The little evils of capitalism

[pap]

I've just got off the phone with an Indian fellow called Peter. Nice chap. Took the trouble of making an international phone call to tell me that his company had detected problems with my computer. Of course, the poor fellow stumbled when I asked the simple question "what's my name". He was close to a breakdown, only able to utter the words "That's good to know" toward the end of our conversation, after an extended diatribe from myself, including the question "how do you look your kids in the eye and tell them that you make your living by trying to con English people into installing software they don't need or infecting their machines?". I do feel a bit guilty, but at the same time; this stuff really irks me. It's one of the little evils of capitalism.

 

There are many more. I'm sure even the most ardent right winger would have one or two in the locker; guaranteed if they've ever listened to talkSPORT.

 

What are your little evils of capitalism?

[View From The Top]

What are your little evils of capitalism?

 

Tories.

[The Kraken]

I've just got off the phone with an Indian fellow called Peter.

 

Strangely enough, this one annoys me more than the calls themselves; I know why they think they need to do it, but does anyone actually believe they're using their real names? I've taken to stopping them when they tell me their name, asking them to repeat it, and then asking what their real name is. And refusing to continue the conversation until they tell me their actual name.

 

Sad, I know, but I get bombarded with these calls at night, and also if I work from home in the day. So annoying, and seemingly exempt from TPS regs.

[andysstuff]

... after an extended diatribe from myself, including the question "how do you look your kids in the eye and tell them that you make your living by trying to con English people into installing software they don't need or infecting their machines?".

 

I went further after an hour of blustering and acting stupid on the phone to one of these guys and asked him what his God would make of him. Dunno if it did any good but made me feel better.

[Tokyo-Saint]

I have had the same phone call 3 times now (I have different numbers as work from home), each time I get more an more angry. I asked the last one what it felt like to be doing a job were the object was to try and rip off the old or the gullible. I asked if there were any other options for work, perhaps selling genuine software or even PPI claim backs(FFS!). This might be an arrogant western reply and I do not understand the pressures of their country but I would like to think that If I was in a developing (but booming) economy, I wouldn't sink as low as being a tele-conman.

 

In the end the fecker hung up. They say they are in NY as well. For lols ask them about stuff in NY. I said that I had just got back, do they know the Yankies/Giants results, the road works on 5th Avenue etc.

[trousers]

What are your little evils of capitalism?

 

The Labour Party. They try very hard to be capitalists but are rubbish at it. They should stick to socialism IMO.

[Dig Dig]

I work for one the worlds largest financial institutions whereby I am paid huge bonuses from all your tax bail outs and part of my job is to to set up vendors in developing countries to deliver substandard service at a fraction of the price.

 

I AM a little evil of capatalism.

[St_Tel49]

I work for one the worlds largest financial institutions whereby I am paid huge bonuses from all your tax bail outs and part of my job is to to set up vendors in developing countries to deliver substandard service at a fraction of the price.

 

I AM a little evil of capatalism.

What's your real name - and how do you look your children in the eye!

[saintbletch]

I've just got off the phone with an Indian fellow called Peter. Nice chap. Took the trouble of making an international phone call to tell me that his company had detected problems with my computer. Of course, the poor fellow stumbled when I asked the simple question "what's my name". He was close to a breakdown, only able to utter the words "That's good to know" toward the end of our conversation, after an extended diatribe from myself, including the question "how do you look your kids in the eye and tell them that you make your living by trying to con English people into installing software they don't need or infecting their machines?". I do feel a bit guilty, but at the same time; this stuff really irks me. It's one of the little evils of capitalism.

 

There are many more. I'm sure even the most ardent right winger would have one or two in the locker; guaranteed if they've ever listened to talkSPORT.

 

What are your little evils of capitalism?

 

I've spoken to Peter, or one of his colleagues a number of times pap. They usually tell me that they are calling from Microsoft to tell me they've detected that my computer is running slowly. The fact that I run Linux and Microsoft isn't likely to reach out to its customer base alerted me to the scam.

 

I don't know how they've got hold of my details. Somewhere I've shopped online must have been hacked I guess.

