Posted by
Ginny, Myrtle Beach, SC on June 2, 2008:
I'm handicapped, too. And I know how a site like This is True can truly brighten your day. Hell, some days it's the ONLY bright spot. If it's possible, I would like to buy Mark and his wife an upgrade. Just let me know what I have to do!!
---
Thanks, but some other readers already did back in 2006, when this was first published. -rc
Posted by
Mike from Dallas on June 5, 2008:
Dammit, Randy, you beat me to it. As I was reading about Jude, I'm thinking that he's a Professional Victim, one of those people who NEEDS problems to complain about in order to give his life validation. (You never hear successful people stomping their feet and complaining; they just go elsewhere if they don't like it.) But then you summed it up: Attitude. They won't release their only claim to self-validation.
But while those books about marketing may give some helpful ideas, they still won't solve such problems. Even the Fortune 100 companies constantly try to outpace lost customers with new ones. Short-term customers are lured in by hype and gimmicks, but long-term customers are kept by consistency and integrity. No, I'm not a marketing expert, but I do get paid by companies to improve their customer service. And if I don't succeed for improving customer retention, I don't get paid.
So, just like the joke about the guy trying to buy Polish sausage in a hardware store, some customers you don't need. If they aren't actively bringing in revenue, at least they're not hanging around to provide negative advertising.
---
Interesting extension of what I said. And you're right: we rarely hear whining from successful people. Want to be successful? Stop whining! Start appreciating your gifts, or move on if you're not getting what you want. Whining doesn't help, it hinders. Successful people understand that, and don't waste time with it. -rc
Posted by
Zoe, Ottawa Canada on July 13, 2008:
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. True is a fun, intelligent read once a week. But it's not the be all and end all of literature.
I don't upgrade because as much fun as the free edition is, I don't think the Premium would be worth it to me. I, like many, try to reduce unessential costs like subscriptions (each of those small monthly fees add up), and there are more vital things for me to spend my money on.
I don't look for things to be offended by, and get a kick out of people who do. But to see:
"If you think True is only "funny stories" that don't speak to the human condition, you might be content with the half dose of the free edition. If you enjoy being on the left side of the bell curve (or don't know what that means), maybe you should skip it."
Is mildly offensive. I'm not upset; Randy makes many references to his greatness, so it's not surprising to see him say that sort of thing to people who aren't "smart" enough to "get" the insightful genius of anything he's ever written.
If I'm lucky, Randy'll take offense to one word of what I've written and go on a whiny tangent about it.
In the meantime, I'll keep reading the free True, because I enjoy it, but I won't be upgrading anytime soon - and it has nothing to do with the above quote.
Oh - everything speaks to the human condition, by virtue of having been written / said by man. It's nothing special.
---
I disagree with your conclusion, and I think people understand what I meant, so it's not worth the bother to argue it.
I don't mind if you take offense at the section you quoted; it was meant to challenge people. That's part of what I do, and I've never made a secret of that function (though NO ONE has EVER suggested it was the "be all and end all of literature"!) It appears to me that you see that function, and understand it fully -- which pretty much means the comment wasn't directed at you. -rc
Posted by
Darrell, Idaho on April 25, 2009:
I'm "barely surviving" poor (moneywise), and have been for about 10 years. I would like to say (A) money isn't everything, (B) Value isn't only in money or goods and (C) do something about being poor. I went back to school. Attitude, as noted before, is the biggest problem of most people. Thank you, Randy, for such a thought provoking and entertaining part of my life.
---
Awesome, Darrell. And you even got everything in the right order! I've met a lot of people with money who were very poor (and many people who didn't have much money, but were very rich), and it's in part because they also figured out "B". -rc
Posted by
Shane, New Zealand on April 26, 2009:
I must admit that 24 dollars a year is not much BUT for people in different countries ( New Zealand ) your 24 dollars equal out to 44 of our dollars...which is a lot more than 2 bucks a week...but saying that I pay as I love to hear about the idiots that Randy gets to hear of.
Thanks Randy and keep up the very funny stories
---
As of this moment, US$24 is 18 euros, 16 pounds sterling,1,200 Indian rupees, 2,325 yen, and 35,700 Singapore dollars. Therefore, it's really cheap in Europe, extremely cheap in the UK, fifty times the price in India, and almost 1,500 times the price in Singapore? Of course not. It's the same price everywhere. $24 is about 3 hours of work (before taxes) for someone who works at McDonald's here, and even for the federal minimum wage is less than 4 hours of work. I doubt you're suggesting that someone in Singapore earns about $7/hr also and thus has to work 5,100 hours to earn enough to pay for a subscription. -rc
Posted by
Diana, Annapolis, MD on April 29, 2009:
I do understand the "bell curve" and am in the upper 90 percent of it. I'm still pretty broke like the rest of a lot of your customers, but I am grateful that you are such a generous person for giving us as much as you do. Thank you so very much for all of your hard work. I was also laughing at some of the responses you received. It is a shame that so many of these people jump to conclusions simply because they either have no understanding of what you are trying to convey, or have been so influenced by our "me-me, my-my, and I-want-it now - ALL of it - for free" society, that they can't see what you are talking about. (Perhaps they should read what they THINK they see the first time, twice or three times before they leap to any conclusions!)
Keep up the amazing work. I will continue to be grateful and thankful for your publications and what we still have in this country of ours. It may not be long before this right may be taken away from ALL of us. Perhaps even you for speaking your mind. I am one of those that had a "Premium This Is True" subscription at one time, but because I had circumstances in my life that prevented me from re-subscribing the next year, I have been grateful for what I HAVE received. Also, as soon as I am able, I will re-up to the 2-year subscription. Thank you for your efforts.
