It is the end of the month and time once again for our monthly review series. Our muse for the month of August is none other than Charlie Sheen.
Charlie Sheen’s 60th birthday is coming up in a few days on September 3, so there is no time quite as fitting as the present to review the life of the best male role model in Hollywood when it comes to women and dating.
Charlie Sheen is an American film and television actor who was born Carlos Irwin Estevez on September 3, 1965 in New York City. Born into a family of actors, Sheen is the son of actor Martin Sheen, and the brother of Emilio Estevez.
Sheen is best known for playing the role of philandering bachelor Charlie Harper on the hit dating sitcom, “Two and a Half Men” (2003-2015).
Two and a Half Men was created by Chuck Lorre, and the lead protagonist on the show is loosely based on Sheen’s dating life in reality.
Men lasted for 12 seasons and 262 episodes, but was sadly canceled a few years after Charlie was fired from the show in 2011, during a time when he was at the pinnacle of his acting career, being the highest paid actor on television at the time.
Sheen was allegedly fired amid controversy surrounding wage disputes, but many speculate that his use of illicit substances was becoming an issue. Sheen has a reputation for living somewhat of a wild party life, but despite all of that, his name has never been called up in a #metoo scandal.
They got Weinstein, Cosby and most recently Diddy. Then before that they got Kobe Bryant in 2003. The feminist court system humiliated these men, dragged their good names through the mud and exposed all of the gory details of their trysts for all the world to see, and they did so without mercy. They’ve managed to humiliate all these men but they never got Charlie, and they likely never will. Do you know why?
Because he pays them to leave.
Not necessarily because he wants to, but because he has no other choice if he wants to be responsible with how he keeps multiple women as a public figure in the #metoo era. Because when you are a high profile individual like he is, it’s very easy to become someone’s target due to the high levels of public scrutiny involved.
Charlie may act like aloof sometimes, but he’s actually really smart. He knows the game, and he also knows that there is a certain amount of contractual protection that comes from engaging in transactional encounters. So say what you will about the guy, he could get mixed up in a million other scandals, but I guarantee you that #metoo is not one of them.
I am not encouraging you to do what he does, but the least you can do is take a page or two out of his book. Protect yourself from golddigging feminist vultures. Go get laid without the risk of a scandal. Hire a professional, then pay her to leave.
But obviously take the necessary health and family planning precautions with a professional as you would with any woman.
So here’s to the next sixty years of paying them to leave, because guys like Charlie tend to live forever. I shall drink to that, and so will he I bet. I give the role model success story of Charlie Sheen a whopping five out of five Tiger Blood cocktails, and I’ll see you on the next one.
A lot of people have a false sense of obligation, an incessant need to be nice to everyone. They do so out of fear that they will hurt the feelings of others who will then go on to perceiving them as bad people if they do not comply.
Unfortunately, not everyone deserves you being nice to them, as that only opens up the door for you to be abused by people who are truly horrible. The good news though, is that withholding your niceness doesn’t mean that you are a bad person. In this article, I will be going over the main difference between what it means to be nice, versus kindness, versus decency.
Nice:
People think that being nice means that you are a good person. But first of all, did you know that the etymology of the word “nice” is stupid or naive, or weak? This is why people take kindness for weakness, because they are hardwired to see you as a fool or a jester if they think you are too nice.
This could be an unconscious reaction, or a conscious decision that they may try to resist if they are decent enough, or conscious enough. But it doesn’t change their primal wiring, it just makes them more aware.
However, in a modern sense, that is not always the case, as being nice is often used as part of an act to make you drop your guard so they can go in for the kill without much resistance.
The modern fool is he who believes that someone who is being nice is genuine, and repays their niceness with niceness of his own. Nice is not a natural occurrence, it is a conscious effort on the part of the person being nice.
Kind:
Kindness on the other hand is less performative, and is not a type itself, but only a trait of decency. Anyone can be kind, but unlike being nice which is just fake, kindness is not performed and is done more authentically.
However, one must be very strategic with how they are kind, and who they are kind to. We have a saying in Jamaica, “if you feel sorry fi mawga dawg (skinny dog), he will turn around and bite you.”
Some people are not inherently good, they just lack the necessary resources to be evil with impunity. We have another saying in Jamaica, “the higher the monkey climbs, the more he is exposed.” So if you are kind to the wrong person, they could end up killing you.
This is exactly what happens to a lot of battered wives who end up with abusive husbands. They rush into a marriage without getting to know the person they are marrying because they are lonely and afraid of being alone. This is especially true if they see all of their friends getting married and having babies before them.
Just because you are being kind doesn’t mean you should drop your guard. First of all, someone doesn’t get to benefit off you simply for breathing. They need to be able to demonstrate why they need your help and what’s in it for you. This is also the time to observe their behavior, and see what they are really about simply by observing their general attitude.
You might not be able to readily ascertain their true intentions, but you will be able to gather enough just from observing them.
That doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you responsible. Be kind to yourself first.
Decent:
Decency is innate. You are either a decent person, or you are not. It cannot be faked. You can fake being nice, but you cannot fake decency or genuineness. But just because you are decent doesn’t mean that you are nice. And then, not being nice doesn’t make you a bad person.
In fact, if you know that you are a genuine person, you really need to keep your guard up, even more than the average joe. You cannot afford to be nice. You can be kind, you can even be decent, just not nice.
Conclusion:
I am not saying to fight your nature, as doing so will only drive you mad. I am saying to embrace the fact that there are really two sides to your nature, and to be selective with whom you show each side of yourself to.
Here is a general rule of thumb that I always like to follow;
Be decent in general because manners matters. It is generally a good business practice to be fair, otherwise you risk alienating potential allies.
Be kind to the woman in your bed, because she is the only person who has used the most intimate parts of herself to heal your pain.
But only be nice to the guy in the mirror, because he’s the only guy you can be sure won’t screw you with it.
As for society in general, be indifferent. You don’t have to be rude unless provoked, then no one could blame you. You don’t have to be evil, otherwise you’d be no different from them. Just indifferent.
In last week’s article, I addressed the topic of corporate marriage, and how there are in fact more than one type of marriage to consider avoiding if you are a man going his own way. I recommend that you go back and read that article if you want the context of that message.
But similar to avoiding corporate marriage, first time homeownership is also on the decline. People are just not buying single-family homes like they used to, and homeownership is only going to continue declining for the foreseeable future. There are several reasons why this is so. Such as; remaining in bachelorhood and not producing families, and unexpected repairs among other headaches that comes with owning one’s own home.
Even so, the most notorious reason why people are not buying homes like they used to are property taxes. But do property taxes even make sense?
If the state can put a tax lien on your property in the event that you default on your property taxes, despite the mortgage being fully paid off, then what was the point of paying off the mortgage?
For that reason, many people have chosen to remain apartment tenants rather than becoming home owners. Choosing to keep renting means that you remain stuck under someone else’s dominion. But hey, at least you don’t have a false sense of ownership, right? However, for those who still want their little slice of the American dream, here are a few alternatives for the state to consider.
Lump sum
The idea behind making lump sum payments is that you pay, say 20 years up front, and you don’t have to worry about it for another 20 years.
Rebate
Similar to lump sum, the rebate concept is such where you are able to shrink your property taxes by paying extra taxes up front. The extras can either rollover annually, or in decades. Under that system, you should also be able to opt to receive a rebate check in the mail, kind of like a bond. You buy their debt, they flip it and give you back the principal.
