Sloths at the MVB
I saw this trailer in the movie theater the other day and laughed out loud, especially at the sequence that starts at 1:51:
The New Neo
A blog about political change, among other things
I saw this trailer in the movie theater the other day and laughed out loud, especially at the sequence that starts at 1:51:
Obviously a metaphor for all government bureaucracies. It’s not the people, its the priorities of the system under which they labor.
Bureaucracies make ‘sloths’ of human beings. Any system that places any value (money, self-protection, bean counting, etc) before common sense, courteous service and excellence, denies our humanity and will make sloths of nearly all working within that system.
“slow-motion collapse”
Only not at all resembling the sweetness of sloths.
Cute! But, they may be a little faster than the people that work at my post office. No kidding, it is something to behold.
GB: how does valuing making money make one slothful?
Actually, the last time I was at the BMV they were quite courteous, helpful, and prompt. It’s the post office, that I have to go to nearly every day, which is slothful. However, it’s not the people who work there so much as the computer system which seems to move at a glacial pace, which is the fault of the USPS. It was probably programmed by the same people who did the Obamacare website.
KLSmith,
I was speaking of priorities, “Any system that places any value (money, self-protection, bean counting, etc) before common sense, courteous service and excellence, denies our humanity”
Valuing money, in and of itself does not make one slothful. It is in making it a bureaucracy’s highest priority wherein it becomes harmful and necessarily dismissive of values such as customer service, which as any bean counter will agree, makes no quantifiable contribution to the bottom line.
On the other hand, common sense tells us that alienating customers eventually ensures one’s extinction. Government bureaucracies however are monopolies, ensuring that common sense, customer service and excellence are always in short supply and ever an ‘endangered species’.
Stereotypes are evil, unless…..
Valuing money, in and of itself does not make one slothful. It is in making it a bureaucracy’s highest priority wherein it becomes harmful and necessarily dismissive of values such as customer service, which as any bean counter will agree, makes no quantifiable contribution to the bottom line.
i dont see it that way, what i see hinges on maintaining moral limits, which is really what the issue is. what one is willing to do for the money, not whether one is fulfilling their job as head of a company, which is to make money (and not be a social project)
its once it gets outside of making money morally, and legally, is when the problems we see happen. which is why the erroding of morals to make the bad necessities of socialisms mechanics acceptable, and its win without moral regard, that then seeps into everything else.
and yes. morals can change… the moral (at the time) idea of human sacrifice among the aztecs changes as with sutti, when we as a humanity grow, even if its not always self discovery that brings it. the morals of the child are certainly different than the morals of the experienced adult.
the vast majority of firms in the world are not dishonest, nor are much of the people working fo them. that is the silent mass everyone forgets, while screeing towards the infinitely smaller mass of dishonesty…
and laws are not a fix, as laws themselves can be the dishonesty.
no, as the founders said, the Constitution and all this is for a moral people… capitalism is for moral peoples, who can deal in mutual benefit without cheating.
Artfldgrs,
“maintaining moral limits” ONLY has relevance if it is an organization’s highest priority, otherwise its relevance is proportional to its priority. So we are arguing the same side but from different perspectives.
“capitalism is for moral peoples, who can deal in mutual benefit without cheating.”
Capitalism is amoral. It is a tool, one that is in alignment with economic principles and human nature. But in and of itself, capitalism lends itself as easily to the unethical as the moral.
That is why, classical liberal western values originating from the ground of judeo/christian tenets are necessary in order for a “religious and moral people” to employ capitalism in a moral manner “in mutual benefit without cheating”.
Critical to that practice is Christianity’s premise of universal brotherhood.
One of the reasons I love living where I do is that the public servants are all pleasant, efficient, and friendly. It’s actually a pleasure going to the DMV to renew a license. I once had a question regarding the survey on a lot I own, and the Registrar of Deeds spent about an hour figuring out what was wrong with it. She and I sat in front of her computer and we determined that the lawyer who had submitted the deed had left a line off the survey. She called up the lawyer and made him fix it. I brought her some flowers afterwords. Everyone here is like that.
I believe this Bob and Ray bit is the original of this routine. Bob and Ray — always worth a listen:
Bob & Ray – The slow talker
The people who work at my local post office are fabulous. Not only are they efficient, but they’re funny. I always enjoy going there.
Neo,
LOL! That was rather funny.
Furthermore, part of what makes that clip so endearing to me is that the rabbit officer’s tone of voice is so natural and human-sounding, unlike the vast majority of voice acting in animation these days.
I was in and out of our local DMV so fast, I was almost impressed.
My favorite digital cartoon moment is from Happy Feet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQPL3K0pGQw
you guys are lucky. going to my post office is like watching a glacier.
I guess I’m as lucky as Neo and PatD – the people at my local post office and at the DMV are fast, courteous, helpful and friendly.