 

In the past I've had great fun playing along. The end game for them is to get you to go to a web site and install a browser plugin that gives them access over your computer. At which point I imagine they will then look for passwords, bank logins, etc.

 

They ask you if you think you might have a virus or if the computer is running slowly or has displayed unusual messages. Who hasn't?

 

Once I told tell them that I get all of those symptoms and that I was really pleased they'd called. I gathered the family round the phone for a laugh and made up 10-15 minutes of faulty messages. I pretended to type in the URL and told him that I had a snake moving across my screen. Whenever he tried to talk, I'd scream and say that the snake had turned and could he help me get rid of it. He'd try to tell me to visit the URL and I'd tell him that the snake was stopping me from doing it.

 

It was great fun. He eventually told me that I was wasting his time and put the phone down.

 

Now, like you, I just tell them to go away and that I know it's a scam.

 

Evils of capitalism? Well only slightly less evil than the scam above are those telemarketing companies that ignore the Telephone Preference Service.

[Lord Duckhunter]

The Labour Party. They try very hard to be capitalists but are rubbish at it. They should stick to socialism IMO.

 

For capitalism to work, failing Companies must be allowed to go bang. Bailing them out with tax payers money creates a win-win situation. Capitalism of the profits, socialism of the losses. And our children and grandchildren have the pleasure of settling the bill.

[Barry Sanchez]

The Labour Party. They try very hard to be capitalists but are rubbish at it. They should stick to socialism IMO.

 

I am in the Labour Party and I agree ha ha !

[Barry Sanchez]

For capitalism to work, failing Companies must be allowed to go bang. Bailing them out with tax payers money creates a win-win situation. Capitalism of the profits, socialism of the losses. And our children and grandchildren have the pleasure of settling the bill.

 

So you dont agree with subsidy if its essential to all the public?

[norwaysaint]

I've only had one of those calls once. I acted very interested and asked him to wait a minute while I fetched the laptop and booted it up. Then I went for a dump. He was gone when I came back which I thought was rather rude.

[pap]

The situation for the people in flood plains is mental too. Insurance companies don't want to know. Much noise has been made about the flood defences being inadequate. Perfect storm, really. Governments haven't invested enough, creating higher risk and recompense. Insurance companies recognise the risk. The people in end up paying for it.

[Tokyo-Saint]

I am in the Labour Party and I agree ha ha !

 

You see this Pap/Bletch? He isn't dune.

 

I discharge him from my care.

[Kingsland Red]

The Indian guy who regularly calls me to advise me my 'Microsoft' computer is at risk has confirmed he is based in Manchester. When I asked to speak to his manager he advised he had finished his shift.

I once asked him what he proposed to do to resolve my computer issues and he got as far as demanding some bank details before I advised my computer was an Apple. Ah well, he still kindly calls.....

[Barry Sanchez]

You see this Pap/Bletch? He isn't dune.

 

I discharge him from my care.

 

Garston and Halewood branch, thinking of leaving though as I depsise the current shadow cabinet and their elitist education, more Union sponsored Labour mp's please, more work exprienced Labour mp's please and please far less ****e of positive discrimination (female mp's who are **** but given cushy seats) as discrimination is discrimination.

[Tokyo-Saint]

I can't see dune coming up with this stuff even as a cover story. He just couldn't bring himself to it. Permission for bail to be returned sir?

[buctootim]

For capitalism to work, failing Companies must be allowed to go bang. Bailing them out with tax payers money creates a win-win situation. Capitalism of the profits, socialism of the losses. And our children and grandchildren have the pleasure of settling the bill.

 

The only companies to have been bailed out were the banks -whose problems were caused by a too lightly regulated market. Had Northern Rock, HBOS and RBS been allowed to go bankrupt it would have dragged the whole system down - 15 million people unable to receive their wages, pay their rents / mortgages, buy food etc etc and 2 million companies unable to pay their millions of staff or access funds to remain in business. There would have been hardly a person in the UK untouched.

 

There is a reason no country let any major banks go pop you know.

