Come on in and take a seat Marcus.
The board and I had a little chat and we evaluated your work performance over
the last 20 years, and well… we all really
like you, and we all have grown attached to you as friends, but let’s face it:
in this competitive business world, friendships don’t matter. All that matters
is the profit our company receives. After a thorough analysis of your work
performance, we have decided that it would be profitable if we laid you off,
and replace you with someone, or in this case, something more efficient.
Unfortunately, you are, currently as
we speak, being replaced with our latest invention DZX-827. Now, I know this is
rather shocking that we are having a man like yourself being replaced by a
robot, but trust me. You will be astonished at how much money the company will
have by the end of just one month!
Do you want to know what makes
DZX-827 so special Marcus? Everything. DZX-827 is just a less prone to error
version of you. In the numerous trials we have conducted on him, he did
exceptionally amazing. In every trial, DZX-827 made no mistake and he assembled
prototypes of magnetic eyes at a rapid rate of 400 eyes per minute! Can you
believe that? It takes you a whole minute to pull out the microchip from its
plastic bag.
Oh, don’t get me started on how
productive DZX-827 is. He works non-stop. No need for silly bathroom breaks or
lunch breaks. And the best part is that the company won’t have to deal with
anymore bullshit excuses such as calling in “sick” or wanting a “vacation.” He
doesn’t have a family to “worry” about, and the best part is: he doesn’t have
any feelings! All DZX-827 needs is a five minute charge every day, leaving him
with 23 hours and 55 minutes to work for us, and to reap in some big bucks for
the company.
Now I know that this is hard for you
to take in Marcus, but trust me-- this was bound to happen one day. I mean look
at you. You are 45 years old! You’re quite too old to work, and it’s not
correct for the company to suffer because you aren’t efficient enough to keep
up with this rapidly growing world. Your replacement is sleek and
sophisticated, and you… well let’s just say that I see apparent signs of aging
just screaming at my face.
Anyways, I wish all the best for you
to find a new job. Perhaps, instead of a job, I should wish for you to find a
nice retirement home, since no one in this society wants inefficient
scums...err I mean unproductive workers in their company. Please be sure to
hand in your office keys and name tag to the head office when you step out.
20 comments:
Wow, this story was not only hilarious but also one of the most meaningful and critical entries I have seen on this blog to date. I love the casual tone the Board members have as they ceaselessly insult and degrade their worker, It made me laugh out loud. Despite that, the depiction of corporate executives is not entirely inaccurate. You provide a meaningful criticism of the entirely capitalist and self interested views of many people in the world today by mockingly imitating their mannerisms and tones. Great job Simran!
The humorous bits of this piece had me chuckling, and I like that you confronted issues that are becoming more relevant with the advance of technology, like the decreased demand (I'm whipping out that Honors Econ jargon, flashback to first semester) of human labor. The impersonal tone of the executives also heightens the mood of the piece, as it increases the reader's feelings of pity for the poor person being addressed. I definitely felt moved.
The story is explaining how machines are better than human works because they are less likely to make a mistake than humans. Today allot of jobs are being taken over by machines and that's why there are allot of people today on the streets because they don't have any jobs. but if a machine does make a mistake, even the tiniest mistake, the whole business might drop down. Computers are never reliable.
Per.6
Isaac Garcia
Wow, that story was foul LOL. but the sad thing is, is that this actually happens in society. It is not his fault that he is not working sufficiently! He's 45 years old! but its even more mean how the speaker is basically calling his useless. Every company needs to do their best to compete with other companies and to do this, they will find the most efficient worker, rather than someone who is a slow worker. Great job relating this blog to how society is today with companies and how they have to work for their own self interest to make more money.
This story was very unique compared to all the past blog entries. I enjoyed how futuristic the story sounded and the humor you used. The tone of the boss changed from somewhat sincere, to excited about replacing the employee, to mean and harsh, and I liked that you portrayed him that way. I also liked how the employee didn't even get a chance to defend himself or reply. Overall, your story was entertaining and I enjoyed reading it. Good job Simi:)
Hey Simran! Your piece was really good. The fact the board members were so insensitive and ignorant as to firing this employee is really funny, but at the same time emphasized the story's message. There are so many elements in this that display an obvious critique on society's obsession with efficiency and lack of empathy. It's ironic how justified that board members came off as even though they were ultimately taking away this poor employee's career. Your story, to me though funny, also shows how it could potentially be our future, where the availability of jobs gradually decreases as labor is replaced with technology. Good job Simran:)
This entry was both sad yet a bit funny. I felt the speaker was very fake and this made the piece a bit funny to read because as a reader, I knew that all the little attempts at niceness was false and that the speaker actually felt that Marcus was "scum". However, each sentence that the speaker spoke about how great DZX-827 is, I felt more and more sad for Marcus. I was able to put myself in Marcus's feet and i felt that the speaker's words were complimentary tot he robot but really degrading to the human. This issue of robots over humans is also quite interesting as this is an issue that others feel strongly about because people have lost their livelihoods as a result of these occurrences. Your entry shows us the side of corporate people who do what will create greater profit and will cut costs. Also, because of your decision to structure the piece as if the speaker was speaking directly to the reader, you showed us how the fired workers feel as they are replaced and lose their jobs.