Either/or
The idea behind this concept is that it’s either the state imposes income tax or property tax, but you can’t have both. Texas already has the right idea. They historically do not charge income taxes, and instead rely mostly on property taxes due to how much vast acres of land they have over there. We already have a federal tax burden, how much more money could the state possibly want?
Purchase year exemptions
The idea behind this notion is that you may be exempt from paying property taxes if you purchased your home anytime before, say 1960 for example. However, the catch is that 1960 would only remain the cut off year during the decade of the 2020’s, and should ideally be moved up to 1970 in 2030, then 1980 in 2040, etc. Why should your grandparents still be subjected to property taxes if they purchased their home way back in 1950?
Irrevocable Trust
The idea here is that your heirs and successors will never have to pay property taxes if you add it to their trust fund as part of your estate. But because it is a trust, even though you will no longer own it outright, you are still allowed to live there until the day you die.
Disability Status
You should never have to pay property taxes if you are disabled. That’s just not right. Where will you go if you default on your taxes due to low income? Then you’ll just become a burden on the state.
Purchase Tax
But ideally, the only tax you should ever have to pay on your home is a sales tax at the point of purchase. A one time payment that you make when purchasing your home like you do with smartphones and refrigerators, etc. Very few nations on earth have taken this approach to home ownership, and I feel like at least one state in the US should consider taking on this approach. Even if that state turns out to be Alaska.
Solution?
One emergency car repair or medical bill can set you back to square one. However, it is not enough to simply sit there and complain about it. You have to take action. Form a group with others of like mind. Call your congressman. Try to get it on a ballot before the midterm race next year (California Prop 64) for example. You know how they do it.
If they want houses to start selling again, they should be able to help us out within reason. It’s the least they can do. I otherwise don’t see any improvements in the housing market for the foreseeable future.
There is a group of online men calling themselves MGTOW, men going their own way. They are a group of men in online community forums who are jaded with the current dating climate in the west, and as such have chosen to basically reject women before women can reject them.
As a result of the MGTOW movement, marriage and fertility rates are now significantly lower than expected, as men are increasingly opting out of society. The abundance of free, online porn in the privacy of their homes doesn’t exactly help matters much either.
And that is all fine and dandy. More power to them if that is what they want. But their hypocrisy will now be exposed through one question and one question only; if you are opting out of domestic marriage, why are you still engaged in corporate marriage?
Any man who is employed to a company he doesn’t personally own is fully aware of the fact that he has two wives, his house wife and his work wife. He has chosen one wife, while the other is chosen for him, and there is nothing he can do about it.
TV co-anchors are the most popular work wives because they are also the most obvious. But other work wives include; the girl who sits next to your cubicle, or the girl who carpools with you on the regular, or the girl with whom you take your daily lunch breaks.
Regardless of her role, she is your team member, or the girl in HR, and the only way to be rid of her is if you resign. But for as long as you remain employed at that company, you don’t control who gets to access you.
The hypocrisy of MGTOW men now lies in the mantra that they are checking out of society, yet clocking in for their shifts. When have you ever seen a male staffer working in HR, or payroll? If you don’t want women controlling the money that comes out of your wallet, why would you tolerate a woman controlling what goes in?
When you accept a job offer, you are probably very excited, because you may feel like your life is getting back on track, but in reality it is about to spiral out of control.
They control when you wake up, when you eat, in some cases what you eat, when you leave the house, when you get back home, how much sleep you get, even down to the days in which you don’t have to leave the house.
They are about to control so much of your life in so many ways, and you won’t see it coming until you are already in too deep with the wrong people, because jobs are corporate gangs.
If they consider you to be an oddball, the schedule they give you will be deliberately designed to disorient you while sapping your strength and resilience. When that happens, the only way to stop them is to resign.
But resigning is hard to do because most people just want the comfort of easy money. And also to avoid the clusterfuck of applying for another job and go through another hiring process so soon, only to encounter more or less the same type of people.
The solution? Going one’s own way is not just about marriage and dating, it is the whole spectrum of societal activities. Which includes; employment, dating, friend groups/socializing, legal, medical, political, and housing. A true MGTOW is the man who lives with his doberman in some cabin in the woods away from fucking humans.
Of course that is a bit extreme, and may not be suitable for everyone. Particularly because cities have resources, and the only way to be truly free on earth is to forfeit all your earthly possessions.
So here is one sure way to use some of those resources regardless of where you choose to live, and in a way that doesn’t compromise your sovereignty.
If you don’t want anyone else to control what goes in or out of your wallet, then you must do so yourself. Do some soul searching. Find your niche. Build a successful business around that niche (especially now as the AI revolution rages on). Not only will AI take your job, but you can also put it to work for you. Get paid in full.
So not only do you get paid for what you produce, but you also gain a sense of occupational fulfillment that one generally does not gain from employment. Because of that, the only corporate marriage you should enter into is with the corporation that you created.
As part of my power series, I thought now would be a rather fitting time to cover the topic of corporate serfdom. First of all, the word “serf,” not to be confused with “surf,” is an archaic expression for “serve.” It was more common during medieval times to refer to a peasant or a commoner.
Back then, servants were either domestic or field servants. They would pay to occupy their farmland by offering up the cream of the crop to their land lords during harvest, while keeping the rest for their families.
Barely having enough to get by, most of them lived in squalor, often having dirt floors in their cottages, and living among mice and filth. They would supplement their funds by barter trading in the market place during the day. But no matter what, they were always expected at church on a Sunday.
This practice continued throughout much of the dark ages, and there is a common misconception that serfdom ended during the renaissance.
Serfdom however, has continued through this day, but has taken on a different form. Modern serfdom has taken on a more corporate form, and has become so subtle that many people are of the delusion that they are free.
If you believe that you are free, you are just not at rock bottom. This week, I will be touching on the varying degrees of corporate serfdom, and where you might fit into all of this.
So without further ado, let’s begin.
Hard Homelessness:
This is the kind of homelessness where you are on the streets. If you are not living under a bridge, you are living behind a dumpster in some seedy alleyway. If you are not on drugs, you are surrounded by those who use, and if you are not strong willed, it won’t be long before they get you hooked.
Many people have chosen hard homelessness because they complain that the shelter staff are mean to them, and they don’t like being told what to do. Others are simply too far gone to qualify for a shelter. If you are in this situation for extended periods, it becomes really hard to break out of certain mindsets that you have adopted in order to survive. As a result of that, many people just sit in it, and succumb to it.
Convicted Felons:
Picture this! You have guaranteed permanent housing and three square meals a day, all paid for by the courtesy of the American taxpayer. And all you had to do in order to qualify was rob a bank. The only catch is that you are not free to go as you like. Now I don’t know about you, but now would be a damn good time to rethink the guaranteed clause in your permanent housing contract. But hey, at least you are not on the streets, right? Right?
Soft Homelessness:
This is the kind of homelessness where you are either in your car, or placed inside a shelter. These guys are mostly veterans with PTSD who were placed in shelters by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). At least you are free to come and go as you please.
On the other hand #VanLife is kinda cool, until the van breaks down in the middle of fucking summer that is.
Gig Economy:
If you are in this position, you are either a starving podcaster trying to become social media famous, or you drive for Uber, Lyft, GrubHub, or Doordash. You can also be multiples of these at once. Besides being homeless or in prison, you are at the bottom. But at least you have a phone and a car, and you don’t have some greedy corporate pig breathing down your neck forty hours a week. Let’s get that money!
Blue Collar (non-union):
If you are in this position, you are either a Security Guard, a Parking Lot Attendant, or you work inside a factory, a warehouse, or in fast food.