[pap]

Garston and Halewood branch, thinking of leaving though as I depsise the current shadow cabinet and their elitist education, more Union sponsored Labour mp's please, more work exprienced Labour mp's please and please far less ****e of positive discrimination (female mp's who are **** but given cushy seats) as discrimination is discrimination.

 

That'll show 'em, Bazza.

 

There are agendas within most parties, all with different levels of funding. Any particular group you were thinking of within Labour?

[Hatch]

I had one of those calls, and even when i said my name was Bill Gates, and I owned my own software company, they still persisted.

[pap]

What's your real name - and how do you look your children in the eye!

 

To be fair, I asked Peter what my name was

 

Always the first question. If they have the balls to stick around after they fall at that hurdle, both barrels are justified, I feel.

[saintbletch]

I can't see dune coming up with this stuff even as a cover story. He just couldn't bring himself to it. Permission for bail to be returned sir?

 

You may be right. Two points Toke.

 

Firstly, the bail fee was a new Hannah Minx Japanese lesson. I don't think I saw that.

Secondly, Barry Sanchez is on probation and I think he should stay there. Ask yourself. Who else have you seen use the term elitist (or variant thereof)?

[Tokyo-Saint]

So I have to post another lesson to save this nitwit from the gallows?

[pap]

You may be right. Two points Toke.

 

Firstly, the bail fee was a new Hannah Minx Japanese lesson. I don't think I saw that.

Secondly, Barry Sanchez is on probation and I think he should stay there. Ask yourself. Who else have you seen use the term elitist (or variant thereof)?

 

The multiple inane "look at me" threads are a bit of circumstantial evidence I can't ignore, saintbletch. There is something fishy about Barry Sanchez. I'm taking Shaw Taylor's advice and keepin' them peeled.

[saintbletch]

The multiple inane "look at me" threads are a bit of circumstantial evidence I can't ignore, saintbletch. There is something fishy about Barry Sanchez. I'm taking Shaw Taylor's advice and keepin' them peeled.

 

Hmm.

 

Perhaps he's the anti-dune.

 

Barry Sanchez, do you have any numerical tattoos on your head?

[aintforever]

The only companies to have been bailed out were the banks -whose problems were caused by a too lightly regulated market. Had Northern Rock, HBOS and RBS been allowed to go bankrupt it would have dragged the whole system down - 15 million people unable to receive their wages, pay their rents / mortgages, buy food etc etc and 2 million companies unable to pay their millions of staff or access funds to remain in business. There would have been hardly a person in the UK untouched.

 

There is a reason no country let any major banks go pop you know.

 

Still against all the principles of capitalism though. The bail out was the beginning of the end of the current financial system IMO. Too many people/companies skimming off millions/billions without adding anything of value to society.

[pap]

Still against all the principles of capitalism though. The bail out was the beginning of the end of the current financial system IMO. Too many people/companies skimming off millions/billions without adding anything of value to society.

 

It's all middlemen, and a large part of that is down to an abrogation of personal responsibility. The problem arrives when the middle men begin to jam up the works. I've been dealing with letting agents lately. Complete pack of f**kers who cynically exploit people at vulnerable times. I'm in the lucky position of being able to bide my time, but someone who is forced to move (landlord selling house, etc) will get taken to the cleaners.

 

Admin fees, hidden charges. One firm I spoke to wanted £50 to renew a contract. No value to society whatsoever.

[Tokyo-Saint]

Too much money isn't actually 'there' in the first place. Using debt as a form of 'gold standard' isn't really a great idea in it's most simplistic form but when it is allowed to happen on a mass scale in a highly deregulated market it is just ridiculous.

 

The evils of capitalism, red braces and filofaxes (read blackberry's in 2012).

[solentstars]

The Labour Party. They try very hard to be capitalists but are rubbish at it. They should stick to socialism IMO.

 

I agree but socialism died in 1979 under thatcher and we had nothing but Tory led government since who love lining the pockets of the top 10 percent who run the country with their lazy capitalism ripping of the people of the country apart from a few crumbs for the little people .

 

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2

[Barry Sanchez]

That'll show 'em, Bazza.

 

There are agendas within most parties, all with different levels of funding. Any particular group you were thinking of within Labour?

