Getting Over

The world is full of liars and scam artists. You have grifters, hustlers, and con artists. But it doesn't stop there. There's insurance agents, stock brokers, mutual fund companies, Enron, Goldman Sachs, and the like. You have workers trying to get over on employers by hustling workmen's comp, milking the clock, and stealing office supplies. You have employers deceiving employees with promised wages, bonuses, promotions, hours, and the like. Finally, we have the politicians who are running the biggest con of all--government.

All of this activity I call "getting over." Unlike a streetwalker who gives you your money's worth (usually), these folks attempt to get ahead in life by not being the sucker. Life is just one big con, and the winners are the ones who don't fall for the con but get over on everybody else. This might be understandable among the criminal class, but it seems to be a feature of everyday life. If you have ever been jerked around by a salesperson, you know what I am talking about.

I choose honesty over deceit because I believe honesty is a better strategy for living. I believe that you get ahead in the long term by working hard and giving value for the dollar. I know this viewpoint is quaint, but if kleptomania and deceit made sense, Zimbabwe and other such countries would be the richest on earth. They aren't. Meanwhile, Bernie Madoff is sitting in a prison cell hoping his ass doesn't get beat (again!)

Getting over only works in the short term. I know a contractor who has built an entire career on getting over. He has to change the name of his business every few months to stay ahead of all the people he has gotten over on. Then, he finally got on the local news. The guy is virtually broke.

When you see all this getting over going on, you wonder if you aren't a sucker. The reality is that it is impossible to get through life without being a sucker once in awhile. But being a sucker is never your fault unless you fall for the same con again and again. All you can do is cut your losses and move on. It sucks, but that is the way it is.

The alternative to getting over is the path of hard work. You never hear hard work touted by the infomercial gurus as a way to become wealthy. No one ever tells you to be honest and virtuous. It all boils down to knowing the "tricks." The irony is that the biggest suckers are the ones who eschew work in favor of these tricks. The easiest way to not be a sucker is to not try and get over on people.

If you are someone who hates work, it is a safe bet that you are into getting over. If you are always looking for the easy way or the short cut or simply to not get your hands dirty, you are a get over type of person. There is a reason they are called "honest hard working blue collar men." That is because honesty and hard work go together. This is the reason why shyster Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein claimed to be "blue collar." Claiming hard work is the easiest way to claim honesty.

The fundamental vice of getting over is laziness. This is the kernel of all deceit. It begins with loafing. From the aristocracy to the political class to the corporate political class to financial types and what have you, the goal is the same. Avoid labor. Let the suckers do all the work while you skim off their effort.

I don't think work is for suckers. I think work is for the people who choose the honest path to prosperity. Societies that choose this path prosper. Individuals who choose this path prosper. Societies that choose to get over degrade and die. Look at what happened to Iceland. They transitioned from a real economy of industry and fishing to a bullshit economy of high finance. They have gone completely to shit. The USA is not far behind.

Choose to work hard. This is the honest path. You will be better off for it, and you are much less likely to be a sucker.

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