This is a great position to be in when you are between the ages of 18 and 21 while going through college, or fresh out of high school, and not quite knowing what to do with your life. Because you are not part of a labor union, employers tend to take advantage of you in so many ways.
One example of this is that they have you sign an “at will” employment contract stating that either you or the employer can end the relationship at any time for any or no reason.
In reality, it really only applies to them, because if you want to resign, they are going to ask you why. Oh, but them? They can just up and fire you without probable cause. You should never allow yourself to be in this position any longer than two years, three at the most.
Blue Collar (unionized):
If you are in this position, you are likely a railroad builder, or you work for your city’s sanitation department. Other occupations include; construction, EMT, police officers, firefighters, etc.
They usually hire veterans with a strong work ethic, and the benefits are great. You get medical, dental, vision, and a lifelong pension after about twenty or thirty years. Five years for the NYPD.
As you can see, many jobs in the public sector are unionized, and it is a great way to improve your lot. But it is difficult to get in because there tends to be a lot of nepotism going on behind the scenes.
Blue Collar (active duty):
This position is specifically Government Issued, mostly active duty military ops. It is an adventurous life. You get to travel the world at no cost to you, the benefits are rewarding, and it is literally the only occupation where you earn a tax-free salary.
There is but one cause for concern. You will likely come back home with PTSD and substance abuse issues. But even that is better than coming back home in a casket.
White Collar (clerical):
This is the same position as being a non-union blue collar worker, except that answering the phone and faxing over documents is now part of your job description.
These are the office clerks, the gophers (now called mailroom clerks), the call center operators, medical assistants, medical coders, data entry technicians, receptionists, etc. The benefit?
Wearing a corporate noose (necktie) to work for only ten bucks an hour. At least they give you a chair in an air conditioned office. Too bad you have to share the A/C remote with Karen from HR.
White Collar (professional):
If you are in this position, you are likely a college graduate, and are probably either a lawyer, doctor, journalist or engineer. This is the best position to be in if you are working for someone else in the private sector. This is also the beginning of the six figure salary range, which as I have explained two articles ago, is the beginning of capital. Very few people make it that far, so the head count is comfortably lower.
Government:
If you are in this position, you are either a part of the legislative, judiciary or executive arm of the government. This could be at the local, state, or federal level. Once you are at the government level, you are either running as a democrat, a republican, or an independent, and you must be voted into office by the people.
The difference between politics and government is that politicians run for office while the winning party forms the government who then goes on to write policy. Once you have been elected to office, you are no longer acting as a politician until it is time to seek re-election.
The Oligarchy:
Oligarchs are those who run the massive corporations, the global conglomerates. Think Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. Think Fox News and NBC. Think the heirs of Sam Walton. These guys are in the Billions if not the Hundreds of Billions (intergenerational wealth), plus they have the benefit of privacy for them not being politicians. In some countries, the oligarchs have even more power than the government, and help shape policy.
Entrepreneurship:
While the Oligarchs are the Alpha Males (money) and the Government are also Alpha (leadership), the Entrepreneur is the only one who is truly Sigma. These guys are in a class by themselves. They don’t play the game, they build their own table and kick anybody out who doesn’t belong there. They figure out what works for them, then use it to build a Hundred Million dollar a year empire by solving problems for other people.
Take me for example. While growing up, my father always used to criticize me for not reading more often. But the reason I didn’t like to read was because I had ADHD, and so reading for me was kind of a useless chore. So when I eventually became an author, I built a successful publishing business around rich, dialogue-based short stories that are specifically geared towards readers with ADHD. I solved a problem for others that I wish someone could have solved for me years ago.
This is the spirit of entrepreneurship. Ignoring the cookie-cutter advice, finding what works, and then making it work. Where would we be today if Henry Ford didn’t go to Detroit? Or if the Wright Brothers had accepted the cookie-cutter answer that, “if god wanted man to fly, he would have given him wings?” For this reason, the entrepreneur is neither above, nor below the others in the hierarchy, he is truly in class by himself.
Conclusion:
So what is your current station in the hierarchy? Do you intend to move up their ladder, or build your own? How long do you think it will take for you to change your lot in life, and what are some of the strategies you think it will take to get there? Let’s talk about it in the comments. Thanks for reading.
It is the end of the month, and time once again for our monthly review series here on this blog site. Our muse for the month of July is a classic Twilight Zone episode titled, “The Lateness of the Hour.”
But before we begin, here is a disclaimer: The following review contains spoilers, so I strongly recommend watching the episode before reading this or any reviews on the topic. Now without further ado, let’s begin.
The Twilight Zone was an American television primetime anthology series created by Rod Serling. It originally aired on CBS between 1959 and 1964, and ran for five seasons and 156 episodes.
It was way ahead of its time due to its many themes on existentialism, and for questioning the status quo of the time, particularly as it pertains to power and racial equality, often using extraterrestrial life forms as metaphors.
The episode in question was episode 8 of season 2, and aired originally on December 2, 1960. Written by Rod Serling, and directed by Jack Smight, it was the first of five episodes that were videotaped on a soundstage due to budget cuts.
Though still incredibly haunting, the stiff, videotaped picture quality gave the episode more of a “Playhouse 90” or “General Hospital” feel, rather than the usual existential dread that one can expect from a typical Twilight Zone episode.
The Premise:
The episode features a young woman named Jana (Inger Stevens), the adult daughter of Dr. William Loren (John Hoyt), and his wife (Irene Tedrow). They live alone in a large house, and entirely rely on their servants for domestic comfort. One rainy night in particular, Jana begins to question her parents’ dependence on their servants.
Frustrated, Jana attacks the maid who tumbles down a flight of stairs before getting back up like nothing happened. It was only then that her father revealed that he created his servants to be quite indestructible.
We then cut to Serling’s opening narration, “The residence of Dr. William Loren, which is in reality a menagerie for machines. We’re about to discover that sometimes the product of man’s talent and genius can walk amongst us untouched by the normal ravages of time. These are Dr. Loren’s robots, built to functional as well as artistic perfection. But in a moment Dr. William Loren, wife and daughter will discover that perfection is relative, that even robots have to be paid for, and very shortly will be shown exactly what is the bill.”
The following scene sees Jana with her back turned to her father and his butler, yet is able to accurately lip sync every word of their conversation. The butler forgot to fill Dr. Loren’s pipe, so Jana breaks the nightly routine by offering to fill the pipe herself.
Jana is jaded with being home with her parents every night, and suggests that they all go out to a restaurant. Her father protests that doing so is a bad idea, because they would get sopping wet in the rain on their way over there. Then they would be served on dirty, unwashed plates dealing with rude, pushy normies. After that, it would be a question of whether they succumb to ptomain, or pneumonia.
Jana doesn’t seem to mind. She figures, “at least we get to live a little.” Or at least that’s what her attitude implies, to which her father gives her quite the sobering speech, “I have kept you from harm, I’ve protected you against disease, and insulation in this 20th century is no crime, it’s a service. You’ve never had to look into the face of war, or the face of poverty or prejudice. Well you’ve been isolated, yes. But what you think of as imprisonment just happens to be asylum, and security, yes, and survival.”
Jana still thinks that her parents have become so overly dependent on her father’s android servants, that very soon they won’t be able to survive without them. She threatens to run away from home if her father doesn’t dismantle the androids he built, to which he refuses.
He can’t just dismantle his life’s work, but at the same time, he loves his daughter, and doesn’t want to lose her. So he pleads with Jana to stay, but she makes another scene by climbing to the top of the stairs and announcing that the androids may be indestructible, but her parents are not.