True: It's Not for Everyone - Comments
Posted by Ginny, Myrtle Beach, SC on June 2, 2008:
I'm handicapped, too. And I know how a site like This is True can truly brighten your day. Hell, some days it's the ONLY bright spot. If it's possible, I would like to buy Mark and his wife an upgrade. Just let me know what I have to do!!
---
Thanks, but some other readers already did back in 2006, when this was first published. -rc
Posted by Mike from Dallas on June 5, 2008:
Dammit, Randy, you beat me to it. As I was reading about Jude, I'm thinking that he's a Professional Victim, one of those people who NEEDS problems to complain about in order to give his life validation. (You never hear successful people stomping their feet and complaining; they just go elsewhere if they don't like it.) But then you summed it up: Attitude. They won't release their only claim to self-validation.
But while those books about marketing may give some helpful ideas, they still won't solve such problems. Even the Fortune 100 companies constantly try to outpace lost customers with new ones. Short-term customers are lured in by hype and gimmicks, but long-term customers are kept by consistency and integrity. No, I'm not a marketing expert, but I do get paid by companies to improve their customer service. And if I don't succeed for improving customer retention, I don't get paid.
So, just like the joke about the guy trying to buy Polish sausage in a hardware store, some customers you don't need. If they aren't actively bringing in revenue, at least they're not hanging around to provide negative advertising.
---
Interesting extension of what I said. And you're right: we rarely hear whining from successful people. Want to be successful? Stop whining! Start appreciating your gifts, or move on if you're not getting what you want. Whining doesn't help, it hinders. Successful people understand that, and don't waste time with it. -rc
Posted by Zoe, Ottawa Canada on July 13, 2008:
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. True is a fun, intelligent read once a week. But it's not the be all and end all of literature.
I don't upgrade because as much fun as the free edition is, I don't think the Premium would be worth it to me. I, like many, try to reduce unessential costs like subscriptions (each of those small monthly fees add up), and there are more vital things for me to spend my money on.
I don't look for things to be offended by, and get a kick out of people who do. But to see:
"If you think True is only "funny stories" that don't speak to the human condition, you might be content with the half dose of the free edition. If you enjoy being on the left side of the bell curve (or don't know what that means), maybe you should skip it."
Is mildly offensive. I'm not upset; Randy makes many references to his greatness, so it's not surprising to see him say that sort of thing to people who aren't "smart" enough to "get" the insightful genius of anything he's ever written.
If I'm lucky, Randy'll take offense to one word of what I've written and go on a whiny tangent about it.
In the meantime, I'll keep reading the free True, because I enjoy it, but I won't be upgrading anytime soon - and it has nothing to do with the above quote.
Oh - everything speaks to the human condition, by virtue of having been written / said by man. It's nothing special.
---
I disagree with your conclusion, and I think people understand what I meant, so it's not worth the bother to argue it.
I don't mind if you take offense at the section you quoted; it was meant to challenge people. That's part of what I do, and I've never made a secret of that function (though NO ONE has EVER suggested it was the "be all and end all of literature"!) It appears to me that you see that function, and understand it fully -- which pretty much means the comment wasn't directed at you. -rc
Posted by Darrell, Idaho on April 25, 2009:
I'm "barely surviving" poor (moneywise), and have been for about 10 years. I would like to say (A) money isn't everything, (B) Value isn't only in money or goods and (C) do something about being poor. I went back to school. Attitude, as noted before, is the biggest problem of most people. Thank you, Randy, for such a thought provoking and entertaining part of my life.
---
Awesome, Darrell. And you even got everything in the right order! I've met a lot of people with money who were very poor (and many people who didn't have much money, but were very rich), and it's in part because they also figured out "B". -rc
Posted by Shane, New Zealand on April 26, 2009:
I must admit that 24 dollars a year is not much BUT for people in different countries ( New Zealand ) your 24 dollars equal out to 44 of our dollars...which is a lot more than 2 bucks a week...but saying that I pay as I love to hear about the idiots that Randy gets to hear of.
Thanks Randy and keep up the very funny stories
---
As of this moment, US$24 is 18 euros, 16 pounds sterling,1,200 Indian rupees, 2,325 yen, and 35,700 Singapore dollars. Therefore, it's really cheap in Europe, extremely cheap in the UK, fifty times the price in India, and almost 1,500 times the price in Singapore? Of course not. It's the same price everywhere. $24 is about 3 hours of work (before taxes) for someone who works at McDonald's here, and even for the federal minimum wage is less than 4 hours of work. I doubt you're suggesting that someone in Singapore earns about $7/hr also and thus has to work 5,100 hours to earn enough to pay for a subscription. -rc
Posted by Diana, Annapolis, MD on April 29, 2009:
I do understand the "bell curve" and am in the upper 90 percent of it. I'm still pretty broke like the rest of a lot of your customers, but I am grateful that you are such a generous person for giving us as much as you do. Thank you so very much for all of your hard work. I was also laughing at some of the responses you received. It is a shame that so many of these people jump to conclusions simply because they either have no understanding of what you are trying to convey, or have been so influenced by our "me-me, my-my, and I-want-it now - ALL of it - for free" society, that they can't see what you are talking about. (Perhaps they should read what they THINK they see the first time, twice or three times before they leap to any conclusions!)
Keep up the amazing work. I will continue to be grateful and thankful for your publications and what we still have in this country of ours. It may not be long before this right may be taken away from ALL of us. Perhaps even you for speaking your mind. I am one of those that had a "Premium This Is True" subscription at one time, but because I had circumstances in my life that prevented me from re-subscribing the next year, I have been grateful for what I HAVE received. Also, as soon as I am able, I will re-up to the 2-year subscription. Thank you for your efforts.
Read the article that everyone's commenting on, or post a comment about it.