Quotes – Page 15 – The Frustrated CFO

Quote of the Week: The Genius of Showtime’s “Shameless” Defines “The American Dream”

“Lip Gallagher:

It’s like I said, the only way to make money if you are poor is to steal it or scam it. But, hey, let me know if the rules are changing…”

Shameless (episode 3.2, written by Nancy Pimental)

The Frustrated CFO’s commentary:

If you take this opinion of a 17 year-old genius with a 4.6 GPA and an IQ of 200 out of its literal white-trash, destitute, semi-criminal settings, you will find the undeniable metaphorical truth in it. Both Lip (too wise for his age, thanks to the middle-aged screenwriter) and I are aware of the American Dream reality as it stands right now. No matter how talented and hard-working a person is, he or she will not be able to achieve the recognition his abilities merit if he doesn’t have the “right” background and connections that can push complete retards through the doors closed to regular people. There is no such thing as a “self-made man” anymore. Most of the time those who say that about themselves mean that they had less money when they started then they have now. But no doubt there was a phone call, or a letter, or a conversation over drinks, or some old-farts reunion that gave him a start. Not even a degree from a fancy college can beat that. In the grand scheme of things, there is not much difference between Lip, Fiona, their father, a young talented doctor with a residency in some Bumblefuck, the first-in-the-family MBA, an artist or a writer with no connects, or me.

Quote of the Week: Why Self-Therapy?

The Frustrated CFO's Preface:

After reading my Means of Self-Therapy post from a week ago, some bleeding hearts felt obligated to ask me, "Why not conventional therapy?" I have to put my answer in a quote form, so that some TV addicts don't accuse me of plagiarism. This is what actually happened. I've been saying this shit for years and then one night, hit by insomnia, I accidentally stumbled on a random episode of The Mentalist, in which Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) repeated my sentiment about therapy (and doctors in general) verbatim. Whoa! It was eerie: the TV mentalist seemed to be a real mentalist, reading my mind.

"Psychiatrist: You don't like talking to doctors?

Jane: They always want to be the smartest person in the room, don't they? When in fact that's me, obviously."

The Mentalist, Episode 2.3

written by Ashley Gable

The Frustrated CFO's Means of Self-Therapy

Quote of the Week: You Graduate, but High School Never Leaves You

"High school is closer to the core of the American experience then anything else I can think of."

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

1922 – 2007

The Frustrated CFO Commentary:

This famous Vonnegut's little pearl of wisdom also makes an appearance in Jennifer Senior's article for New York Magazine Why You Truly Never Leave High School. I have to say that, for a cover piece of a popular periodical, it has a substantial amount of scientific references, citing deeply rooted correlation between our adolescence experiences and our personal as well as professional track records. I highly recommend it to everyone. To spike your interest, let me tease you with another quote – this time from the article itself:

"Why is it that in most public high schools across America, a girl who plays the cello or a boy who plays in the marching bank is a loser? And even more fundamentally: Why was it such a liability to be smart? …High-school values aren't all that different from adult values. Most adults don't like cello or marching bands, either. Most Americans are suspicious of intellectuals. Cellists, trumpet players, and geeks may find their homes somewhere in the adult world, and even status and esteem. But only in places that draw their own kind."

By the way, in case you didn't know, the birdcage with an opened door was the last Kurt Vonnegut's drawing. He had it ready on the day he died. Underneath he wrote his name and the years of his life – just like I did under the quote above. Apparently, the man who wasn't afraid to break the literary canons was prepared to finally graduate from this high school of Life and fly away.

Quote of the Week: Mad World

"Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you."

C.G. Jung

The Frustrated CFO's comment:

My mother, a doctor, always told me that one should be wary of psychiatrists, because they are just as crazy as their patients. I don't know about all psychiatrists, but it's definitely applies to Jung. I own his Red Book – going through it is a trip like no other. Then again, I think today it would be virtually impossible to find a truly sane subject for Jung's reformation. look around you – everyone runs in circles. It's a mad world.