In that moment, it seemed like the androids were getting ready to turn on the Lorens, but in the following scene, it turns out that they are ok. Dr. Loren further pleads with Jana to stay, who is adamant that she is leaving, and starts packing her suitcase. So he makes the most rational decision that any father would make under the circumstances, and summons the androids.
He tells them to meet him in the laboratory, and they all protest, saying what good servants they are, and why he should spare them. But his instructions are clear, his mind is made up.
In the next scene, Jana is seen happily running around the house, checking all the closets. And when it is obvious that the androids are gone, she hugs her parents and thanks them with love and loyalty.
She is excited that they can all go out and live like normies now that the androids are gone. But the joy that her parents get from watching Jana be happy for once soon turns to concern the moment she mentions the possibility of marrying and giving them grandchildren. She notices their concern, and asks them what’s wrong, but they excuse it away as shock that she would want to start dating so soon, and she’s not buying it.
She flips through the family photo album, and realizes that there are no pictures of her as a child, only of the robots, some of the photos were from twenty years ago. Her father asks her if she remembers her childhood, and she surmises that she was implanted with a memory track, similar to what Dr. Loren gave his android servants.
Dr. Loren explains to Jana that both he and Mrs. Loren were a childless couple, and that was when they “got her.” Realizing that she was made and not born, Jana runs up the stairs and bangs her wrist against the staircase railing, but is unable to feel anything, not even love. Her parents try to console her, but she is devastated to learn that her dream of having a family is ruined due to the fact that she is also an android. Her mother asks her father what to do, and he has an idea.
In the final scene, it is revealed that Dr. Loren reprogrammed Jana to be a maid, and she is seen giving her mother a shoulder rub.
Then we cut to Serling’s closing narration, “Let this be the postscript. Should you be worn out by the rigors of competing in a very competitive world. If you’re distraught from having to share your existence with the noises and neuroses of the 20th century. If you crave serenity, but want it full time, and with no strings attached. Get yourself a workroom in the basement, and then drop a note to Dr. and Mrs. William Loren. They’re a childless couple who made comfort a life’s work. And maybe there are a few do it yourself pamphlets still available in The Twilight Zone.”
Takeaway:
This particular postscript pretty much sums up the secret fantasy of every reclusive type who is forced to grind away in a hyper competitive world. This episode was way ahead of its time, and is even more relevant today than it was when it first premiered on television over 60 years ago.
I first saw this episode about 20 years ago, during a time when I was still living in Jamaica, going through high school, and barely younger than Jana was in that episode. I thought that android maids was a cool new concept, and as such it was fun to watch at the time. But it wasn’t anywhere near as relatable to me then, as it is now. In the space of twenty years my perspective has shifted from the naivety of a sheltered brat like Jana, to the wisdom and experience of her father.
The scene where he told her that she has never had to look into the face of poverty, prejudice or famine suggests to me that the Lorens could have lived through the great depression, or the holocaust.
Judging by the age of the actor John Hoyt (1905-1991), he was likely among the allied forces who stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944, which means that he stared directly into the face of war and bloodshed. Then he looked away and never looked back.
Jana doesn’t know the ways of the world so she believes that everyone is the same. “Who feels it, knows it,” so how can one appreciate serenity away from all the noise if they have never felt the noise?
Conclusion:
John Hoyt is my new favorite person just for that speech that Dr. Loren gave to Jana during the episode. Rewatching this episode in the present has given me a fresh new perspective, and has only served to reinforce my commitment to an introverted, reclusive life.
Imagine a life where liberty, security, and securities are the order of the day. Well I am of the firm belief that you are more likely to thrive as an introvert than you would in friendship groups. I give this one a solid five out of five android maids, and I’ll see you on the next one.
Do you remember when you were able to raise your first thousand? I do. It was about 12 years ago in New York. I earned it during the two months that I worked as a temp at the Port Authority Terminal over in Hell’s Kitchen, and poor me felt so rich at the time.
I had just turned 25, and barely coming out of years of unemployment, temping between jobs. If I was rich, I would have been able to invest the money as principal while comfortably living off the interest. I would have been way ahead of most New Yorkers at the time, and in fact most Americans. I just didn’t know any better.
But that is how they get you. They want you to feel rich off the very little that they pay you. The next thing you know, you find yourself taking out credit cards and auto loans you can’t afford. Or you start thinking about changing your zip code.
The feeling of being young and raising your first thousand is one of success and accomplishment. However, this is only the beginning and you cannot afford to lose track of reality, especially as a man, or you might just find yourself falling below stage one. Bet ya didn’t know there was even such a thing.
That is why I am here, to help put the varying levels of wealth building back into its proper context. Wealth building levels may vary based on currency, so for the sake of this article, I will be using the American dollar.
Negative:
This is an amount below zero. If you fall below zero, you are in the negatives, which means that you are in debt. Whether it’s overdraft on your checking account, or a credit card bill that’s past due, you have debt that you cannot afford to pay off. They made you feel so rich, but now they’re here to collect, and you just lost your job. They couldn’t have picked a worst possible time.
Peanuts:
This is an amount between 1 and 99 cents. This is how much they pay you to participate in online surveys. 34 cents, here, 25 cents there. You get the picture. They say it adds up if you do enough surveys over time. But who has time for that shit? We’ve got real bank to make.
Change:
This is an amount between 1 and 99 dollars. It’s literal change because it’s the paper notes you get back at the store whenever you break a solid hundred. A five, a ten, a couple of twenties and some singles.
America runs on change because if the poor man stops and buys a beer and a pack of cigarettes every night on his way home from work, and if every poor man does the same in every city across the country, then America runs on change.
Cash:
Cash is any amount between 100 and 1000 dollars. It is usually a bunch of Benjamins all rolled up, and is used to pay rent, bills, gas and groceries. The average employee has cash on hand. It makes you feel rich on a Friday night, but then you pay some bills and buy some weed over the weekend, and by Monday morning, you’re crying again. It doesn’t help if you have kids.
Savings:
This is an amount between 1000 and 10,000 dollars. This is where the climb goes a bit uphill. Very few Americans have $3000 to fall back on in case of an emergency. Even fewer Americans have $5000 or more in savings. This is very dangerous because one hospital visit, or car repair bill can wipe out your entire savings, and throw you back into poverty.
Surplus:
This is an amount between 10,000 and 100,000 dollars, where your net worth safely stays above $10,000. Here, the numbers dwindle even further. If you have a net worth within this range, you are ahead of most normies. You are on the right track, but you are not out of the woods yet.
Another reason why this is a danger zone is because most clout chasing normies love to act like they’re already there. And if you allow yourself to fall for it, then you are gullible enough to believe that pigs fly, especially when you consider that the only thing about the normies that is overflowing is their bathroom trash cans.
On the bright side, this is also a place where you can now afford to update your grocery list so as to include the proper nutrition. This is the “healthy foods that don’t suck” club. We’re talking salmon, tenderloin, shrimp and scallops as nightly dinner options. Nightly.
Capital:
Capital starts at $100K, the standard lot size of most investment portfolios. Capital is any amount between 100,000 and 1,000,000. You are now able to invest and grow the money, and the capital will be able to cover the shortfall of minor fluctuations in the market, but one hundred thousand is merely the beginning of capital. Either way, if you have capital, then you are way ahead of the average American.
