Debutantes and values? Huh?
Big Red Car here on another glorious ATX, on Earth as it is in Texas, morning. Little late getting to the computer this morning.
Back in the day, I used to send y’all some Big Red Rules — rules for regulating your life and view of the world. When we blew through Big Red Rules X (twice as I recall), we shelved the project. Recently, I’ve gotten a lot of heat for some new rules and a redux of the old ones. So, here goes.
Today we review Values and Debutantes. An oldie and a new goodie. Enjoy.
Values
Values aren’t values until they have a price tag and an invoice marked “paid.” Until then, they’re just talking points and there is an epidemic of talking points out there.
Don’t tell me about your values, show me. Live your values.
With this generation, you have to check, double check, re-check everything. Twenty-somethings in World War II stormed Fortress Europe and kicked the shit out of the Nazis. This bunch gets upset if someone chalks a sidewalk with a word. Grow the fuck up.
Twenty-somethings in World War turned Nazi Europe into a safe place. It took some effort and they weren’t afraid to fight for their values. You see where this is going?
If you’re running a company and don’t enforce your values, you’ve just lowered the standards. Get the standards low enough and, pretty soon, you don’t have a company.
Culture is the outgrowth of values, not the other way around.
Values will require pain to enforce, but the pain, like childbirth, will be worth it in the future. Don’t believe me? Ask a Marine.
Debutantes
Yes, they still have deb balls in the South and while they may seem archaic and out of touch with the times, they are a lot of fun and very expensive. The South is different. Love the differences. You are not going to change Southern women—and why would anyone want to?
In Texas, Austin in particular, the girls do the deep Texas swan bow—has a Nascar like effect seeing who is going to crash and burn. It is like performing yoga when inebriated. Very inebriated.
Do not ever say to a deb or her Mom that their big white dress can do double duty as their wedding dress. Trust me on this one. This is a pro tip.
Never, ever, ever, ever let a deb or her Mom drive themselves anywhere. You will regret this forever and it is very difficult to find where they have abandoned the car. They will both be drinking.
Don’t worry about the escorts getting fresh with the debs. Once they have been around the debs and their Moms, most of them are going to give serious consideration to taking a vow of chastity and leading a life of committed celibacy.
Understand that the women who put on deb balls could run General Motors or the Marine Corps—they are well organized, ruthless and take no prisoners. GM would not have failed if the deb Moms had been running it. Never cross any woman who even hints she is involved with a deb ball.
And, there you have it. Enjoy.
But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car.