Danielle Delgado
Period 1
2/3/2015
Dang Simran, this was straight forward and real. I'm pretty sure many businesses are experiencing that in today's society technology is rapidly improving. I thought it was brilliant that you exaggerated the story of how friends is a personal matter and business is business. You took out all the emotion of the characters and expressed a blunt and inconsiderate attitude and tone to the story. It seems surprising or shocking to some but I enjoyed the way you took the story in a perspective of the business men only seeking profit. Overall, amazing job and I wish to read more of your interesting works!
Wow. Its suprising how realistic this situation can be. This piece was really great, I really enjoyed it cause it didn't have that happy ending but more of a realistic ending. The way you made it seem seem so peepy with the matter at hand was great, it made me reakize how the company sees it vs how the worker sees it. I really enjoyed this piece. Also excuse me if you see this comment twice, cause I don't know if the other one posted or not , so yea.
Angel Ramirez
P.1
Simran this gmfu!!! I mean you took realistic blog posts to another level. This is a great piece. It is so straightforward and funny that I could not help but laugh when he was getting roasted. I like the fact that you gave a scenario in which we will all probably be able to relate to at one point in our lives (hopefully not). Now I know as soon as my boss tells me that they like me to just walk out and never come back lol. Great job!!!! ***Thumbs Up Emoji
AHHH. Simrann! Honestly, I cannot even convey to you how much I enjoyed this piece! The realism of this piece leaves me in awe. This is probably one of my favorite blog pieces I have read because of how relevant it is in the world today! Even though we do not have employers telling their employees directly of this sort of feeeling, its secretly there and the casual tone you presented it made it even greater! Again, I LOVEEEEE THIS SOO MUCH! Good job! ((:
Simran this was absoutly great and I loved reading this, sadly this is so true that people simply don't care about others rather they only care for money and how they can save money. I loved how you didn't allow Marcus to talk you just let the boss talked which was an interesting choice. Although we still got clues of how Marcus was reacting. Really good job and I can't wait to read some more in the future.
Simran, great job with this story! I loved that this story you created is so realistic and is happening right now. You presented an issue that will directly affect our futures in the workforce. Also, I liked that you did not allow the employee to have any say in the story, the boss was the only one to speak and explain to the reader why this change was happening. I loved how you made the story start out in a sympathetic tone and end in a rude sort of harsh tone. Great job!
-Sophia Bobadilla P.1
I love how realistic this story is! Like this is exactly how I could see companies laying off their employees. You were very direct with the main point in your story and got the clear message across. I also like how the story is different compared to the other ones that have been posted in the past. You talked about a modern day issue that is taking place now and will be taking place more as time goes on due to the advancements in technology. Good job Simran!
Idalys Martinez
Period 1
Hey Simran!
Okay, first off, I loved your abruptness in this whole piece. It was so perfectly timed. It oddly reminded me of Charlie and the Chocolate factory, as in when the dad was laid off at the toothpaste factory and replaced by and automatic machine that screwed on the caps (lol). I also liked how you kept the piece as one sided as possible and didn't even allow writing space for the employee to speak at all. I found it interesting the criticism of the technological advancement of society as well. Great piece, truly (:
Simran! This piece really stood out to me because it had a completely different subject and tone in comparison to other pieces on the blog--or anything I have read before, really. I found it funny, that the board members would not allow the employee who was getting let go to speak about how he felt about his replacement and how easily they left him go after twenty years of service. Great piece, the tone you used helped convey the story amazingly. Great job.
Simran! I like the simultaneous implementation of comedic and tragic elements. Here we have a devoted individual who is essentially thrown away by society because he no longer provides the increased expectations that his superiors have of him. I think this is representative of the diminishing importance that society allocates towards things such as emotions and necessity. Nowadays, corporate greed tends to dictate our lives, so much that innovation is desirable regardless of the possible negative effects it may produce.
This was darkly humorous- how casual the head of the company was, knowing that he completely lacked empathy for his employees because as corporate, they often only worry about money and themselves. We all know the further you go up the managerial chain, they care less and less about the common ground of the public. Its funny because it does seem logical, using what is of course more efficient- however, there must always be consideration for the human aspects of life. Great job, overall- fantastic criticism on both the advancement of industrial technology as well as human greed.
Oh the satire! If George Bernard Shaw lived any years longer, I'd put in bets this would be a piece of literature he would compose. It's very atrocious, but for the most part its true. With advancements in technology in the manufacturing business, on e can only and truly depend on those, or rather, things that do not have flaws and hindrance in productivity, as a result many, no just Americans, but foreigners are losing jobs and such. This depiction of our society today, was well portrayed through the situation.
An excellent critique on our "rapidly growing world." It is ironic that the age of retirement is decreasing as mechanical labor is showing up more quickly. The irony is very effective in opening the readers' eyes to today's problems with machines "taking over."
Again, amazing piece and good work.
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