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Andy Kaufman

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I do programming-for-hire in the game industry. I also repeatedly have to wade through shitty "offers" by scammy companies trying to take me for a ride and get free labour out of me.

Can you name a single "reasonable, middle class" company that offers unpaid internships? This is literally a megacorp problem.

I'll respond to the rest later. But the gist of it is:

If unpaid internships existed purely in a vacuum, there would be far less of a problem and I doubt I would be going on large unhinged rants about them. It's like gambling - there's nothing wrong with offering wagers, at least on principle. But in much the same way gambling companies continually prey on weak, gullible or desperate people, unpaid internships are thrown around constantly by businesses as "a possible BIG career step" or "a good way to gain experience", despite that mostly being a lie. Once people are in the internship they have been sold under false pretences, they can be kept there because a lot of the time it's tied to a "work experience" program through university or school or whatever and they can't leave without risking some consequence. This is why it's moral to gum up and break the system. This isn't like shoplifting where you basically walk in and take stuff to fuck the store over. This is companies actively engaging in bad behaviour that they know is bad, and people responding to it by wasting their time on purpose.

It does seem to be very different in places like Germany, so to make things absolutely clear: My experience with unpaid internships is the Australian version, which is quite similar to the standard shitty American idea. There's more often than not no experience to be had - in fact, there are corporations here who specifically avoid mindless, manual work (like setting up Windows on 3000 machines) and then just constantly get interns to do it. The intern culture here is absolutely plagued with immorality, and the whole system is a scam. It's actually worse here because even paid internships have a lot of issues too (companies just using them as a cheap labour source and not a "educational position" etc). Finding any way to short circuit that system is morally good, as is finding any way to disrupt the gambling racket. It's not immoral to steal money from a poker machine for the same reason that it's not immoral to waste an interviewers time when they are offering an unpaid internship.

If an honest, middle-class business is offering one, that's probably a different story. But they usually don't. In fact from my experience small businesses don't usually offer internships at all, because they are usually far more generous and just offer paid positions when they need work done. Faceless megacorps are the only ones really doing it, and it's hurting nobody to hurt them. I'm sure the interviewer doesn't care - they get paid either way. It's only the board of directory and the profit margins. And to be honest, I don't consider board members of megacorporations human at this point.
Yeah I think everything is said at this point, I think it partly comes down to cultural differences but the practice of just using interns as free manual labor is done here as well.
I think initially I just didn't like the idea of being dishonest. I still don't but I see where you're coming from.
But in my upbringing, maybe it was the Christian influence, I was always told that two wrongs don't make a right and that being honest and honorable should be more important and I still hold dear to these concepts.
Lying and petty revenge are very contrary to my values and while that's not entirely unavoidable as a human, I try to steer clear of it and the OP >redditcostanzayeahrightsmirk post to me seemed to be just that.
 
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InsufferableCynic

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Yeah I think everything is said at this point, I think it partly comes down to cultural differences but the practice of just using interns as free manual labor is done here as well.
I think initially I just didn't like the idea of being dishonest. I still don't but I see where you're coming from.
But in my upbringing, maybe it was the Christian influence, I was always told that two wrongs don't make a right and that being honest and honorable should be more important and I still hold dear to these concepts.
Lying and petty revenge are very contrary to my values and while that's not entirely unavoidable as a human, I try to steer clear of it and the OP >redditcostanzayeahrightsmirk post to me seemed to be just that.
In general I agree with this. I also had a Christian upbringing but literally became an atheist at 14 (I don't own a fedora, though).

Normally, you'd be right. When someone slights you, slighting them back is usually not a good option, especially when making for peace is a good alternative that benefits everyone.

At the same time, you don't try to talk people down when they threaten you with a knife - you either escape, or fight back. Those are the correct options. Being "the better man" will just get you killed. While there are times where people with a silver tongue have talked someone down, that's a very rare occurrance and usually only works on people who really don't want to actually hurt anyone and threatening people out of desperation, rather than someone who is actively interested in causing trouble.

In general, my rule for life is this: If someone is interested in peace, then disagreements can be resolved by peace. If they have absolutely no interest in peace, then making for peace just puts you at a disadvantage - you are at war and wasting time with peace will hurt you in the long run.

