July 11th, 2024 - The Arrogance of Idiots and Corporate Shitshows
A Lesson in Listening, Divorce Drama, and Social Media Madness for Teenagers
Today was a masterpiece of fuckery. Demo from a software vendor - one of those playground bully types. I laid it out clear in the briefing email and phone call, but that arrogant shit ignored it. They botched it. My client, pissed off, asks, “Did they not get a briefing?” Fucking embarrassing… for them. What the hell are people thinking? You need to be a better listening box in this business. But nah, no sympathy from me. We have to listen to these clowns for political reasons. Big corporate, pathetic as always.
Flying home today. The glamorous life of a consultant. Can’t wait to see the boys. Who knows what the mother’s got planned this weekend? Last weekend, her narcissistic streak showed up again. It’s not going to change. Walking on eggshells is the norm. I need to get my own place, but first, I’ve got to sort out these damn “divorce papers.” We’re not even married and still have to deal with this crap. Life sucks, especially for the kids.
Speaking of the kids, I’m worried about them. Social media has screwed up a generation, research shows. When is it right for them to have a TikTok account? How do you deal with your kid being an outsider because they’re not online? Listened to my favorite podcast, All In, today. Jonathan Haidt was on, talking about this mess. Great chat. I’ve got a few years before this hits my oldest, and I have no fucking idea how to handle it. Haidt shared some norms that make sense:
• No smartphone before high school (flip phone is fine).
• No social media before 16.
• Phone-free schools.
• More free play and independence in the real world.
That’s it. Don’t get all worked up about things you can’t control. Sometimes, you can’t help them. But get excited and engage when it counts.
Links to share:
Book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
Substack: https://substack.com/@jonathanhaidt
All In Podcast with Jonathan Haidt: