Zendik

It depends on the state. Some states like Louisiana and most other Southern states are what are called "right ot work" states, meaning that an employer can fire anyone for anything, without naming a cause, however, even in these states, a worker is protected by state and/or federal discrimination laws, meaning that if the employer fires you because of your race, age, gender, handicap, etc. then you would have recourse in the courts.

Also, most companies have guidelines & rules concerning the hiring & firing of employees which offer some protection and there is usually a process that the employer has to go through to get you out. And, as red lentil says, some states (usually the "blue" states) offer further protections.

Not so at Zendik. Once Arol says you're out, you're out now - pack your bags (leaving behind anything that belongs to you that the Zendiks want to hold onto) and no talking back.

 

What's the point of trying to create a revolution if
nobody gets it?

 

Would you buy a used car from this woman? No?

Then would you abandon everything, run off to the wilds of West Virginia and put yourself completely at her mercy?

 

That is not the case and I do know my rights in this regard. Most states are what is known as “at will states” Witch means you can be fired for any or no reason. The only exception to this is that an employer my not fire you because of: race, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation (Though trans-gendered people are not protected by this law), and various other anti discrimination laws. There are numerous protected classes in both state and federal laws. However, yes an employer can fire you for wearing a red shirt. Sticking with that example: If I were fired for wearing a red shirt I would have no problem collecting unemployment benefits but, other than that, I would have no other recourse. Furthermore, in my state, even if a person was fired in a manor that is inconsistent with the companies own personnel policies they still would have no legal recourse. Now, if you worked for a large company you could probably find some lawyer who would bully the company into settling a “nuisance lawsuit”.

 

Anyway, returning to your regularly scheduled topic:

I think any organization that would kick people to the curb with no warning is unfair. I believe some one posted way back that they were told, “The bus is heading into town this afternoon. Be on it”. (or words to that effect) I think such behavior is unconscionable if true. To think that they could be so uncaring to a member of their community makes me very sad. People in that position should contact an attorney to see if they have any recourse.

The way they set up “dates” is weird to say the least but, I do not see anything inherently wrong with it either. In a way, I could almost understand their point of view. It is hard to say for sure without understanding why they do things that way.

 

Greenhornet, what the hell is that?!

When did the Zendiks become German Expressionists?

 

Damnit, I've got a shoe fetish and it's fake german expressionism but those five-inch clunk heels get me hot.

I've changed my mind! Re-enlist me!

 

I left abruptly.
I forget the details of what set me off, probally feedback and smokes but I remember going into the sleeping area kind of pissed and this girl comes out of no where telling me to leave if I didn't like it. That was it, the last straw. I grabbed my stuff and started off to where ever. Zoe, pulled up in a car to get me some miles away after I was done telling Chen to shove it and off we were.
Zoe was pretty cool except for dropping me off where I didn't know where I was. Thankfully I had a thousand bucks stashed and was off to another adventure.....
So, all I got out of the deal was a ride out of the area, no $ for a phone call or anything. I got a job doing construction and made at least 7--800 bucks that first week. Not bad for a DeathKulter job seeing that I didn't make squat at the farm.

 

I credit Zoe with teaching me everything I know about shooting pool.

 

So you left by your own choice and time. Does anyone know how many people left by their own choice and how many people were kicked out?

 

I left by my own choice...though I suppose if I had stuck it out longer, it would have become ever-increasingly obvious to everyone that I didn't really belong there, and I would have gotten the boot...

 

No one was kicked out while I was there but two were threatened to get with it or hit the road. Several left.

Zoe was ok. I didn't spend much time with him but he did seem genuine when we did.
Siah was also a good guy. I'll always respect what he has to say...
Aera was ok. She taught me the door to door rap thing, it was fun.
Zara was real and very smart.
Colt was a blast.
Fawn was ok and saved me by letting me be on the second trip to Florida.

 

A quick account of my very last memory of Zendik Farm (get out your handkerchiefs): On my last day at the Farm, someone baked cookies for everybody, but decided that I was not to have any , since I was leaving later that day. A sort of final mini-"fuck you" from the Zendiks, which says something about how they tend to treat people (essentially, like naughty little children). Instead of thinking, as most civilized people would, “what does it cost us to give this guy a cookie and send him away somewhat amicably?” they seemed to think the opposite: “what has this guy done for us to earn that cookie?” or maybe "these are OUR cookies, and this guy will soon be an outsider, so the hell with him." Then again, maybe this “cookie strator” wanted to give me a cookie, but was afraid that she’d get in trouble for squandering Zendik resources so haphazardly…

 

NO COOKIES!
Dang that is really stoooooopid to say the least. I'm at a loss for words.
So, Siah, are cookies still witheld from departing members? How about money for a phone call or a ride to the pawn shop?
It's been seven years since I've left has anything changed? Hows the troop retention? Trying to give you guys a chance here but Y'all don't seem interested in answering valid questions. Oh well..........

 

Really, nobody gets it.

 

"Philosophers until now have merely interpreted the cookie. The point, however, is to eat it."
-Karl Marx, The German Ideology

 

Good Zendik, organic cookie for you
Bad Zendik: take a hike & buy your own damn deathkulture cookie!

 

If I can't have a cookie, I don't want to be part of your revolution.
-- Emma Goldman

 

To be fair, 90% of the Zendiks were quite decent and cool to me on the day I left...I just think it's funny that that was basically my last Zendik Farm experience: two adults arguing over a cookie...

By the way, the Marxist/Lacanian theorist Slavoj Zizek has an interesting riff somewhere about the last of Marx’s “Theses on Feuerbach” (“the philosophers have only interpreted the world, but the point is to change it”): these days, Zizek says, we should reverse this axiom...try to understand the world that we’re trying to change before attempting in a half-assed way to change it...be clear about who our real enemies are, lest we find ourselves sinking our time into a “revolutionary” project that changes nothing, or even supports the status quo. So don’t “just do it”...think about what you’re doing first...a good lesson for the Zendiks...

 

The question I have for Zizek, then, is when does one know when he/she’s properly figured out who the real enemies are? Would-be revolutionaries could spend decades trying to figure this out as the 'real enemies' consume the world and continue to grasp the reins of power so tightly and control public information so thoroughly that the thought of a successful revolution, especially a peaceful one, becomes increasingly remote.



So then, where is the balance between knowing how & who to rebel against and ruminating for so long that no revolution ever happens?



It seems to me that most revolutions have been driven more by necessity and historical trends & opportunities than anything else - people rebel when they've been pushed too far and pick up an ideology and any weapons that suit them when the time comes.



So I suppose the Zendiks try to solve this dilemma by pretending to be participating in a revolution as they sit on the sidelines doing nothing and pretending that the 'real enemy' is everybody but themselves.