Fortune:
This is an amount between 1,000,000 and 1,000,000,000 dollars. If you have a fortune, then you can talk about changing your zip code and splurging on that brand new 2026 Porsche and BMW convertible.
You can pull your kids out of public school and hire a governess to homeschool them, then send them backpacking through Europe at age 17 to teach them about life. Be forewarned however, that if you are in the millions, the money is rarely intergenerational, and may not exceed your lifetime if your net worth is below a hundred million.
Money is a joke:
This amount is only if your net worth is One Billion United States Dollars or greater. Think Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, etc. If you are in the hundreds of Billions, you have more money than you can afford to spend in 20 lifetimes if you were frugal with it, and as such you can afford to treat money as if it were a joke.
Once you are in the billions, you are now able to afford jets, yachts, private islands, golf courses, etc. Gambling away tens of millions in risky hedge funds may suddenly seem more exciting to you just for the sheer sport of it.
If you are second generation, you will likely not understand the value of hard work, and as such may be subjected to trust funds up until your 30th birthday. Third generation is even worse. You have never known a sick day where there isn’t a team of five doctors hovering over your bed at least twice an hour, trying to figure out what’s wrong with you. And hunger? That doesn’t exist on planet earth to you, it exists in a parallel dimension.
Conclusion:
In closing, where are you on this list? And where do you see yourself in five years? Above all else, what are you willing to do to get there, and do so in an honest and timely fashion?
When most people think about power, they only think about one kind, control. And because of that, they instinctually believe that power is inherently bad, because no one really wants to be controlled or manipulated.
However, there are many different forms of power, both good and bad. The difference is in how one chooses to wield it. In this week’s article we will go over each one of them.
In last week’s article, I stated that power is not for everyone, and I was right. But power within the context of that article was specifically related to leadership. I also stated that although leadership is definitely not for everyone, there are other forms of power that one can embrace.
But because the word “power” is overwhelmingly used as a euphemism for control and manipulation, the other forms are often overlooked, or not readily viewed as forms of power. The proof of that is that many people make the mistake of mentioning money and power as if they were two different things, which is always laughable to me.
So without further ado, the many forms of power.
Definition of Power:
First of all, what is power?
Power, so far as I understand it, is the leverage to be able to do whatever you so choose, and to be able to do so with impunity. For example, I am no different from Hitler in the fact that we both want power. The difference lies in the kind of power we want, and how we choose to obtain it.
Hitler wanted control over massive populations of people, and chose propaganda and bloodshed to get it. Jim Jones, David Coresh and Charles Manson wanted the same thing as Hitler, but over smaller groups of people who were more the religious type, and thus easier to manipulate.
Similar to PigBoss who wants control over a handful of desperate people, who themselves are in need of the ability to feed their children, and easily chooses to sell their power away in order to obtain limited power in the form of temporary provisions.
Another example is the fake friend/relative/coworker who wants to be able to borrow a bunch of free shit they have no intention of ever returning, so they intentionally set out to get you to like them enough to grant them easy access to you. Then there’s me. And all along, I just want the freedom to be able to earn a sustainable living from reclusive authorship.
In order to know whether or not you have power, you must ask yourself two basic, yet fundamental questions. What do I want to do? Am I able to do it freely? If your answer to the second question is no, then you are being controlled.
Control and Manipulation:
The first is the most popular form, and the most obvious, but also the most negative and self-serving form at the same time. The people who practice this form of power are psychopaths and narcissists. They will do and say whatever it takes to get you under their control.
That is where tactics such as gaslighting, breadcrumbing and projection comes into play. They will make you love them if they think it will make you serve them and give them a bunch of undeserved free shit. You tend to encounter these types in families, churches, in relationships, and on jobs.
Control is ultimately the most powerless form of power, because these people’s need for control and attention always comes from a deep-rooted place of insecurity. They don’t want control because they possess leadership qualities that they feel can be put to use. They want control for the sake of control, similar to “Big Brother” from a certain Orwellian dystopia.
They always target someone easy going who they feel won’t put up much of a fight. That’s why you need to fight like a honey badger whether or not you will actually win. Stop worrying about winning and start thinking about your survival. Sometimes persistence is the only weapon you need.
Leadership:
Often confused with control, leadership is the ability to command respect without demanding it. What do I mean by that? Leadership is basically the ability to take the initiative and lead by example. As a leader, you have the ability to make people want to listen to what you say, want to follow what you do.
This is something that has to come naturally, it cannot be forced, it requires charisma, ideas, and foresight in order to be effective, and is popular among schoolteachers and politicians. The best examples of strong, effective leadership that I can think of are that of the former Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley and former President Barack Obama. Other examples include civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Malcolm X.
Donald Trump doesn’t possess Obama’s charisma, but he gets the job done, so his style is a unique form of leadership. Leadership requires some form of influence. It also requires some level of control, and as such, it is therefore the middle ground between control and influence.
But unlike the malignant mentor who gains power from keeping you powerless, the natural leader is strong when we are all stronger together. Sadly, we have more control freaks in today’s world than we have natural leaders.
Influence:
The kind of power wielded by authors, journalists, actors, singers, artists, and socialites (now referred to as social media influencers).
To date, the most accurate definition of power that I have ever heard besides my own, was said by the late Jamaican talk show host Wilmot Perkins in 1998, when he said that power, “is the ability to effectuate one’s will over other people whether that person is willing or unwilling.” Perkins gave that definition on power when asked by fellow journalist Cliff Hughes whether or not journalists have power to which he said, “no, journalists have influence.”
But Perkins was only concerned about state power and leadership. As such, he failed to realize that influence is but one form of power. As a journalist myself, I regard myself as having the power of influence. If the underlying conditions of a single life can be improved from them reading this article, then that is power.
Physical Power:
The man with a car, looks at the man boarding a private chopper and says, “Man, I wish I had a chopper.” The man with a bicycle looks at the man with a car, and says, “I wish I had a car.” The man walking to the bus stop looks at the man with a bicycle and says, “I wish I had a bicycle.” Then the man in a wheelchair looks at the man walking and says, “I wish I had feet.”
Likewise, it can be said that the 95 year old man looks at the 39 year old complaining about gaining a little salt in his pepper and laughs, for he wishes he was 39, or even 50 again.
The physical power of youth coupled with the proper nutrition, rest and exercise will increase your chances of surviving an illness, as well as boost your recovery speed. You can’t pick up a dumbbell at 75 and expect to reverse the effects of your age, you have to start when you are still young. Never underestimate the power of your physical strength.
Spending Power:
Money. This is a big one.
Have you ever participated in a rather modern consumer activity more commonly known as window shopping? You look inside the display case of a store, and see something you want, but won’t buy it on the spot.
Well why don’t you just go inside the store and buy it? You obviously want it, right? What kind of power do you lack if at the moment, you are unable to walk inside the store and purchase the item outright? Spending power.
Spending power is a big one, and you will likely take it for granted until the moment you are faced with a pink slip, or an emergency that wipes out all of your life savings. At least you had savings. The key is in learning how to increase your spending power, and how to fool-proof it indefinitely. More on that in knowledge.
Knowledge:
They literally say that knowledge is power. If you have knowledge, not only will you be able to avoid the kind of traps set forth by narcissists and control freaks, but you will also be able to open several streams of passive income, so as not to remain dependent on these fools. Once you gain knowledge, only then will you realize that it was just an old man behind a curtain pulling the strings all along. An old man known simply as fear.