Neo…
Thanks for bringing us down to speed on sloths.
BTW, one reason that sloths are hard to kill is that they are so hard to spot — and being slow makes them hard to spot — straight off.
Our eye-brain logic looks for change.
Sloths are so slow that they are perceived as plant growth or but wind effect upon vegetation.
The do their business on the ground so as to drastically reduce the scent-print of their leavings.
What could be more obvious?
They are also putting it where they fear to tread… much.
Neo wrote:
Same here. I know our clerks and letter carriers by their first names. I think the Post Office gets a bad rap.
Although the DMV employees have no incentive or desire in their jobs, the real problem is that they have to implement the byzantine, poorly thought out rules our legislative geniuses impose on motor vehicles and driving. For the most part I can avoid DMV interactions by renewing registrations online and getting my new licenses at AAA. My new cars are all registered by paying the dealer $250 to take all the pain. But when I do have to go to the DMV I see the great expanse of citizens attempting to just drive their cars. Unfortunately many lack the education, smarts or language skills to understand the system. Cars need emissions tests (which accomplish nothing), safety checks (lights and brakes at a maximum), insurance of all types and processed correctly, payment of property taxes up to date (here in CT), is your license suspended? , any outstanding warrants? Liens?
Nothing on their end works right because the computer systems are done by the same people that did Obamacare, rules are constantly changing, other agencies fail to cooperate so why put any extra effort in.
Like all government agencies, the root problem is that we’ve turned a simple safety and title records office into a tax collection branch and a legal enforcement office. Let the tax guys collect sales taxes and the courts deal with law enforcement.
Sloths just need a little help from their friends:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES32UFlPOUA
I have to give NYC’s DMV some credit: I registered my car at their office downtown in the Wall St. district and was in and out in 20 minutes flat, with license plates in hand and my mouth open in shock. They have a new system: make an appointment online. Thought that was a joke, but I got to line-jump all the mouth-breathers who didn’t think to do it.
:-)))
I saw the trailer yesterday at the movies. The facial expressions and comedic timing were perfect.
If you want a more old-fashioned, kindly lifestyle with public servants who treat customers like human beings, I suggest moving to the sticks. When I used to live in more crowded places, I remember standing in long lines at the DMV or the Post Office only to encounter impatient, cold-hearted bureaucrats who’d send me back to the end of the line if I filled out some form incorrectly — but that’s not my life anymore. The people in our local post office and DMV are courteous, kind and as helpful as they know how to be. In a small town, many of the people you encounter are likely to be related to, or good friends with, somebody you’re related to, or good friends with. It’s just good sense to be pleasant, so most people hold doors for each other and smile and generally try to get along. I recommend it.
As for that trailer, I saw it too, and it drove me nuts. We’d rushed to get to the theater on time for the new Star Wars movie, but there was some kind of technical difficulty and we ended up cooling our heels in the theater for 15 or 20 minutes past the official start time. I was eager to see the movie we’d come to see and couldn’t believe it when the trailers finally got started and that darned sloth would not get moving. I guess I over-identified with the rabbit!
Geoffrey Britain Says:
Capitalism is amoral. It is a tool, one that is in alignment with economic principles and human nature. But in and of itself, capitalism lends itself as easily to the unethical as the moral.
your blaming capitalism for people doing things outside of capitalism and not blaming them.
what do you suggest? as the only other systems are totalitarian… do you know of ANY system where amoral people cant cheat?
capitalism requires moral people, and there ARE moral people in the population
the others require moral leaders, and there are a lot fewer of them, easier to corrupt them, and with the absolute power needed to stop the cheating in capitalism, you get soviet communism or fascism…
which do you want? capitalism, mutually beneficial exchange has nothing of the attributes your misattributing to it.
chrony capitalism, isnt capitalism, its fascism
corporatism is not capitalism, its fascism
both masquerade as their enemy for the purpose of destroying the only honest system we have.
let me knwo when you can find a perfect system that has delieved more honesty and money to the average person…
sorry, but how many times a day do you get cheated by capitalists… i dont mean they charge a price you dont like, which is not cheating… but actually rob or cheat you? the deli? the gas station? the power company? the water company? the bus drivers?
seems to me that the vast capitalist enterprises are honest and moral, to the point they are invisable.
keep looking for utopia, and see what you get
you want a perfect system for imperfect people and more imperfect amoral leaders – or did you notice that the worst cheaters and murders lead the other sytems?
So what happened to the Amazon widget?
snopercod:
If you have adblock, it will block the widget and you have to go here instead.
I have adblock and it doesn’t show up, but right now, to check, I unblocked it and it showed up.
Does it not show up for you?
Or, one can disable Adblock’s (or at least one can with Adblock Plus) filter settings for a given page or site, which enables all the widgets for this site (which has always minimized ads and spam – thanks, Neo).