I don't know what's going on these days. I mean, it's got to be a full moon or something.
Whatever the cause, tempers are getting short. People are going off the deep end, shooting from the hip without aiming first.
I'd reported the first part of this before; the outburst of Congressman Joe Wilson (R, SC) during Barack Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress last week. Whether he was right or wrong in calling Obama a liar is moot, but the man did go off in a most public and undignified way. Earlier today, Wilson told local radio show host Rocky D that he "had a Town Hall moment." Says it all.
Then, there's Serena Williams. For at least a decade she and her sister owned women's tennis. Up against Kim Cljisters in the U.S. Open last week, she went nuts after the ref called her on a foot fault. Got loud and said something about where she'd like to shove the ball.
And on Sunday, Kanye West went bonkers. Now, I don't really know who this Kanye West is; I'd have to ask my younger friends who are more hip to this pop culture thing. But during an MTV music video awards ceremony, West got on stage and interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech with a rant using lots of words beginning with the letter F.
Maybe these folks, who don't exactly have holes in their shoes, are feeling the pinch of the times too. It's a little hard for us working stiffs to understand what kind of pressure the Williamses, Wests, and Wilsons may feel, but it's there regardless.
I know that here on the mean streets of Anywheresburg, USA, people are getting slap crazy, as we say Down South. Short with other people. They're on edge, and sometimes completely over it. Watching out more for Numero Uno than before. And that's understandable. Times are squirelly. Those who have jobs are wondering how long they'll keep them, and those with a little money in the bank or a 401(k) are watching their balances shrink.
As our economy gets more uncertain, tranquilizer darts become essential survival gear.
We had a batch of layoffs at work last week, and I was one of four casualties in a small shop. OK, that's a personal thing, and my own situation doesn't really play into this topic. But for a 10-day period -- from the time my boss announced that layoffs were coming until the day the ax finally fell -- nobody was worth a flip at work. Everybody on the ol' totem pole guarded his own hindparts, from the lowest to the highest. No one was really sure where the cuts were to occur -- bottom or top. Also under scrutiny was whether the railroad company might shut the whole ramp down, as it incurred heavy losses in the past eight months or so.
Because of this uncertainty, all of us were on edge. There were one or two guys we were especially worried about. One guy was a crane operator, running heavy equipment, and we were concerned he might attempt to carve a whole new lane right on top of the office. He was chosen as Most Likely To Go Postal in our informal staff poll, and we had our escape routes mapped out in case we heard that crane engine roar.
For that week and a half, very little work got done. But once the ax fell, things started getting back to normal. Layoffs were announced Thursday, and three of those casualties showed up for work Friday to finish their terms. Kind of a sad scene -- Handshakes and hugs all around as the newly-minted ex-employees clocked out for the last time, and the folks in my department bought me lunch and gave me a nice card. But for all of us the pressure was off. For now, anyway.
Among truckers, this mess our politicians call an economy had them under the gun for several months and tempers were quite short there, too. More haulers were driving like idiots than before, cutting one another off in line, scaring people on the freeway, screaming that they were in a hurry to make some coin while it's still there. One trucking company -- the one most affected by the railroad's loss of its biggest client -- is likewise in a precarious position. I expect to see many of its drivers laid off within the month, and now they're getting crazy.
A few other haulers saw layoffs in the past few months, and there's more a spirit of every-man-for-himself among the survivors. I began to see more predatory practices. Truckers were hauling things I'd never seen them haul before. Rather than one company handling one shipping company, the lines were blurred. As an example, Bridge Terminal Trucking (BTT) used to haul all Maersk containers. It was an exclusive contract. Now four or five companies are pulling them, and I used to rag those drivers about all the starving BTT drivers. The usual response? "Screw 'em."
Strangely enough, the one place where everyone seemed at a low key was at the unemployment office. I'm serious. At least things are a little more certain there. It's a lot easier to operate -- or at least hold your mud -- when some ax isn't hanging over your head.
Either that, or those tranquilizer darts are taking effect.
