I keep seeing politically charged magazine articles and independent posts showing up on LinkedIn. With each post, it only takes a couple of minutes to scroll through the comments and notice how many people would prefer there to be no discussion of politics in the business setting. Oddly, I have found that no matter for whom I work, where I work, or with whom I work, it is a matter of time until I learn (without ever asking) their political affiliations and beliefs. Whether it's their undivided attention to Fox News on the TVs in the lunch room or their offices, or it's a comment here or there about gun control or immigration, it almost always comes out. So I'm not surprised to see it seeping into the crevices of the business and work utopia we have created on LinkedIn.
What I haven't seen too much of is bi-partisan political humor, which I figure is well overdue. Just for fun, I thought I would share a joke I first heard about 20 years ago. No matter what decade it is or who is in office, there always seems to be some elements that do a good job of shedding some light humor on our broken and glorious system. Enjoy!
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A little kid asks his dad, "Dad, what is politics?"
"Well, son, it's a little hard to explain so I'll put it into simple terms that I think you can understand.....
"See your mother over there. Well, she's like the government. She's takes care of you, creates and enforces the rules, and is there for you.
"I'm like the management. I lead the family, make the money and also help take care of you.
"The maid over there.... well, she's like the working class because she has to work for a living.
"You represent the people. And your baby brother over there, well, he's the future. Politics is really just how all of these entities work together and the relationships between them.
"So, do you understand politics now, son?"
The little kid was a bit perplexed and told his dad that he wanted to think about it. His dad agreed thinking that was the end of the conversation.
That night, the little kid woke up because his baby brother was crying. He checked on his baby brother and found that his diapers were soiled. He went to notify his parents. He knocked on their bedroom door. No answer. Knocked again. No answer. He opened the door and found his mom in bed asleep. She wouldn't wake up.
Next, he went to the maid's door. Knocked on her bedroom door. No answer. Knocked again. No answer. He opened the door and found his dad in bed with the maid and they weren't going to be disturbed.
He finally gave up and went back to bed.
In the morning, he woke up. It all made sense. He saw his dad at breakfast and said, "Dad, I understand politics now! The government is asleep. The management is screwing the working class. They are all ignoring the people. And the future is full of sh*t."
At the end of the day, I'm glad to be a part of this perfectly imperfect system. There's always new and existing challenges, new ways of working together, and ideally, more opportunity to improve.
Williamvads