I call upon you now to make a pledge. Not to me, but to yourselves to gain as much knowledge as you can over the next five years from now until December 31, 2029. Knowledge on money and how to grow it. Knowledge on nutrition and gerontology. Knowledge on the different personality types and their motivations as well as who to avoid. Knowledge on mental health and stability. But above all else, knowledge of self.
Who are you? What are your likes and dislikes? Where do you want to spend the rest of your life? What do you want to do with your life? With whom do you want to do it? Make a pledge to yourselves to shut out all the noises and neuroses of the 21st century and do some thorough soul searching. Because knowledge is power.
Though there are many forms of power, when most people think about power, they really mean control. Not service, nor leadership, nor strength. Just control. Whether mass control through religious dogma, propaganda or financial abuse, or control over one person through abuse and gaslighting, control is what they have in mind when they talk about power.
However, power within the context as I have described it is not for everyone. Only for those who can effectively handle having that kind of power.
Let me clarify that power is not inherently bad. Being able to empower yourself with an education, self-esteem and the proper financial literacy is sure to give you an advantage over those who only seek to control you, which is a good thing.
But anybody who wants power for the sake of power has to be a narcissist. I feel like if one is in a position of leadership, it should be to help and assist other people. However, when dealing with people, human nature takes over, and it won’t be long before greed and corruption seeps in, because power corrupts.
So most people are in a position of power because they want control for the sake of control, which is the most accurate definition of greed that I can think of. Don’t believe me? Think back to every boss you’ve ever had. Every school principal, every hall monitor or dean of discipline from all of your alma maters. How many of them were there for the benefit of others? How many of them were there for a fair and reciprocal exchange?
Most mid-level supervisors on these blue collar jobs are nothing more than some insecure, ghetto people who just like being at the forefront of power so they can feel important. This is how they help soothe the deficiencies of humble beginnings, similar to how other people use food binges for the same reason.
At the same time, however, I think it is worth noting that these same people are also spoiled and entitled. So I empathize with their humble beginnings, but not their sense of entitlement.
Ideally, positions of authority should be filled with decent people with strong ethical values who actually want to serve others instead of coming with agendas for control and status. Notice I said decent and not nice. More on the difference later.
But it ties in to what I have been saying as it pertains to the kind of people who should be in positions of authority. For better or worse, power is not meant for nice people. You can be decent and respectful, but you cannot be nice. It reminds me of a meme I once saw on the “Boss Feelings” instagram page where it said, “If you don’t want to be hated, don’t rule the world, sell ice-cream instead.”
For women in particular, if they are nice girls, not fake-nice but actual nice girls, they either become school teachers or escorts, the two professions you never thought would be mentioned in the same sentence, yet here we are. Other professions include waitresses (polarizing but some are truly nice), pediatric nurses, dental assistants, therapists, social workers, governesses, yacht girls and background models in music videos.
Then for the gents, ah the gents… You don’t have it quite as easy as the girls, fellas. You literally have to “buss your ass” unless you are a reclusive author who enjoys the privileges of faceless fame. But that’s something that has to come naturally, and sadly, most men don’t have it naturally like that, so they have to hustle.
Most of them accept blue collar jobs (union or non-union), or they enlist in the military. Many of them turn to a life of crime and end up being incarcerated, or going to an early grave. But some of them end up douchemaxxing their way into undeserved positions of authority, and that is where the greed and corruption begins.
If the douchebags of the world have power they don’t deserve, then what is ideally needed are strong, intelligent, decent (not nice), men and women with strong ethical values who are neither greedy nor desperate, who understands that they are there to serve others, and who can resist temptation.
If modern corporations do not have an eye for spotting good leadership talents within its proletariat (they do), then it is up to the brightest and most capable members of the proletariat to pursue other forms of power, not akin to leadership.
It is the end of the month, and time once again for our monthly review series. Our muse for the month of June is David Palmer, the fictional president appearing on the hit action thriller “24.” But before we begin, here’s a disclaimer: The following review contains spoilers, so I strongly recommend that you watch at least the first five seasons of “24” before reading this, or any reviews on the topic. Without further ado, let’s begin.
“24” is an American television action series that was created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran in 2001. It starred Kiefer Sutherland as field agent Jack Bauer of the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), and Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O’Brian, his intel officer.
It also starred Dennis Haysbert as David Palmer, the first African-American President of the United States within the 24 universe. Haysbert’s portrayal of Palmer on 24 inspired Barack Obama to run for President in real life. 24 lasted for 8 seasons and over 200 episodes between 2001 and 2010. It was revived as a 12 episode miniseries in 2014, shot on location in London, and featured William Devane in the role of President James Heller.
24 was a highly popular series, and very unique for its time, particularly due to its real-time format. Each season of the show followed its protagonist, Jack Bauer over a 24 hour period, hence the name of the show.
Background:
David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) was a United States democratic senator from Maryland. He first appeared during the pilot episode of 24 (Midnight and 1:00 AM), on the day of the California Presidential primary. Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) soon uncovered a plot to assassinate Senator Palmer and called in their ace field agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) to investigate.
CTU assumed that the threat level around Palmer had escalated due to him being a Black presidential candidate, and as such they doubled down on their security measures.
Palmer was made aware of the threat on his life, and casually laughed it off, literally saying, “I thought it was something serious.” Meanwhile, Palmer had other problems within his own camp. He was worried that a scandal might erupt after news reporter Maureen Kingsley (Devika Parikh) threatened to reveal that Palmer’s son Keith (Vicellous Shannon) was involved in the murder of his sister, Nicole’s (Megalyn Echikunwoke) rapist some years prior. The fact that Nicole’s rapist, Lyle Gibson, was white didn’t help matters much.
Throughout the course of the night into the following day, Palmer’s wife, Sherry (Penny Johnson Jerald) was gradually revealed to be a power mad sociopath who used underhanded tactics to try and get Keith to lie and cover up his involvement in the death of his sister’s rapist.
Palmer being the moral compass, decided against it, even though he knew that the scandal involving his son could cost him the presidency. Not only does this put a strain on Palmer’s relationship with his wife, but also his son who revealed that Palmer often prioritized his career over his family. Keith further revealed at some point that he had to seek counseling for the situation involving his sister and her rapist.
The threat on Palmer’s life escalated as Bauer was framed for an attempt on his life at a press conference that took place between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM, all while dealing with his own missing wife and daughter (Leslie Hope and Elisha Cuthbert respectively).
Jack Bauer and David Palmer finally met face to face between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM, and had a man to man talk where Palmer accused Bauer of wanting revenge for the men he lost during a US led covert mission in Kosovo that took place two years prior during the Yugoslavian civil war of 1999.
Bauer explained that he was trying to save Palmer, and they soon realized that Andre and Alexis Drazen (Željko Ivanek and Misha Collins respectively), the sons of Victor Drazen (Dennis Hopper) wanted revenge for their father’s murder that took place during the mission.
In that moment an alliance was formed as both Palmer and Bauer would go on to help each other in many of their future missions.
President David Palmer:
Day 2:
Season 2 of 24 took place 18 months after the California Presidential Primary. David Palmer had since been elected president despite all the madness that was allowed to take place around him on that day. The scene opened to Palmer spending some rare yet quality time with his son Keith on a fishing boat, in a lake near Los Angeles.
Their leisurely activities soon came to an abrupt end as duty called. This time, it was a nuclear bomb threat that was being carried out by “Second Wave,” a terrorist sleeper cell led by Islamic extremist Syed Ali (Francesco Quinn).
CTU field agent Jack Bauer who had been inactive since the events of season one that led to the death of his wife Teri (Leslie Hope) at the hands of CTU mole Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke) was called into CTU to help track the bomb. Jack was initially hesitant until he received a call from the president.