Corporations have made it abundantly clear that they don't give a single shit about anyone below them. Being honest with them just puts you at a disadvantage. Especially when so many companies have insane, unrealistic requirements for interview candidates that it makes sense to attend a whole bunch of interviews. Better it be as a way of fighting back, rather than flunking a bunch of real interviews for real positions.

To quote a certain president: We do NOT negotiate with terrorists!
 

M1083A1P2

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Yeah maybe it's just America being shit again for workers.
Oh and sorry about the FA fucking over your aunt.
I studied tax law in NRW and here the FA doesn't have the time to fuck with normal people like that. But in RP they have too much time on their hands to just go around and bully people.
Yeah RP, FA definitely takes it to the extreme. I was even getting paranoid thinking the FA was following me like they are the KSK or GSG9 lol. My aunt wouldn't even let my girlfriend report the address we were living at to the Arbeitsamt. So when I got her pregnant I had to pay a 700 euro penalty fee for the time she wasn't reporting to get her health care. Pain in the ass to say the least. Although once I did get her off post Healthcare I was impressed at how far advanced it is compared to American Healthcare. I already get free healthcare because I'm a Soldier, but German doctors make American doctors look like tribal healers using tea leaves to find out why you are sick.
 
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Andy Kaufman

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Yeah RP, FA definitely takes it to the extreme. I was even getting paranoid thinking the FA was following me like they are the KSK or GSG9 lol. My aunt wouldn't even let my girlfriend report the address we were living at to the Arbeitsamt. So when I got her pregnant I had to pay a 700 euro penalty fee for the time she wasn't reporting to get her health care. Pain in the ass to say the least. Although once I did get her off post Healthcare I was impressed at how far advanced it is compared to American Healthcare. I already get free healthcare because I'm a Soldier, but German doctors make American doctors look like tribal healers using tea leaves to find out why you are sick.
2nd time I meet a German soldier on a Xenforo forum. Funny coincidence.
Yeah we can't really complain about our healthcare system.
 
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PizzaW0lf

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View attachment 35734
Absolute no brainer redditor decides this meme was made by a right winger, gets mad right wingers have great taste in higher education. Comments are full of people talking about how right wingers don't actually understand any of those while probably the guy that made the meme have no idea he is a right winger.
WHOA WHOA WHOA, History should be top tier actually. History is the key to predicting the future and that can bring immense value if you pair it with economics. However, looking at this graph I think it refers more to if it's worth it for a DEGREE and not just life in general.

Also, Political science is kinda underrated. I think it's good to know about political things so that way you don't get scammed and become more aware of what the elites are trying to pull. But since this is western college we're talking about.... I don't think they'd teach the latter :)
 
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M1083A1P2

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2nd time I meet a German soldier on a Xenforo forum. Funny coincidence.
Yeah we can't really complain about our healthcare system.
I'm an American Soldier, but 75% German with my dad being half and my mom's side being from Trier and Kindsbach. I was just lucky to be stationed close to my Oma's house and lived in the top floor she used to rent out to people back in the day.
 
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Andy Kaufman

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I'm an American Soldier, but 75% German with my dad being half and my mom's side being from Trier and Kindsbach. I was just lucky to be stationed close to my Oma's house and lived in the top floor she used to rent out to people back in the day.
Aaah I see.
I jope you enjoyed your stay here.
 
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InsufferableCynic

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I already get free healthcare because I'm a Soldier, but German doctors make American doctors look like tribal healers using tea leaves to find out why you are sick.
Virtually everyone I have met who isn't an American who has tried the American healthcare system pretty much universally agrees that it's shit.

It gives me chuckles when dumb american conservatives (specifically die-hard Republicans) worship the expensive American healthcare as if it's remotely good. It's not. You're overpaying for shit. Move to a real country.
 
WHOA WHOA WHOA, History should be top tier actually. History is the key to predicting the future and that can bring immense value if you pair it with economics. However, looking at this graph I think it refers more to if it's worth it for a DEGREE and not just life in general.

