Slimeworld

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.
PERICLES

I have become disheartened lately. Current events and watching episodes of The Wire have reinforced in me a belief that slimebags rule the world. Whether it is politics, corporate America, or even a local organization like a church or a club, Slimeworld prevails.

Slimeworld is my name for the realm of politics that exists in any organization with a hierarchy. Slimeworld has a different economy. It does not operate by notions of merit or fairness. In Slimeworld, loyalty is the coin of the realm, and the players must decide who to trust, who to swear allegiance to, and who to betray. It is sickening to behold, but it will never disappear. A reading of history shows that Slimeworld has always been there.

I hate Slimeworld, but it is what it is. Like Pericles pointed out, you either play the game or the game plays you. The real question remains. Can you live in Slimeworld and prevail with your integrity intact? I think this is possible. Seeing Ron Paul in the halls of Congress fills me with a sense of hope. Lester Freamon gets his due on The Wire.

From my dealings with Slimeworld, I have learned some lessons. Here they are:

1. SWEAR ALLEGIANCE TO PRINCIPLES NOT PEOPLE.

In Slimeworld, you will have alliances, and you must also break those alliances. Slimebags do this purely on the grounds of expedience. They don't care. In time, this becomes their undoing. They give loyalty and betray it for the sake of personal gain. The reality is this works until their treachery finds them out in the cold. I have been in places long enough to see the slime wash down the drain. When a slimebag gets his or her due, no one sheds a tear.

Let principle dictate your actions. It may cost you but so does treachery. It is better to pay for having integrity because you will at least retain your sense of pride and the admiration of others even if you fall.

2. SUFFER BLOWS TO YOUR REPUTATION WITH GOOD HUMOR.

I regularly get trashed by people talking behind my back. I have learned to laugh at this. When people say I am a dirtbag or a slimebag, I agree with them and smile. This is because I know my reputation is not in my hands. I am at the mercy of anyone with a mouth. But self-deprecation goes a long way in mitigating the damage. I have learned to cultivate a bad reputation because it always leaves people pleasantly surprised to find out the truth. Or at the very least, they are not disappointed if you really are a piece of shit. (FWIW, I am a low down piece of shit.)

3. SUBMIT EVERYTHING TO THE LIGHT OF PUBLIC EXPOSURE.

I have learned to let it all hang out. Brutal honesty is the way to go. Truth always stings a bit but only for a short while. When you live in the light, nothing creeps out of the darkness to get you. I know that whenever someone fucks me over I will simply talk about it or write about it. I don't hide anything because I don't do anything. I confront my enemies to their face, and then I tell everyone else about it. This is the value of having a big mouth. I will throw my whole life away to get back at my enemies, but my revenge is honest revenge. I make sure slimebags own their actions. Slimeworld is a world of cowards, and it will amaze you how chastened these bold people will become. Richard Nixon was bold in what he did, but he was a pussy in the aftermath. He was his own worst enemy.

Slimebags will do anything to keep their shit secret. They count on other people's shit to give them leverage for counterextortion. But never forget. The terror of evil men is the presence of honesty in their midst.

4. NEVER REPAY TREACHERY WITH TREACHERY.

After taking a shot to the sack, it is tempting to pound on someone else's nuts. Power is the ability to fuck up the weak, but magnanimity is choosing not to do this. I will tell the truth, but I am not going to go around and fuck people's shit up. This means not firing someone because they were candid or didn't like you or going over a superior's head to shit on him or her or simply waiting in the parking lot and caving in their grill with a punch to the face. The treachery for treachery rule is how Tricky Dick Nixon got into the shit he found himself in. He always had to repay every low blow with another low blow.

I don't know if this rule would work in NASCAR, but I don't see people putting Mark Martin in the wall on a regular basis.

CONCLUSION

The love of power is what attracts slimebags into Slimeworld. It is an immoral impulse to want to rule over others. But the impulse for good people to enter this slime pit is the impulse to not be ruled over. The real challenge is being slimeproof. Being honest in a dishonest world is difficult but not impossible. Ron Paul hasn't sold out yet. There is hope.

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