Throughout the course of the day, Jack was able to thwart the bomb threat, and apprehend Ali with the help of Kate Warner (Sarah Wynter), whose sister Marie Warner (Laura Harris) was involved with one of the members of Second Wave.
As the day progressed into night, Palmer’s chief of staff, Mike Novick (Jude Ciccolella) was revealed to be part of a conspiracy to remove Palmer from office due to his hesitance in retaliating against three countries based on a tape recording of a conversation that took place between Second Wave and high ranking officials from those countries.
Novick was very instrumental in helping Palmer win the presidency over a year ago. But now he has joined Vice-President Jim Prescott (Alan Dale), and eight other cabinet members in attempting to remove Palmer from office through a clause in the 25th amendment.
Eventually, with the help of Jack Bauer and CTU, they were able to prove that the tape recording was a forgery, thus proving that Palmer’s leadership is effective. Palmer resumes his presidential duties and immediately fires Novick as his chief of staff.
Day 3:
Season 3 of 24 took place three years after the events of season 2. Palmer is now up for re-election, while recovering from a virus that he was exposed to through a handshake at a press conference at the very end of season 2.
He also has a new chief of staff, his brother Wayne Palmer (DB Woodside). This was also the first time that we got to meet Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub), who would later go on to become the secondary protagonist of the series.
Wayne disapproved of Palmer’s affair with his doctor, Anne Packard (Wendy Crewson), saying that she is not like Sherry. Even though Sherry kind of went overboard, at least she knew how to play the game. The virus that Palmer was introduced to was just a demonstration of the biological terror threat that CTU along with President Palmer would be faced with throughout the course of the day’s events.
As the day progressed, Palmer’s re-election was constantly threatened. First by the suicide of Dr. Packard’s ex-husband, that caused her to end her affair with Palmer to save his chances for re-election. Then Wayne’s affair with Julia Milliken (Gina Torres), the wife of Palmer’s top campaign funder Alan Milliken (Albert Hall) who demanded that Palmer fires his brother after he discovered Wayne and Julia’s treacherous affair behind his back.
But no scandal threatened Palmer’s presidency quite like his deranged ex-wife Sherry’s involvement in several deaths throughout the course of the day. First, she prevented Julia from giving Alan his medication after she caused his heart attack.
Then Julia murders Sherry before turning the gun on herself right in front of Wayne who was unable to stop her in time. This last devastating blow was enough for Palmer to forfeit his chances for re-election, giving his competitor, senator John Keeler (Geoff Pierson) a clear shot at the presidency.
Post Presidency:
Palmer was still very much active as an ex-president. On Day 4, he was asked to assist acting president Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin), after power was suddenly thrust upon him during a national crisis that saw Air Force One being shot down by Habib Marwan (Arnold Vosloo) while President John Keeler was on board.
Palmer made almost all the tough judgement calls on behalf of an indecisive President Logan whose leadership was not brought into question like Palmer’s was during season 2.
The Chinese requested the extradition of Jack Bauer after they held him responsible for the death of one of their officials who was killed when he came under friendly fire during a botched mission at their embassy in Los Angeles.
Palmer decided to help out his friend by helping him fake his death. He was one of only four people who knew that Jack was still alive. The other three people were Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), Michelle Dessler (Reiko Aylesworth), and Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub). Unbeknownst to Jack, his phone call to Palmer during the season 4 finale was the last time he would ever speak to his friend.
Assassination:
Day 5 took place about 18 months later, and began at 7:00 AM in Los Angeles on the day of an official visit from the Russian president, Yuri Suvarov (Nick Jameson). Palmer was visiting his brother Wayne at his condominium when Wayne noticed that he seemed preoccupied over something.
He told Wayne that he was feeling a bit melancholy over a conspiracy he was able to uncover. But before he could explain what it was he uncovered, he was shot by a sniper only two minutes into the episode.
The assassin then targeted the other three people who knew Jack was alive, forcing Jack out of hiding. Jack was able to save Chloe while taking out the shooter, but Tony and Michelle weren’t so lucky. Jack then spent the rest of the day hunting the person behind the assassination, only to uncover a vast, complex web of corruption and cover-ups going all the way up to the oval office.
Charles Logan, the weak, indecisive president whom Palmer helped during a national crisis was now complicit in Palmer’s assassination, and it was up to Jack Bauer to help expose him and remove him from office.
With the help of Mike Novick, Palmer’s former chief of staff who betrayed him during the events of Day 2, along with Logan’s own wife, Martha (Jean Smart), Jack was able to expose Logan at Palmer’s funeral during the season finale. As Palmer’s casket was being air-lifted to Washington by military convoy to be buried at Arlington cemetery, Jack was captured by the Chinese and taken to a Chinese prison camp to be tortured for the next two years.
Legacy:
Palmer’s legacy is polarizing, mixed with admiration and caution. Though he displayed strength and faith in his leadership during some of the most challenging times on that show, he was too willing to answer the call of those who wouldn’t hesitate to throw him under the bus.
Understandably, as the first Black president, he felt the need to be overly good almost to a fault. Similar to Obama, he wouldn’t have won if his public image wasn’t spotless beyond question. Both men were right in that regard, but Palmer’s fatal flaw is that it attracted others towards him who felt the need to use him, then discard him when they realize he cannot be used. This fatal flaw ultimately cost him his life.
Personal Takeaway:
The issue at hand is not a racial one in the strictest sense, because they do the same thing to Jack Bauer. They call him out of retirement to help fight their battles when they don’t know what else to do. Then they want to punish him when he uses strategies that actually work, such as torturing his suspects during some of his interrogations. And all along, I’m over here on my couch yelling at the screen like, “You want their help, or don’t you?”
As a man, you’ve got to think twice before fighting everyone’s battles for them, especially when you know they don’t appreciate you. As a Black man, it’s even twice as bad for you than it is for the next guy. It is imperative for me to state that people’s perceptions of you won’t change by you trying to remain spotless.
You will go from being invisible to being a target, and people will think they can just use you to help further their agendas. I have experienced the same while dealing with racist hypocrites at work, but I have lived to tell the tale, because who feels it, knows it.
As a man, the only thing that you should worry about being spotless are your boundaries. Other people’s madness must not be allowed to thrive around you, especially when you’re trying to build a lasting legacy. You are going to become the villain of their story. But they already see you as either the villain or a minstrel show, so what the heck does it matter? Here’s to entering your villain arc. At least you know it’s for a cause as noble as self-preservation.
Despite all of that, both Jack Bauer and David Palmer are patriots who answer the call of duty, and are deserving of the respect of a grateful nation. Be that as it may, only some people are cut out for the kind of sacrifices that both men have made during the series run, and one of my biggest takeaways from watching 24 is that the job of a president and a field operative are certainly not for everyone. I give this cautionary tale of power and sacrifice a five out of five Purple Hearts, and I’ll see you on the next one.
Want me to tell you a secret? You can beat the system at their own game. And the best part of all? It’s perfectly legal. But before you do anything, you need to know what you’re up against, and how to beat them effectively. I promise you, it’s not as scary as it seems. Let me explain.
First of all, who, or what is the system?
When most people talk about the system, they are talking about the police, and the government. They are talking about the public education system and the banking sector. And sure, they are all parts of what the system comprises, but they are not the system in and of itself.
