h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A number of years ago I was self-employed. I was just starting out, I had no money, when I attracted the attention of a small multimedia firm. They wanted me to work for them. They paid me the first month then failed to pay me after that, so I walked out. The stress had affected my health so much I decided that I should cut my losses rather than go through the additional stress of legal action, although I was threatened with that myself for walking out dspite the fact that I hadn't breached any contract first.

The guy who ran it was, quite frankly, a little bully who seemed to get his kicks from suing other people. He couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag, however. I had a feeling that the company was hopelessly run, so I monitored its performance through the years through Companies House. I was quite gratified to see that, having just reviewed last year's accounts, it made a loss of £42K, and the year before that a loss of £52K. This means that over the years, shareholders have had to put in over £300K to keep it afloat. Yet *someone* keeps on pouring in money...

Tell me, is it wrong to feel good at watching someone stupid and venal dig themselves so deep into a hole that they end up burying themselves?

Of course it's wrong

But that doesn't stop it being fun

The Germans have a word for it: Schadenfreude.

I suppose if I challenged him now he'd excuse his company's abysmal performance by stating that the rate at which he was losing money was decreasing. But when economists and businessmen start invoking higher derivatives then you know that they're on very shaky ground: http://www.biazed.com/blog/blogs/index.php?blog=2&m=200703

I would *really* like to know where all the money is coming from...I can only assume he's remortgaged his house. The only reason I *wouldn't* want to see him go under is that I'd wonder how he'd pay to care for his very severely disabled daughter. The guy himself 'though is a complete and utter...

That's supposed to be how the marketplace works, isn't it? Lame ducks (eventually) go to the wall. Whereas in public-sector employment, the government just stumps up more and more. Which explains the present rush to privatisation.

From your description it appears that your man doesn't know what his shortcomings are.

O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us . . .

Well, that's a poem well chosen...the guy's a bloodsucker through and through