 

 

I could say bottom to top, could say more must shut mouth.

[Barry Sanchez]

The multiple inane "look at me" threads are a bit of circumstantial evidence I can't ignore, saintbletch. There is something fishy about Barry Sanchez. I'm taking Shaw Taylor's advice and keepin' them peeled.

 

Those beedy mistrusting eyes, twisting turning unbelieving at every turn....................

[Wes Tender]

The multiple inane "look at me" threads are a bit of circumstantial evidence I can't ignore, saintbletch. There is something fishy about Barry Sanchez. I'm taking Shaw Taylor's advice and keepin' them peeled.

 

As I posted elsewhere, I believe that I might have found him on Facebook:-

 

https://www.facebook.com/barry.sanchez.73

 

In as much as one can make a judgement about somebody's personality based on their appearance, if this was him it would explain a lot.

[Sheaf Saint]

The only companies to have been bailed out were the banks -whose problems were caused by a too lightly regulated market. Had Northern Rock, HBOS and RBS been allowed to go bankrupt it would have dragged the whole system down - 15 million people unable to receive their wages, pay their rents / mortgages, buy food etc etc and 2 million companies unable to pay their millions of staff or access funds to remain in business. There would have been hardly a person in the UK untouched.

 

There is a reason no country let any major banks go pop you know.

 

Then the entire system is catastrophically flawed. Hardly surprising, considering the entire world economy is based on the principle of using flashy marketing to convince people to spend money they don't have on sh1t they don't need. The reason that the recovery is spluttering all over the world is that a huge number of people, since the economic crash of 2008, have wised up to this fact and adapted their lifestyles to a more need-based approach.

[Tokyo-Saint]

It's all middlemen, and a large part of that is down to an abrogation of personal responsibility. The problem arrives when the middle men begin to jam up the works. I've been dealing with letting agents lately. Complete pack of f**kers who cynically exploit people at vulnerable times. I'm in the lucky position of being able to bide my time, but someone who is forced to move (landlord selling house, etc) will get taken to the cleaners.

 

Admin fees, hidden charges. One firm I spoke to wanted £50 to renew a contract. No value to society whatsoever.

 

Although I agree to a mild extent, that estate agents and letting agents are scum, they are not the problem. They are just taking money that is already in the economy and moving it from one bank to the next. That money is already in the economy and makes little difference to the bigger picture if it is in your account or mine or the estate agents. In fact, the money moving about in the ecomomy is good in a general sense as some of that money will be taxed and you would hope the tax money would go to improve society as a whole.

 

The problem is.... Bank 1 lends someone 100K to buy a house. That morgage document then becomes an asset for the bank. They are then allowed to lend 10 times that amount as they only have to hold a fraction of what they lend out at a central bank (sometimes called an actual or a real deposit). They then lend out 10 more 100ks to 10 more people and so on and so on. The problem comes when they have lent out too many 100ks without consideration and a large number of these default. This means there is money in the system (lent out) but it can't be recovered form the debtor. To cover the lost money and the interest, the economy has to grow. The problem is, if there is little confidence in the market, and less resources the economy struggles to grow, making the problem get worse.

 

A simplistic view but I could go on all day and bore you to death.

Edited 29 November, 2012 by Tokyo-Saint

[pap]

Those beedy mistrusting eyes, twisting turning unbelieving at every turn....................

 

Pipe down, dune.

[Barry Sanchez]

It's all middlemen, and a large part of that is down to an abrogation of personal responsibility. The problem arrives when the middle men begin to jam up the works. I've been dealing with letting agents lately. Complete pack of f**kers who cynically exploit people at vulnerable times. I'm in the lucky position of being able to bide my time, but someone who is forced to move (landlord selling house, etc) will get taken to the cleaners.

 

Admin fees, hidden charges. One firm I spoke to wanted £50 to renew a contract. No value to society whatsoever.

 

You could argue a true socialist state or a blanket one abolishes or helps to diminish personal responsibilty.

[Barry Sanchez]

Pipe down, dune.

 

Well if it fits wear it I say, your curtain is twisted by the way.