Also, Political science is kinda underrated. I think it's good to know about political things so that way you don't get scammed and become more aware of what the elites are trying to pull. But since this is western college we're talking about.... I don't think they'd teach the latter :)
We give them trillions soo they can write fanfiction from limited sources and knowledge they actuall find. I was happier assuming what my ancestors did than learning what THEY think my ancestors did. And it is most Higher education soo i would assume they teach how wholesome chungus Stalin was and how nazi's beat up puppies for breakfast or -it is real and i saw the propaganda kick in real time from a fag that fell for higher ed- they actually, geniunely, without joking teach history before WW2 isn't important.
 
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bnuungus

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Virtually everyone I have met who isn't an American who has tried the American healthcare system pretty much universally agrees that it's shit.

It gives me chuckles when dumb american conservatives (specifically die-hard Republicans) worship the expensive American healthcare as if it's remotely good. It's not. You're overpaying for shit. Move to a real country.
Ok I agree that insurance is a scam and overpriced and can fuck people over. But I do disagree with blanket statements of saying that all american doctors are garbage because I think it comes down to the hospital. My sister had cancer in 2019 and the hospital we went to for her treatments did an amazing job in getting her cured. There's another hospital in this area that I would not have trusted at all to do the same. So minor little point but you can get really good care here if you go to the right hospital.

Still overpriced as shit though
 
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SpheralBloom

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SolidStateSurvivor

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WHOA WHOA WHOA, History should be top tier actually. History is the key to predicting the future and that can bring immense value if you pair it with economics. However, looking at this graph I think it refers more to if it's worth it for a DEGREE and not just life in general.
I majored in history and I will be the first to admit that meme is being rather truthful in regards to that discipline. With a history degree you can take away some writing and persuasive skills that are applicable to the world of business/sales but you'll have an easier time getting paid post college in IT or something. There's wisdom in knowing the past but is that wisdom worth tens of thousands in student loan debt? You don't need to be versed in historiography itself to learn from past trends, but is useful for identifying bias in historical analysis and articulating one's takes on it.

We give them trillions soo they can write fanfiction from limited sources and knowledge they actuall find. I was happier assuming what my ancestors did than learning what THEY think my ancestors did. And it is most Higher education soo i would assume they teach how wholesome chungus Stalin was and how nazi's beat up puppies for breakfast or -it is real and i saw the propaganda kick in real time from a fag that fell for higher ed- they actually, geniunely, without joking teach history before WW2 isn't important.
Obviously there is a jesting hyperbole in what you're saying, but yes you're not too far off in your sentiment. The academics are dwelling on "woke" takes on history. A lot of shaming of western culture/their majority populations and an emphasis on rather niche topics of little use. I had to take a god damned history of gender/sexuality in Africa as pre-req, there's some interesting African history but learning about their perceived mysticism around gay anal sex wasn't the most engaging thing in the world, and it has yet to prove useful whatsoever.

I'm all for a critical analysis of the past and shining a light on niche subjects, however there is a prevailing ideological bias throughout the academic system, don't really need to go into detail about the nuances of it but again it's the "woke"/CRT type takes. Many classes were not simply healthy deconstructions of nationalist mythos to get to a more objective "truth" (or at least understanding of the past) but rather aimed at using a rather one sided "revisionist" view of the past to redefine the future trajectory of the United States.
Much like sales, you work within your service/product's parameters (secondary/primary sources) to convincingly pitch your interpretation of the past as being superior to other's before you. And much like selling, every customer has some needs they're hyper focused on and could be easy to turn off. For some classes appeasing a professor's ideological views is more important when going for an exceptional grade rather than writing objectively, no matter how decent your research and the sources it is based on is. My school at least had a decent mix of professors, but mine was by no means considered a prestigious forerunner in the field. I see some of the nonsense coming out of these Ivy League/well known west coast schools and can only imagine how nutty it must be there...

I shared classes with actual commies pursuing historiography with the intention of getting into upper education/university positions. Many of my professor's shared similar views as them. Knowing how abysmal the system is I'm sure they have a shot at actually getting there. The university system is more focused on getting the next generation of propaganda peddlers rather than scholars. Academics are very cliquey and are a major part of the Twitter blue checkmark brigades. Push too hard against their ideological consensus and you will be ostracized/blacklisted.
 
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