Whatever the cause, tempers are getting short. People are going off the deep end, shooting from the hip without aiming first.
I'd reported the first part of this before; the outburst of Congressman Joe Wilson (R, SC) during Barack Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress last week. Whether he was right or wrong in calling Obama a liar is moot, but the man did go off in a most public and undignified way. Earlier today, Wilson told local radio show host Rocky D that he "had a Town Hall moment." Says it all.
Then, there's Serena Williams. For at least a decade she and her sister owned women's tennis. Up against Kim Cljisters in the U.S. Open last week, she went nuts after the ref called her on a foot fault. Got loud and said something about where she'd like to shove the ball.
And on Sunday, Kanye West went bonkers. Now, I don't really know who this Kanye West is; I'd have to ask my younger friends who are more hip to this pop culture thing. But during an MTV music video awards ceremony, West got on stage and interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech with a rant using lots of words beginning with the letter F.
Maybe these folks, who don't exactly have holes in their shoes, are feeling the pinch of the times too. It's a little hard for us working stiffs to understand what kind of pressure the Williamses, Wests, and Wilsons may feel, but it's there regardless.
I know that here on the mean streets of Anywheresburg, USA, people are getting slap crazy, as we say Down South. Short with other people. They're on edge, and sometimes completely over it. Watching out more for Numero Uno than before. And that's understandable. Times are squirelly. Those who have jobs are wondering how long they'll keep them, and those with a little money in the bank or a 401(k) are watching their balances shrink.
As our economy gets more uncertain, tranquilizer darts become essential survival gear.
We had a batch of layoffs at work last week, and I was one of four casualties in a small shop. OK, that's a personal thing, and my own situation doesn't really play into this topic. But for a 10-day period -- from the time my boss announced that layoffs were coming until the day the ax finally fell -- nobody was worth a flip at work. Everybody on the ol' totem pole guarded his own hindparts, from the lowest to the highest. No one was really sure where the cuts were to occur -- bottom or top. Also under scrutiny was whether the railroad company might shut the whole ramp down, as it incurred heavy losses in the past eight months or so.
Because of this uncertainty, all of us were on edge. There were one or two guys we were especially worried about. One guy was a crane operator, running heavy equipment, and we were concerned he might attempt to carve a whole new lane right on top of the office. He was chosen as Most Likely To Go Postal in our informal staff poll, and we had our escape routes mapped out in case we heard that crane engine roar.
For that week and a half, very little work got done. But once the ax fell, things started getting back to normal. Layoffs were announced Thursday, and three of those casualties showed up for work Friday to finish their terms. Kind of a sad scene -- Handshakes and hugs all around as the newly-minted ex-employees clocked out for the last time, and the folks in my department bought me lunch and gave me a nice card. But for all of us the pressure was off. For now, anyway.
Among truckers, this mess our politicians call an economy had them under the gun for several months and tempers were quite short there, too. More haulers were driving like idiots than before, cutting one another off in line, scaring people on the freeway, screaming that they were in a hurry to make some coin while it's still there. One trucking company -- the one most affected by the railroad's loss of its biggest client -- is likewise in a precarious position. I expect to see many of its drivers laid off within the month, and now they're getting crazy.
A few other haulers saw layoffs in the past few months, and there's more a spirit of every-man-for-himself among the survivors. I began to see more predatory practices. Truckers were hauling things I'd never seen them haul before. Rather than one company handling one shipping company, the lines were blurred. As an example, Bridge Terminal Trucking (BTT) used to haul all Maersk containers. It was an exclusive contract. Now four or five companies are pulling them, and I used to rag those drivers about all the starving BTT drivers. The usual response? "Screw 'em."
Strangely enough, the one place where everyone seemed at a low key was at the unemployment office. I'm serious. At least things are a little more certain there. It's a lot easier to operate -- or at least hold your mud -- when some ax isn't hanging over your head.
Either that, or those tranquilizer darts are taking effect.
No comments:
Post a Comment