Max Barry quotes - page 2
6 says, "Tina's doing an arts degree.”
"Oh?” I say, as if the eyebrow ring, blond hair with a streak of black and oppressive eye makeup hadn't tipped me off.
"Oh, let me guess,” Tina says. "He's a marketer.”
"Hi,” I say.
..."I hope they pay you well for strangling the youth of this country with cultural conformity.”.
Max Barry
mktg case study #6: mktg cigarettes
FOR A PRODUCT THAT KILLS ITS CUSTOMERS, THIS IS PRETTY EASY. FOR ONE THING, YOU ONLY NEED TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO START BUYING. BUT THE BEST PART IS THAT YOU GET TO DEFEND THE ACT OF SELLING A PRODUCT YOUR CUSTOMERS CAN'T STOP BUYING BY CLAIMING THEY HAVE FREEDOM OF CHOICE. BEFORE EACH MARKETING CAMPAIGN, PRACTICE THE LINE: "IT IS NOT THE POLICY OF OUR COMPANY TO DICTATE THE LIFESTYLE OF OUR CUSTOMERS.”.
Max Barry
I remember when you could always rely on those little street kids to pop a few people for the latest Nikes," Vice-President John said. "Now people get mugged for Reeboks, for Adidas - for generics, for Christ's sake."
"The ghettos have no fashion sense anymore," the other John said. "I swear, they'll wear anything.
Max Barry
She's such a bitch,” Tina says, which I find a little contradictory, but overall quite true. "She's got to be in charge of everything.”
I sit next to her. "Well, I guess. But in business, that's leadership.”
Tina stares at me for a second. "I can't believe you consider that a positive trait. How about her inability to accept other points of view? Is it good leadership to be narrow, too?”
"Focus,” I say. "They call that focus.”
Tina stares at me. "Her paranoia?”
"Business savvy.”
"Compulsive need to have everything just how she wants it?”
"Organizational skills.”
"Aggressiveness?”
"Aggressiveness,” I say, "is already a good thing.”
"Jesus Christ,” Tina says, her eyebrow ring glinting in the morning sun. "Sometimes I worry about this country.
Max Barry
She was surprised by Dallas's ugliness. Even with the sun rising behind it, the city looked as if it had been built to withstand bombardment. She'd never seen so much concrete in one place.
"What do you think?” Rendell said in the cab. "Nice, huh?”
"Where are the trees?”
"There are some parks.” He craned his neck. "I think you can see one...” A heavy truck roared alongside them. The cab darkened like it was descending into the earth. Violet put her fingers in her ears. "Past that traffic accident.”.
Max Barry
Tough day?” General Li said.
John sighed. "Just a couple of Liaisons making trouble. Things were much simpler when I didn't have to listen to other people, Li. Democracy is a pain in the ass.”
Li sat. "In the military, we have always had a healthy disrespect for democracy.”
"I can see why,” John said. "All right. Now let's talk about tanks.
Max Barry
How she became manager remains a mystery. But there are only two possibilities. One is that Senior Management mistook her tirades for drive and a commitment to excellence. The other is that they knew Sydney was a paranoid psychopath, and that's exactly the kind of person they want in management.
Max Barry
Anyway, my plan. Last week I filed a claim for disability.”
"Disability? For what?”
"Stupidity.”
"Stupidity!”
"Think about it. If I'm born stupid, is that my fault? No, I'm just an honest, hardworking Joe, doing my stupid best. And the company can't sack people who have a disability. It's a fact.”
"Wow. That's clever.”
"Thanks.” He smiles. "See, you just need to know how to work the company.
Max Barry
There are two ways of looking at Senior Management. One is that it's a tightly integrated team tirelessly pulling together in the service of whatever's best for the company. The other is that it's a dog pack of power-hungry egomaniacs who occasionally assist Zephyr as a side effect of their individual campaigns for wealth and status. Nobody believes the tightly knit team theory anymore. Once, a long time ago, it may have been true, but the instant a dog-pack person made it into Senior Management, it was all over. It's like a fox getting into the chicken house; pretty soon there are only foxes and feathers. If Senior Management ever was ever made up of selfless individuals who put teamwork ahead of self-interest-and this is a big if-they were long ago torn to pieces.
Max Barry
Sydney feels an affinity with Human Resources. She likes the name, with its not-so-hidden implication that employees are an exploitable resource, like stock or real estate. And not a particularly valuable one, despite that old chestnut about employees being the company's most important asset. Sydney knows the truth: give the company cash resources, give it strategic partnerships, give it inventory; give it anything but prickly, unreliable, idiosyncratic humans. People are the worst: you can't stack them, or (easily) relocate them, and you can't even just leave them alone to accumulate value. That's why the company requires HR: a department to transform humans into resources.
Max Barry