, sounds like making a business deal with some questionable folks, NOT a romantic uniting of two people deeply in love!
As for the wedding, women always say “it’s MY day.” So…is it really about YOU? Shouldn’t it be about putting your partner and their needs first? Are women excited to have a day revolve around them or something? It becomes more about an “event” and the meaning gets lost in a giant party extravaganza. Isn’t it weird that this day is SO special and exciting for the women and NOT so much for the men? Sometimes I think marriage was created to force men to commit. How many people (especially men) are looking forward to having sex with one person forever?
I know many of the people reading this are married – please don’t be insulted by my questions. (I truly believe the steps involved in marriage are unromantic and weird and I don’t understand the excitement about weddings.) Whenever anyone inquires about a subject that is rarely questioned it’s construed as insulting. Let’s make a deal: I won’t be offended at the possibility that you might be.
So here are my 3 questions:
1. Why is the proposal/wedding/marriage so exciting for the woman?
2. How do you feel about having sex with one person forever?
3. If you’re already married, tell me: why was it important for you to get married?
You can use a fake name and keep your identity hidden, but be honest about your gender.

If you can judge a wise man by the color of his skin…

Sherrie Adams — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:56:15 +0000

One subject that keeps coming up in the media is about Barack Obama being the “black” candidate. This is only half true and therefore not entirely correct. Obama is half white; therefore he should be referred to as mixed/multiracial or whatever the politically correct term is. Since his ethnicity is such a big deal, people in the media should be clear about it. It confuses people and is, frankly, sloppy work. It would minimize and maybe even eliminate those false rumors about Obama being Muslim or whatever else people are calling him. Isn’t it the responsibility of journalists and reporters to be accurate and not take sides? And isn’t omitting half of his ethnicity taking sides? Doesn’t that break some journalistic code? Isn’t it prejudicial of someone to call him “black” while full-well knowing he is equal parts black and white? Are we basing that “label” on how he looks? Isn’t that the definition of being prejudiced? It’s something to think about.
I don’t like half-truths and inaccuracies. I have a fundamental problem with ANYONE incorrectly labeling ANYONE ELSE, especially a person that is talked about every 5 seconds. This subject is a historical milestone; having anything other than a white male running for president is such a great and liberating event for our nation. Why not be clear about it? Do we want people to be confused about Obama’s ethnicity? Most people can’t handle contradicting information nor will they research it to determine what is fact or fiction. Obama being multiracial actually personifies the spirit of America. I would expect journalists, comedians and talk show hosts to be all over this fact and reveling in the opportunity to correct everyone else’s half-truths. If you call him a black candidate, then in the very next breath you should call him a white candidate, because he is just as “black” as he is “white” despite how he looks.
I want people to respond to this blog and NOT be afraid of being viewed as racist – so please let me know what you think. If you need to put a disclaimer for the stupid or overly sensitive readers, please feel free. Here’s mine: Alright people, if you think I am racist, prejudiced, or any other disgusting word used to describe that pitiful existence, you are exactly the reason there is so much mislabeling.