The jerk from your college/workplace who made it big

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The discussion centers on the feelings of resentment and disbelief when encountering former classmates or colleagues who were perceived as dishonorable yet achieve notable success. Participants express a mix of irritation and indifference towards these individuals, reflecting on their past behaviors and current achievements. Some share anecdotes about classmates who have become successful in various fields, including film and music, while others emphasize the unpredictability of life paths and the futility of comparing oneself to others. The conversation touches on themes of personal growth, the potential for change in character over time, and the societal tendency to reward those with questionable ethics. Ultimately, there is a consensus that focusing on personal success rather than harboring grievances against others is a healthier approach.
Loren Booda
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The jerk from your college/workplace who "made it big"

Doesn't it irk you when an dishonorable, petty person you know from your alma mater/business achieves "success"? I believe in forgiveness, but I also nourish grievances to those who are overrated and have never suffered. Give below a brief bio of your undeserving classmate/coworker.
 
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Why does it even bother you what others are doing? Don't "nourish grievances" against others. Just worry about yourself and your own measure of success.
 
Doesn't bother me. If a few hadn't done something notable, I probably wouldn't know what any of my class mates did later on in life.

I've got three ... well, kind of almost famous, at least, to a trivia buff who knew even the obscure details of movies and music ... classmates.

One was nominated for an Academy Award for the sound editing he did on "Road to Perdition".

Another plays the horns in Tom Waits' band.

And, last, and certainly not least, one played Uncle Festus in Addams Family Reunion.
 
I don't know of any. Honestly. But I haven't bothered keeping up with what old classmates have done if they weren't people I stayed friends with anyway. Rumor has it that one kid from high school who spent most of that time in in-school suspension has been very successful as a stock broker, but while he was definitely a delinquent, I don't know that he was dishonorable or petty. Anyway, it's not like dishonorable people would be at any disadvantage as a stockbroker. :rolleyes:

I think more surprising has been hearing of a few people who I thought would be very successful and learning they haven't gotten as far as I expected.
 
This is so specific..
How about you share your experience?
 
Life is too crazy to predict the future of someone in high school with any degree of accuracy. Yes, sure people who do better in school may have better tools at their disposal, and people not as intelligent may be disadvantaged, but life's just too unpredictable to tell what the future may hold. Not to mention people do change their behaviors from time to time after high school, even college

I have no idea if people from school became successful or not. I didn't make a point to follow them. It's just begging for comparisons of how your life success and/or failure matches up with everyone else, and it's detrimental to yourself. it's not wise to compare yourself to others, becuse you will either become vain or bitter, and neither path is good.

Loren, it sounds like you have a story to share however- do tell :biggrin:
 
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Like Moonbear, I have not kept up with the alumni. But I've read enough about the music biz to know that John Lennon was the sort of student who--certainly by his teen years--made life miserable for classroom teachers. I imagine most of his teachers knew he was clever and witty, but they could not motivate him to pay attention in class or to make any effort at his schoolwork. A few years later, he was of course making considerably more money than the teachers were. When he sang that bit about Junior putting thumbtacks on the teacher's chair, he probably had a flashback to his own schooldays!
 
Well,

There's this suitemate I had in college who wields enough power now to trace this down, but here it goes. "Pompous" would describe him best. His father was a psychiatrist who would share tales of his patients with his son. His mom reminded me of the Angela Lansbury character in the first "Manchurian Candidate."

He and I would smoke from a half-pound bag of dope that his father grew. He and his friend once attempted to be physically inappropriate towards me when I was tripping - I am sure of that - but I guess that goes with their boarding school territory. He would constantly talk about Brooks Brothers and knowing the Post family of DC. He mentioned that his jaw shape was a sign of royalty(!). He came very close to flunking his freshman history course.

Imagine my shock when I read that he is now something like the counsel for a congressional subcommittee on drugs and terrorism! Maybe he found God, maybe he weaseled his way to the top by nepotism, maybe he achieved through blind ambition. I was no great student, but certainly neither was he a person of character. He instigated this post of mine.
 
No, it doesn't irk me. Success in society is related to many things (not all of them applicable to every successful person), and one of those is being a jerk. The upper management of every major corporation, government department or other large organisation is filled with jerks. Backstabbers, bullies, and bastards. If society wants to reward these alpha males with fame and riches, there's nothing I can do about it. Just put it down as one of the many injustices of life. And get on with your own.
 
  • #10
A guy I was at school with flew out to Thailand, where his plan was to buy a shedload of heroin, bring it back to the UK and make his fortune that way. It would have been perfect if he'd actually hidden the drugs, and hadn't got caught by Thai police, and been banged up in jail indefinitely. But this guy used to kick peoples' heads into the gutter when winning a fight, so I reckon he got what he deserved.
 
  • #11
cragwolf said:
... The upper management of every major corporation, government department or other large organisation is filled with jerks. Backstabbers, bullies, and bastards...

One wonders what uber-CEO Jack Welch was like as a lad. This website doesn't go that far back in his bio:

http://www.businessweek.com/1998/23/b3581001.htm
 
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  • #12
Janitor said:
One wonders what uber-CEO Jack Welch was like as a lad.

I don't know. Success does not require being a bastard. I don't want that interpretation to be derived from my previous post.
 
  • #13
The thing is, people change too. The kid who seemed like a real jerk in high school may have hit the real world, realized it wasn't getting them anywhere, grew up and changed their attitude and made something of themselves. I'm happy for someone if they managed to turn their life around and better themself.
 
  • #14
I often feel that that kid is me.
 
  • #15
No offense Loren, but your story doesn't seem all that amazing. What I mean is, it's not really unbelievable. Many people seem 'bad' at one point and become something good.
 
  • #16
KingNothing said:
No offense Loren, but your story doesn't seem all that amazing. What I mean is, it's not really unbelievable. Many people seem 'bad' at one point and become something good.


He's working for congress, where is the good in that?

He should be dragged out and shot with his bosses on general principal.

But i hate politicians. And i mean really really hate.

More than i hate any kind of stupidity.
 
  • #17
Ignorance is not a capital offence, even if we don't get our way with our government.
 
  • #18
Loren Booda said:
Ignorance is not a capital offence, even if we don't get our way with our government.

No, but being a sleaze bag politician is. Or at least, should be. Just for the good of humanity.
 
  • #19
Loren Booda said:
Ignorance is not a capital offence, even if we don't get our way with our government.

But it might be a Capitol offense. :-p :biggrin:

Oh, almost forgot the rim shot...ba dum bum! (Puns aren't funny without that.)
 
  • #20
Well, I've noticed that most of my classmates from high school are in some kind of military. Mostly army. Personally, I think they're in there because they didn't know what else to do. I'm pretty positive that I'm doing a lot better than they are.
 

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