Brad Wardell's views about technology, politics, religion, world affairs, and all sorts of politically incorrect topics.
Published on December 11, 2007 By Draginol In Blogging

I know it's not nice to say that some people are losers. But that doesn't mean it isn't true. Awhile back I wrote an article on this topic. Now, I'd like to put together this simple test that if someone I know or work with blatantly shows these signs I can just print it out, highlight and hand it to them.

Are you a loser?

  1. Do you leave a given situation worse than you found it? For instance, if you borrow something do you bring it back damaged? Loan a loser a car and it'll come back with a stain on it. Loan them a took and it'll come back damaged or broken. Let them stay at your place and they'll leave it a mess.

  2. Do you exploit the good will of others? Do you find yourself betraying the trust others put in you? Do people describe you as inconsiderate? Are you the guy at the office who eats the majority of "community" food? Are you the guy who leaves dirty dishes for your roommates or coworkers to clean up after you?
     
  3. Do you make pathetic excuses for routine failings? Nothing says loser than the guy who acts like they are the only person in the world that has a life to deal with. Are you the guy who is late for work regularly and uses excuses ranging from "train" to "traffic" to other lame things? What makes you a loser in this case is the obliviousness that everyone faces issues in life but still manages to get things done.
     
  4. Do you have no sense of delayed gratification? A loser not only doesn't have any money, but will rationalize spending money they don't have because they gotta have stuff "now". Sure you're going to be a bonus or a raise at work? Then hey why not buy that new gadget right this second even though you haven't gotten the job, bonus or raise yet right? That's what losers do. Losers almost never save or invest because they need all kinds of shiny crap now.
     
  5. Do you see yourself as just having bad luck or a victim of circumstance? A loser always sees themselves as a victim. All the bad things that happen to them are someone else's fault. Losers think their boss "has it out for them" or they couldn't have known their interest rate might go up on their adjustable rate mortgage or still can't believe that they got evicted for not paying their rent – didn't the landlord realize that they've been having a tough time?
     
  6. Do you think people who are doing better than you are just lucky? Losers seem to assume that rich people just inherited it or stole their money. Losers are just "too damn principled" to "play dirty" to be successful or "just weren't born with silver spoons in their mouths". When a loser sees someone who is doing better they think those people are doing better either because of luck or because they were dishonest.
     
  7. Do you worry about "Fairness"? Losers think there should be some sort of objective "fairness" in life. You can spot a loser because they will whine about something not being "fair". Life ain't fair.
     
  8. Do you have a loser work ethic? A loser's work ethic functions as follows: If they think they are underpaid, they will simply work fewer hours and screw off more. They will rationalize that they should really be making X (where X is almost always 25% more than they already make – they've done studies on this). Therefore, they'll figure they really only should put in 30 hours of work and will mess around the other 10. Losers don't realize that they are simply sabotaging their futures with such a stupid, unproductive strategy.

Comments (Page 1)
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on Dec 11, 2007
In answer...Yeah.
on Dec 11, 2007
Are you a loser?


Yes, yes I am.

on Dec 11, 2007
Not sure about the rules of this loser test. If even one of the Eight Articles of Loserdom is achieved, does one then qualify as a loser? Personally, I think I meet about half of these, the other half, definately not. So am I half a loser or am I half a winner? Does achieving all of the EIght Articles of Loserdom actually make one a winner of sorts? A winner, that is, at being such a great loser?

In the end, it's not whether you are a winner or a loser, but how you play the game.
on Dec 11, 2007
In the end, it's not whether you are a winner or a loser, but how you play the game.


Only losers think that way.



on Dec 11, 2007
Loser!!!
on Dec 11, 2007
I'm a half loser, or is it a half winner? Now I'm confused. At least I know I'm stupid.
on Dec 11, 2007
CharlesCS1


Dude, what is your avatar? It looks like a cheeseburger molesting a cricket!
on Dec 11, 2007
Nobody has an avatar on my computer -- Firefox or IE. And I'm curious now!

Being a winner means you get to call people names, and back it up by not giving them promotions. And turn how not fair this is into their problem (see #7).
on Dec 11, 2007
# Do you leave a given situation worse than you found it?

Definitely not. I am very good at this.

# Do you exploit the good will of others?

Not really. I don't think so.

# Do you make pathetic excuses for routine failings?

No. My routine failings are my own doing.

# Do you have no sense of delayed gratification?

I have little sense of delayed gratification. But the gratification I want tends to be less than what I could afford, so I end up ahead anyway, but not enough. I have to work on it.

# Do you see yourself as just having bad luck or a victim of circumstance?

Yes. And if I told you just some of the things that routinely happen to me you would probably agree that such a thing as bad luck does exist.

# Do you think people who are doing better than you are just lucky?

Some of them. Especially those that left me in a worse state than before I met them. But most are doing better simply because they work harder.

# Do you worry about "Fairness"?

No.

# Do you have a loser work ethic?

I don't think so.
on Dec 11, 2007
Whew, someone ticked you off uh? Your reasoning is sound of course!! But you know what I've learned, in life there are circumstances that people go through and it's up to them to make the best of it...wait, that's what you're saying....basically people, pick yourself up by the bootstrap or you're a LOSER!!!
on Dec 11, 2007
This sounds familiar.
on Dec 11, 2007
I'm just lazy...not a loser. In the end I'll get the job done.



~Zoo
on Dec 11, 2007
A winner would have none of those traits.  If you have even one of these traits, you may or may not be a loser but you're definitely not a winner (imo).
on Dec 11, 2007
In the end, it's not whether you are a winner or a loser, but how you play the game.


It isn't whether you win or lose, it's who you shower with after the game !!
on Dec 11, 2007
If you have even one of these traits, you may or may not be a loser but you're definitely not a winner (imo).


So one would be just that guy that does okay? That suits me. Being a loser sucks, being a winner is too much pressure.



~Zoo
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