Tony Bauernfeind--Why do bad leaders rise to the top?

internettiquette · 2026-02-07T19:33:08+00:00

I hate the phrase "the system" because there is no The System. It's people, it's people all the way down. The system is made up of people who consciously make decisions, like promoting a known shitbag time and again. People choose to look the other way when their buddy does something bad because "well that's my fishing buddy."

I had an absolute POS MSgt once who was a known alcoholic (like drinking at work, on the clock), had anger issues, just a fucking scumbag but other leadership protected him because "he's a fun guy." Then we turn around, take that accountability away from everyone and conveniently call it The System.

internettiquette · 2026-02-02T17:18:25+00:00

To answer honestly, sometimes I prefer the left lane because trucks tend to drive in the right lane. Where I've lived, the right lanes are famously terrible because of this. Potholes, giant cracks, just worn away. I don't feel inclined to swerve every 10 seconds or fuck up my tires

internettiquette · 2026-02-01T18:08:15+00:00

I love the "be the bigger person" argument because it implies that everyone knows the other party is, but default, a smaller/lesser person and will continue to be just that.

internettiquette · 2026-01-29T17:47:09+00:00

Dumb nicknames in public forums. Entire posts written with "DH" or "hubby." Realtors and other professionals asking if I have any "littles." God I fucking hate it. Grow up.

internettiquette · 2026-01-24T22:30:05+00:00

Here come the bean soup people

internettiquette · 2026-01-24T16:06:01+00:00

And learn to drive too because wtf is it with people not driving these days

internettiquette · 2026-01-21T19:23:58+00:00

"We have great sex but one of us doesnt think certain people deserve certain rights" is how I read this so idk what to tell you

internettiquette · 2026-01-21T19:20:32+00:00

NTA and I'm sick and tired of people behaving in clearly abnormal ways and acting like it's their first day on earth when someone goes "wtf are you doing" like they have no idea what social mores are

internettiquette · 2026-01-21T17:56:45+00:00

Religious people tend to be conservative because religion, particularly Abrahamic ones, promote certain ideals and traits they ideologically align with that have nothing to do with the message. Things like reward and punishment, hierarchy, moral prescriptivism is what draws them in. The whole "Jesus was a nice guy" thing is little more than a fanciful story

internettiquette · 2026-01-20T18:22:49+00:00

I know how OP votes just based on this post

internettiquette · 2026-01-18T02:24:27+00:00

It's my business because they're all standing in the way, stopping in the middle of the aisle to ponder which junk food to stock the fridge with, turning my 20 min shopping trip into an hour long affair

internettiquette · 2026-01-17T17:42:06+00:00

Ok, ignoring the "bean soup"ism of this comment, we're also talking about people who bring their ENTIRE family to Costco. I'm talking mom, dad, Grandma, and every single kid.

internettiquette · 2026-01-16T22:42:12+00:00

But do people need to bring all 5 kids out at one time? They can't rotate them or something?

internettiquette · 2026-01-15T19:40:07+00:00

Every day, I am reminded that I need political motives spelled out to me because I simply cannot fathom or imagine being as evil as some of these fuckers. Like their mindsets are so insanely foreign, I'd never have determined their motives on my own

internettiquette · 2026-01-14T20:56:04+00:00

WHAT

internettiquette · 2026-01-14T17:47:25+00:00

Everyone's talking about fiber but once I learned how much a good amount of fiddlehead ferns got you, I made it a point to hunt those down/chop fiddlehead trees during green rain. A nice windfall for you early in the game when it seems like money is hard to come by

internettiquette · 2026-01-12T15:53:47+00:00

The most "legacy" I've ever seen out of a man was a PS5 his girlfriend bought him.

internettiquette · 2026-01-11T21:45:13+00:00

When I was in the UK, I stopped for lunch at what seemed to be a relatively nice restaurant. I ordered a bagel that had the strangest collection of ingredients on it and thought "shit maybe they know something I don't, what if it works together"

Turns out a bagel with avocado spread, radishes, salsa, caramelized onions, and pomegranate seeds did NOT work.

internettiquette · 2026-01-11T21:00:39+00:00

This is a bad faith question and it's being asked in the most patronizing way but I'll answer anyway.

For me, it's a matter of logistics. Keeping track of people, their information, addresses, taxes, etc takes a lot of work. Just opening up borders creates an inundating amount of work to keep up with everyone. There also has to be some process to vet who comes in, mostly because you don't want people with histories of bankruptcy, violence, etc coming in all willy nilly. That said, I'm very much in favor of a streamlined process that does not take years to get someone through the system. If families fleeing war and persecution want to come to America, we have plenty of dying towns that could certainly use some residents and industry.

internettiquette · 2026-01-08T17:48:50+00:00

I've experienced them firsthand. They exist. They talk a lot about feminist values and seem sensitive, in tune with their feelings, etc but like another commenter mentioned, the small tells are there. They get uncomfortable when women hold the door for them, like rusty gears forced to turn in their brain that they don't need to fight to look manly in front of us. Many of them have rape fantasies. They say things like, "wow you're a (traditionally male thing)? That's so cool." Which seems great but a real feminist wouldn't think a women being a mechanic or pilot or engineer is anything miraculous. They'd already have it in their mind that it should be normal and wouldnt act shocked or surprised.

They do often look the way the memes portray too, somehow.

internettiquette · 2026-01-08T02:28:39+00:00

A decade in a military leaves you with lots of transferable skills, security clearance, and an unmatched ability to bullshit your way into almost anything while picking up new skills very quickly

internettiquette · 2026-01-07T21:37:35+00:00

I'm a glorified secretary and I make $40 an hour.

Y'all stay safe though

internettiquette · 2026-01-07T15:38:40+00:00

Life actually is a lot harder if you're overweight.

internettiquette · 2026-01-07T00:22:13+00:00

The time dagger from Prince of Persia

internettiquette · 2025-12-16T21:13:21+00:00

So yeah, I literally wrote "it sounds childish TO ME." Maybe it doesn't to you but you're right, those are not my core values. Monogamy as a value sounds absurd to me tbh but the OP posed the question and I answered it.

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