A Squandered Life By Adam Carolla- The Sunday Collage

The story I'm about to tell you is true. It might very well be called, "They don't know what they don't know."

On Friday I flew to Seattle with co-workers. One of those co-workers was a 21 year old liberal girl who has her nose pierced. I don't know about you- but these nose piercings look kind of stupid and unattractive to me. That's just my opinion. I am in awe at the number of women who have done this.

At the Boise Airport we all dutifully lined up for the pre flight jug fuck and strip search that has now become a part of our flying lives. Just after getting scanned- TSA pulled me off the line because they discovered a nine inch screwdriver that I forgot to remove from my backpack. Not only did they take the screwdriver but they proceeded to tell me that screwdrivers up to 7" are allowable. Apparently, no pilot has ever been killed by a seven incher.

In a sort of related story, this guy refused to show ID and beat the government machine. http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/22234431metro01-22-11.htm#ixzz2rYxX0MnB

A quick story. Three years ago, my girlfriend actually went through the checkpoint with a  .38 revolver in her purse. I had put it in her purse. When she discovered the gun and called me from the plane I told her not to say a word. Undoubtedly, she would have been arrested and the TSA would have told every newspaper in the world how they had foiled another terrorist attempt.

Meanwhile back at the line...

To add insult to the public embarrassment of having been caught with an obvious weapon of mass destruction- my 21 year old co-worker began to tell me what I need to do next time to have a successful encounter with TSA, I guess because she is much more savvy than folks like me. Plus she added, they are only doing their "jobs." I deserved all of this you see, because I failed to find the screwdriver while packing the backpack.

When I tried to explain the genesis of this TSA- government intrusion into our lives- she told me that she didn't want to hear my "conspiracy theories." I asked her if she had ever heard of building 7. She said she had not. Quick math meant she was about 8 when the towers came down. I suppose nobody told the 8 year olds about building 7.

This level of contempt is not only disrespectful but it comes from the mind of a 21 year old liberal with a pierced nose. I immediately began to wonder about her parents and what a wonderful job they did raising their daughter. I opted out of any further conversation with her the entire trip.

On Saturday, our guest speaker was Adam Carolla. Adam gave a one hour talk about his parents who squandered away their lives and as their son, he became determined not to follow suit. I couldn't help but think that the only thing separating Adam from anything else- was luck. This guy didn't even go to college but he did have the good fortune to stumble across Jimmy Kimmel and together they started the "Man Show." As Carolla spoke about his life and how intelligent he was while avoiding a giant episode of squandry- I did note that he had parlayed a little fame into 15,000 dollar speaking engagements.

Our company spent in the neighborhood of 50,000 dollars on the annual meeting. They can't find the means to pay us more than ten bucks an hr. nor will they pay overtime. But they spent the entire day telling us how important we were to the company while pissing away 15 thousand on Adam Carolla.

The company likes to give themselves cash awards at the end of the annual meeting. These go mostly to the home office people up in Seattle. They probably squandered 10 grand or so on that. 

One of the guys I work with is a little Ukrainian fella named Sergei. Sergei is a straight arrow who has a couple of kids, believes in God, and is the kind of American that Americans used to be. Whenever I see extravaganzas- such as our company flying us all to Seattle for the annual tail wagging event- I find myself apologizing to Sergei. I do that I think because I am embarrassed. I am embarrassed that Sergei can't find a job that pays more than 10 bucks an hour and with that- he is supposed to raise two kids, pay a mortgage, and buy health insurance on the Obamacare exchange while our company pisses away three times Sergei's annual salary on a meeting.

I kind of got reflective after the meeting- the internal haves v the have nots conflict- that I think about after witnessing things like this.

On the way home, the vacant seat next to me was taken up by a rather nasty, older woman who I had the misfortune of trying to be nice to. She was from Anchorage on her way to Sun Valley. Having spent half of my life in Moonbat Valley, I have to say she was a strong fit there. She was clearly annoyed by my pleasantries and really could care less about anything I had to say. So she put her face in a book, "Proof of Heaven" and we flew home in silence. It gave me plenty of time to think. In fact, as she got up to leave, she said nothing to me. I fully expected that. I mean after all, I have a lot of experience with the snobby, elite, and entitled folks who have migrated to Moonbat Valley over the years.

