The Further Consequences of Stupidity

There's a notion going around that goes something like this: we'd all be better off without idiots on the planet, so we should simply remove the warning labels from products and things like drills and ladders and let the idiots kill themselves. In many respects this makes sense, especially when you consider this recent event at My Place of Work:

It's probably not a good idea to go to worked stoned out of your gourd. However, should you choose to go to work stoned out of your gourd, try not to do so on the second day of your new job.

Now I knew there was something very odd about B., but I could not figure out just what specifically. There was just something very odd about this cat that gave me the heebie-jeebies. So I was very surprised to learn that not only had he put in an application, but that he'd been hired. I got a glimpse of his cover letter and it was a very disturbing sight ... a graphologist would have field day with this cat's handwriting with its crossed lines, X style. That's bad juju! Maybe, I thought, he'll turn out to be better , maybe.

It turns out he was worse, much worse. While I didn't see this, I have it on good authority ... eye witness accounts! ... that B. arrived glassy-eyed and was seen lying on his back in the vitamin section attempting to shelve bootles of pills. That pretty much finished it for B. He was requested to roll up his long sleeves so that the supervisor could check out his arms ... for the main line, y'know. I don't really want to know, Jack!

Anyway, he was given the heave-ho, though why anyone waited until Monday morning is beyond me. But then, why he was even hired at all is beyond me.

In other cases of willfull stupidity, I might suggest that when you go the wrong way down a one-way street and clip someone's car, you're at fault. Trying to kick the cop taking your statement will not help matters much, if at all. Acting all sullen and refusing to sign the citation will not help you much, if at all. I couldn't believe I was watching this happen, but I was.

A rather curious thing happened this morning at the IBB. Before I relate this to you, I should backtrack a bit so as to give you the low down. Back in January I asked the Revolutionary Girl out for coffee (just coffee) she agreed and I haven't seen her since. I joined her company's online forum thinking this might be a way of sparking some pre-coffee conversation. This resulted in a couple of people from the Company not only not speaking to me when they saw me, but acutally going out of their way to avoid me. The Revolutionary Girl disappeared from all her usual haunts, some of which I frequent. I found this very strange and rather disturbing because the Revolutionary Girl didn't strike me as the type to say "yes" when she meant "no". In the end I didn't go back to the Company's forum because ... well, why bother? It's not a subtle point they're making.

Now, one of RG's co-workers, T., comes into the IBB frequently and she talks to me. I've never mentioned RG and neither has she, though I know she's aware of the coffee-invite. So out of the blue this morning she says "You know I was joking, don't you?" I was at a complete loss ...joking? About what? I had no idea what she was talking about and I didn't hesitate to say so. "About the forum," she said. "We noticed you hadn't been around for a long time." Rather than say "Well, yeah ... I'm getting the big chill from you guys and I can take a hint." I said "Well, I've been pretty busy. Besides you all have jobs to do, not spend your time in the company's forum." "Part of our job is to be in the forum." she replied. After she left I said to K. who overheard the conversation "What was that all about?" K. replied "It sounds like someone is checking up on you, Paul."

Are they, indeed? That's the question.