"Who moved my Cheese?"

[BlueStreak]

Have you read this book?

It's being handed out at many major employers, and is available for individual purchase. If you haven't, is encourage you to obtain a copy, and read it. It's inexpensive and a short read.

Here's my take;

The basic premise is good. When your cheese runs out, it does no good to sit around whining, complaining and starving while you wait for "New Cheese" to reappear, so get off your ass and go find "New Cheese". Any of us who have been laid-off or had to move to find work, as I certainly have, know this to be true.

However the book leaves out some important points.

A). There doesn't appear to be any "ownership" of the cheese. When the mice find it, they just eat until it's gone. There is no giant rat standing in front of the door to the "Cheese Station" demanding that you either pay, or work for the cheese. And ceratinly no negotiaition over price, or what you must do to earn your cheese is allowed. (Sound familiar?)

B). There is no mention of why the cheese is moved from one "Cheese Station" to the next. No political or "business strategy" motivation behind it. The mice are expected to just keep their fu**ing mouths shut and follow "The Cheese" wherever the invisible forces decide to put it.
If you question why "they" keep moving the cheese around, you are a whiner, and a bad mouse. (Again, Sound familiar?)

C). The "New Cheese" is always delicious. You should always be glad the "Old Cheese" was taken away, and you were presented with the challenge of finding "New Cheese".------It keeps life fun and exciting. (I wonder if Rick Wagoner found it fun and exciting to be publicly canned from his job at GM?
Or is that "different" somehow? I hope he's enjoying his tasty "New Cheese".)

D). Bear in mind that this book is loved by the private sector. It was not a government agency that handed me this reading material, it was my employer.


P.s., I put this under "Economy" because I think it does relate to the tough economy and jobs.

Regards,
Dave

[Grumpy]

Anyone else find it ironic that rodents were used in this analogy ?

[BlueStreak]

Well, actually the main charaters are two mice and two "Little People", I shit you not.
Of course, the "Little People" are the slow learners, because they "overanalyze"----or, "Think too much.", basically. The mice are the good guys, because they don't question anything.

And what would you surmise from that?

Dave

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

And what would you surmise from that?

Dave

Bizarro World "Animal Farm".

John

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by Boreas

Bizarro World "Animal Farm".

John

Yes, it's all about pigs, dogs and sheep.

So, I see you've picked up on my Avatar, John.
Do you like it?

Dave

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

So, I see you've picked up on my Avatar, John.
Do you like it?

Dave

Double plus good!

John

[d-ray657]

Sticking with the animal theme, I quote below an interesting column.

Regards,

D-Ray


A fox, a hound and other market tales

By Daniel Greenberg
Monday, February 15, 2010; A17

These traditional Tales from The Market have been handed down and treasured for generations. Each story has outstanding analytics and has been rated AAA ("a super-good read") by Shotzy's Tale Rating Service.

One of the wise elders from the town of Greenwich tells this first tale, introducing us to the magic of The Market.

A fox and a hound waited in a copse outside of a farmer's henhouse.

"Ooh, I can hear those chickens clucking from here," said the hound. "Let's go in there and snatch them all!"

"Not so fast," said the fox. "If we take them all at once we can't ever return. But if we take just one, then perhaps the farmer won't notice and we can keep coming back night after night to get more."

"That's a good idea," said the hound.

The two entered and went to work quickly. The fox grabbed as many chickens as he could, emptying the henhouse.

"Hey," said the hound. "I thought you said we were going to take only one chicken."

"That is what I did," said the fox. "I limited myself to one chicken."

"Forgive me, my friend," said the hound, "but that is not accurate. I saw you take at least seven chickens."

"The one chicken was my limit," said the fox.

"And the other six?"

"Ah," said the fox with a smile. "The other six were the bonus I gave myself for staying within my limit. And a very nice bonus it was indeed."

The moral of this story? In The Market, a bonus doesn't count. That's why they call it a bonus.

* * *

The mouse king needed a ride to the other side of the river, so he called on a large alligator for help.

"Can you take me to the other side of the river?" the king asked. "I will pay you $20 billion from my coffers."

"That's a lot of money, even if it is in mouse dollars," said the alligator. "I'll take your offer."

So they set out on the river, which was very shallow, allowing the alligator to crawl more than halfway across. Then they hit a deep spot and started to sink.

"Help!" cried the king. "I can't swim."

"Neither can I," said the alligator.

"But you're an alligator," said the king. "Surely all alligators can swim."

The alligator explained that he had once been able to swim. But the river was so shallow and so rich with fish to eat that he had grown plump and lost the skill.

"What do we do now?" cried the king.

At this point the subjects of the king who were watching from the river bank recognized what was happening. Many began paddling furiously to the sinking alligator. They used their little mouse legs to prop him up and propel him to the other side. Most did not survive the task.

When he was safe on the other side, the mouse king asked, "Why did you accept my offer if you couldn't swim?"

The alligator said, "I will be honest. I did it for the money. I figured we would somehow make it to the other side. And sure enough, we did make it. You see, I was right."

"But what about all of my subjects who drowned in the river?" asked the mouse king.

The alligator shrugged. "Hey, risk is a part of every transaction," he said.

With that, they went to dinner at the restaurant on the other side of the river and shared a very nice bottle of wine. And forgot about the whole thing.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Well, actually the main charaters are two mice and two "Little People", I shit you not.
Of course, the "Little People" are the slow learners, because they "overanalyze"----or, "Think too much.", basically. The mice are the good guys, because they don't question anything.

And what would you surmise from that?

Dave

I think you missed my point which was, the cheese is gooberment and we are the rodents.

To me thats not only irony its rubbing our faces in it..

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

I think you missed my point which was, the cheese is gooberment and we are the rodents.

To me thats not only irony its rubbing our faces in it..

No, the cheese is our wages, given to us by the industrialists who benefit from our labor. The government isn't a player in this Randian world. They just stay out of the way and let the "enlightened self interest" of our betters shape the world they permit us to live in.

Yes, we are the mice. Or at least the good ones among us are. The "little people" are the whiners and trouble makers.

John

[merrylander]

Well it is a rat race.