This is how it is in America.

I have often wondered how it is that older generations tends to look on the following generations with contempt and disdain. These are the things I wonder about when I sit in silence hemmed in by an angry woman looking for God in a book. Today's Americans are not interested in other people. They are not interested in the lives of Ukrainian immigrants or of retired police chiefs. They are interested in themselves, how much money they can make, electronic gadgetry and big screen tvs, superficial things like pierced noses and texting. They are interested in famous people like Justin Bieber and Adam Carolla, boob jobs, and mostly themselves.

It's not a rite of passage. It is simply an observation made by older Americans. Older Americans have been witnessing the cultural decay of a society that doesn't have time for civility or the less fortunate. There is no real sanctity or respect for others, no time for abstract ideas or possibilities like God. A society that doesn't ask what's the right thing to do- but rather what is the legal minimum.  A society that can't even communicate with one another. Go to New York and try to say "hi" to someone on the street. They'll ignore you. This is our precedent. This is what we have become.

Older Americans have perspective. They know what they know. It is historical.

So the youth of today, don't know what they don't know. They don't know an American culture based on doing the right thing and helping others. They don't understand civility. They don't know that 70% of this country claimed Christianity at the turn of the last century. (1900) They think killing fetuses is ok so long as you can rationalize your decision, ignore the sanctity of life, and drink or drug away the guilt that comes with it. They don't understand respect for others- because they were never taught this and they are emotionally absent anyway. They don't engage. They think no is a bad word. They don't help anyone unless there is something in it for them. They have gadgets to buy, tattoos on their asses, and noses with fake stones sticking out one side of a nostril.

That is the promising youth of tomorrow.

Oddly, it's not like that in small communities that were able to resist the influences of the external world. People actually seem to care for each other. That was my experience in the early days of Moonbat Valley before Mr. Anderson and all of his twins arrived. (Matrix reference) That's the way it is in places like Payette, Id. and Joseph, Or.

And what of Adam Carolla and his fear of a squandered life?

Did his parents squander their lives by having him? Did I squander my life watching the Man Show and Adam Carolla? Did I squander my Saturday afternoon? Did Mother Teresa squander her life?

Not once did Adam mention being happy. Perhaps happiness does not figure into how we are supposed to live anymore. Happiness or lacking an honorable mention there of- was rather interesting by it's very absence. I wanted to ask Adam if he was happy but as it turns out- Adam couldn't stick around beyond the one hour time limit he sets for these things. Not once did I see him make eye contact with any member of the audience- when his hour was up- poof he was gone.

Adam Carolla is a perfect mirror for what our culture has become. Celebrity worship. No wonder guys like Carolla buy into the theme. Adam Carolla, high school graduate, was paid in one hour- what it will take Sergei, high school graduate- to make in 9 months of hard work at our company's low ball pay rates.

Like my friend Billy always says. We are all searching for a niche where we make the most money with the least amount of work. Adam has found that niche. Sometimes when blind luck whacks us over the head, we trick ourselves into thinking that we were entitled or deserving when in fact we are simply lucky or born into a family of means. The birth lottery. Life and chance. It's fascinating.

That's what I know.

 

 





    











Comments

And the Baby Boomers are depending on these young people to keep their Social Security and Medicare payments coming in. It doesn't look good, my friend.
Anonymous said…
Great observations Brian. These societal traits that people have developed are the reason America is rotting from the inside out. This pathetic behavior starts at the top of our government and heads of corporations.
If you remember the movie "Trading Places" and the Duke brothers bet about breeding and environment, well if you make being rude and self centered and inconsiderate normal and acceptable behavior then environment breeds your social structure. Oh and by the way, you owe me $ One Dollar !
Anonymous said…
Great Article Brian ) Sergei
Anonymous said…
The world is full of savages, shitheads and snobs. I ignore them. Life is too short to be bothered with them.
Anonymous said…
A squandered life? Not grabbing life by the balls every day. That's a squandered life!

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