In order for you to know what the system is, you must first know what they want. When people talk about the system, it is usually within the context that the system wants to keep you down, or hold you back somehow. Or they might say that the system wants to keep you poor, and they are correct. The system does want to hold you back from fulfilling your ultimate potential. But let me ask you something else.
Does the government and the banking sector want to keep you in poverty? Have you ever heard of a nonfarm payroll report? It is what economists use to keep track of employment rates within the United States to see how well the economy is doing. Every country has their own version, but ours is called the Non-farm Payroll report, stemming from the Industrial Revolution, and the paradigm shift from agriculture to corporate cubicles and the forty hour work week.
The more people there are who have jobs, the better the economy does overall because when employees get paid, they tend to consume more. They tend to go out more, purchase new consumer electronics, and are more likely to pay the mortgage than if they were bankrupt. Do you truly believe that the government of any capitalist country on earth wants to see its citizens living in poverty?
It’s different with socialism because they don’t want money, they want control for the sake of control. They want to control all the resources of their respective countries so they can effectively punish those whom they have labeled as outcasts and heretics by starving them into submission.
But here in the west where there is capitalism, how does the government tax you if you are broke? How does the bank get the opportunity to offer you a mortgage and a pension plan if you are bankrupt? And how do businesses make a profit if you are unemployed?
It reminds me of a funny meme I once saw. And it read, “Your boss doesn’t want you to start your own company. Your landlord doesn’t want you to buy a house. The cab driver doesn’t want you to buy a car. The prostitute doesn’t want you to get married. The restaurant doesn’t want you learning how to cook for yourself. And the bank doesn’t want you discovering that you have space under your mattress. Only the thief wishes you prosperity in life, and a good night’s sleep.” One can even add to that by saying that the undertaker wishes that you never discover the secret elixir to immortality. You get the picture.
As much as how it sheds light on the selfishness of human nature, and the extent to which no one wants you to prosper unless you are somehow useful to them, it also exposes who the system consists of. If the government and the bankers don’t want you living in poverty, then who does?
The very people who complain about the government and the bankers. Your so-called friends, your neighbors, your relatives, your low brow co-workers, especially on some of these blue collar jobs where you tend to encounter the worst of people who come to work with all sorts of mental diseases. The left in particular. Funny how in their undying quest to find the illuminati, they forget to check the guy in the mirror.
If the GOP is more capitalist leaning, then the Democrats are more socialist leaning. They thrive on the welfare state, and want to control all of your resources through the welfare system for the sake of control. They also tend to support feminism, LGBT, and undocumented aliens whom they have referred to as “Dreamers.” What are they dreaming about? Coming over here with a sense of entitlement to sabotage people at work?
Don’t believe me? Look at some of the most prominent politicians in the Democratic party. The democratic socialist Bernie Sanders, the feminists Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kamala Harris, and the LGBT supporting Barack Obama. Need I continue?
Whether or not they are in Washington, the left mostly consists of who I like to call “new money,” people who built their wealth from scratch, no trust funds, no inheritances. As commendable as that is, here’s the kicker, new money comes with a lot of envy, resentment and mental complexities. They are not grateful that they were able to improve their lot in life against all conceivable odds, they want revenge for being born on the wrong side of the tracks to begin with.
They think the world owes them something. They think you owe them your failure, that their egos may be protected. And when you refuse to fail, they see it as an act of defiance and take personal offense to it. Now they want to get even. But they are not going to take it out on the government or the police, or anyone else in authority. They are not that stupid. So they decide to zero in on you, and they start targeting you early enough when they first notice your potential, but before you are able to fulfill your destiny.
They form friend groups around you who are actually covert spies. They try to talk you out of achieving your vision, and when they see that you are persistent, secret envy turns to full blown hatred. That is how we get cases such as Shanquella Robinson and Tamla Horsford, cautionary tales of what happens when girl trips have gone awry. Guys are not safe either. It just so happens that girls are affected by this far more often than guys because females are more social than males.
If “new money” among other liberal hypocrites considers themselves the gatekeepers to your success and not the government, how do you stop them? Just because someone considers themselves the gatekeepers to your success doesn’t mean they actually are.
You can destroy their sadistic delusions by rendering them powerless. And you do that by becoming the most dangerous man in the room. The man who is free from the need for validation. The man who can neither be bribed, nor bullied. The man who is ultimately truly free.
But you have to decide for yourself whether or not your future success is more important than running with the wrong crowd, or any crowd for that matter. When you shut out the noise, and remain true to your purpose, the right people will eventually become interested. You will gain wealth, respect and fulfillment, and by then, their validation won’t matter either way.
This coming Thursday, June 19, will be Juneteenth, the one hundred and sixtieth anniversary of the emancipation proclamation marked by the thirteenth amendment. This is a celebratory event that brought about the end of one of the darkest periods in American history, the trans-atlantic slave trade.
This year is also the fourth anniversary of Juneteenth being a federal holiday, which first happened under President Biden in 2021. So I figured that now is as good a time as any to discuss the topic of Black privilege.
They always talk about White privilege in a way as if to suggest that there is no Black privilege. This is done subliminally with the intent to create a perpetual state of mental serfdom within you.
Speaking of mental serfdom, was it not the legendary reggae singer Bob Marley who once sang, “emancipate yourself from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds,” during a song that he appropriately titled “Redemption?” Well I am here to tell all the Black dreamers out there that you definitely have privilege on this soil.
First of all, Black privilege is not racial, it’s creative and academic. It also has a lot to do with your time and place of origin. You have the privilege of living in the greatest nation on earth, during a time where with the advent of the internet, you can find a way to make all your dreams come true.
Time and place also has a lot to do with your native tongue. If you are a Black person in the west, you likely speak English as your first language. Which is a plus because English is the most recognized language in the world for the sake of global trade and commerce.
Secondly, let me continue by reiterating what I have said repeatedly on my blog site. Which states that the same capitalism that allows your landlord to raise your rent while your employer cuts your hours, also allows you to turn the scorn and prejudice against you into creativity and ingenuity. If you really hone your craft, they won’t be able to tell whether you are a genius or a madman. Either way, they won’t be able to stop buying tickets to see your show.
Vaudeville performers and New Orleans jazz musicians of the 1920’s understood this concept very well. So did the shoe shine guy, and they capitalized off it tremendously. They didn’t let the racial insensitivities of that time prevent them from showing up every night and making a buck. In fact, they used their creativity to take advantage of the prejudice against them.
This evened the playing field overtime, and paved the way for their future descendants to enter a wider range of professions. Some chose law, others chose medicine, yet there are those who chose a more creative path. If they could do it without the internet in 1925, then what’s stopping you now in 2025?
If you really want to get ahead financially, no one can stop you but yourself. They might try to sabotage you. They can definitely delay you for some amount of time, but they ultimately cannot stop you. Which brings me to my third point.
You have the privilege of privacy, but you must enforce it. They cannot sabotage what they don’t know. If you operate in privacy, your chances for success increase ten fold. At some point you must arrive at a decision as to whether being friend centered is more important than your goals.
This is especially true when you consider that half these motherfuckers who say they are your friends, are really spies and saboteurs. You don’t have any friends out here. You don’t even have god. You only have yourself. If you fuck up, that’s on you. Hold yourself accountable and seek wise counsel.
Ok, so what do you have? You have the privilege of the English language as your native tongue. You live in a developed country with clean tap water and internet access. You have an accurate grasp on human nature that you can’t unsee past the age of thirty. You may not have the capital as of yet, but you have a master plan. Above all else, you either have privacy, or privacy is attainable, even in limited quantities for the time being. So then you have Black privilege.