[pap]

You could argue a true socialist state or a blanket one abolishes or helps to diminish personal responsibilty.

 

And how would one make that argument? We've never really seen one.

[pap]

Well if it fits wear it I say, your curtain is twisted by the way.

 

How would you even know what sort of cap it was?

[Barry Sanchez]

And how would one make that argument? We've never really seen one.

 

We have not but that does mean I am neccessarily wrong does it? Take communism for example, the capitalists made billions once it opened up its borders, billions through naivety and corruption, China also, North Korea and Cuba as well once their system falls.

There has to be a balnce of state and capitalism.

[buctootim]

A Barry Sanchez with the same avatar as Smirking Saint.......the plot sickens

http://www.facebook.com/barry.sanchez.73#!/barry.sanchez.7

 

 

ps can you send me some nudie pics of Tammy Johns?

Edited 29 November, 2012 by buctootim

[Barry Sanchez]

How would you even know what sort of cap it was?

 

If your from L7 I would say a Stussy or Nike one.................

[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

The only companies to have been bailed out were the banks -whose problems were caused by a too lightly regulated market. Had Northern Rock, HBOS and RBS been allowed to go bankrupt it would have dragged the whole system down - 15 million people unable to receive their wages, pay their rents / mortgages, buy food etc etc and 2 million companies unable to pay their millions of staff or access funds to remain in business. There would have been hardly a person in the UK untouched.

 

There is a reason no country let any major banks go pop you know.

 

Didn't Icelands main bank go bang?

[buctootim]

Didn't Icelands main bank go bang?

 

 

It got nationalised, like Northern Rock and RBS. Lord D's suggestion was they should have been allowed to collapse and disappear.

[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

It got nationalised, like Northern Rock and RBS. Lord D's suggestion was they should have been allowed to collapse and disappear.

 

Ah yes, that's right.

 

I'm a Tory, but the babnks couldn't be allowed to go bust. The hardship that would have been felt around the World would have been insane. There was no choice.

[pap]

Didn't Icelands main bank go bang?

 

Yes it did. Iceland responded by creating a new constitution, and negotiated with banks to get debt relief for a lot of its citizens.

 

There has been talk of mortgage forgiveness, but no Icelandic official will say this has happened outside of bankruptcy or "outlier" conditions.

[CB Saint]

I've just got off the phone with an Indian fellow called Peter. Nice chap. Took the trouble of making an international phone call to tell me that his company had detected problems with my computer. Of course, the poor fellow stumbled when I asked the simple question "what's my name". He was close to a breakdown, only able to utter the words "That's good to know" toward the end of our conversation, after an extended diatribe from myself, including the question "how do you look your kids in the eye and tell them that you make your living by trying to con English people into installing software they don't need or infecting their machines?". I do feel a bit guilty, but at the same time; this stuff really irks me. It's one of the little evils of capitalism.

 

There are many more. I'm sure even the most ardent right winger would have one or two in the locker; guaranteed if they've ever listened to talkSPORT.

 

What are your little evils of capitalism?

 

I get these as well. I usually tell them that the line is bad and to call me back on 0161 234 9230, which just so happens to be the Action Fraud hotline. I would love to know if any of them did.

 

The other bugbear is PPI or personal injury texts. I have found that texting back "P!ss off" stems the tide somewhat.

[pap]

We have not but that does mean I am neccessarily wrong does it? Take communism for example, the capitalists made billions once it opened up its borders, billions through naivety and corruption, China also, North Korea and Cuba as well once their system falls.

There has to be a balnce of state and capitalism.

 

Never was a communist state either. There have been dictatorships with planned economies. Not quite the same thing.

 

As for people making billions after the fall of communism, the main Russian beneficiaries were the bureaucratic class. Abramovich's brilliant money-making scheme? Sell state- subsidised natural resources at market prices. That's it.

 

Capitalism shouldn't be allowed anywhere near anything that is "mission-critical". I'm all in favour of planned economy principles for the essentials of life.

[the stain]

 

Capitalism shouldn't be allowed anywhere near anything that is "mission-critical".

 

Like saving the earth from meteorites?