The System Is Rigged, You’re Not Broken
Hi there,
It’s rough out there. Look at LinkedIn—people need jobs. And those that have them don’t want to push too hard against the system because they don’t want to be staring down the barrel of unemployment. That tension is everywhere, and if you feel it too, you’re not imagining things; you’re not gritting your teeth alone. Unemployment is up and confidence in literally everything is down.
You’re not weak or lazy or ungrateful. It’s that the system itself is rigged to grind people into dust. We’re knee-deep in predatory capitalism, and the cards most of us get dealt are trash hands. The game isn’t broken because of you—it’s broken before you even sit at the table. As the great Noam Chomsky said, “The system is not designed to serve human needs. It’s designed to serve power.” Plenty of us have had to swallow our pride during a meeting or shop at Dollar Tree for groceries. There’s no shame in doing your best.
People fought for the eight-hour day, and you still have to know when to turn off Slack because some dweeb will ping you at eleven at night. That’s just the way of work. Good jobs exist. Good managers exist. Good people exist. But even the ones rolling up in a Benz might be juggling bills behind the scenes. (Real ones will get that shout out.) We’re all stretching dollars to make rent, buy groceries, and give our kids the best shake possible.
For the folks who need Miller Time every day, or lean on whatever keeps them upright, most people would say, “I get it, bro.” And they’d pass the ashtray. Vices come for us all in one form or another, and they’re usually less about weakness than they are about survival. Survival is human—it’s in our DNA. We did our best against woolly mammoths, serial killers, and Love Island. We are made of good stuff.
But survival doesn’t just mean numbing out. It means finding small ways to keep your sanity intact: logging off when you can, drawing boundaries where possible, remembering that your worth isn’t tied to productivity metrics or quarterly reports. You’re more than the job. Being the best dude on the block has value. Same with being the go-to person in your network. I won’t judge you if the world pisses you off—it makes me mad just the same.
The more we share that truth, the stronger we all get. If we can build a community that reminds each other that we have value no matter what, we take some of that power back. The system might be broken, but together, we don’t have to be. So: say no to a Zoom happy hour. Use your PTO. Call in sick. Pick up your kids. Everything is not a five-alarm fire. (Unless you’re a fireman—then go ahead, my guy.) This sucks. You’re not alone. Don’t let the system ruin a good human. We need more of them. Stay up, friends.
— Robert Dean
Robert Dean is a journalist, cultural editorialist, and self-proclaimed enlightened dumbass. His work has appeared in over 50 publications worldwide, including VICE, Eater, Fatherly, Yahoo, the Austin American-Statesman, Houston Chronicle, Consequence of Sound, USA Today, and Channel Void. He serves as Senior Features Writer for The Cosmic Clash and as a weekly political columnist for The Carter County Times. He lives in Austin, Texas, and loves ice cream, koalas, and calling out bullshit. His new collection Red Eye: $5 Essays drops in December.
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Survival Tactic: Using the Triple Constraint to Stay Sane
In project management, the “Triple Constraint” is a simple way to describe how work gets done. Every project is defined by three factors: scope (what needs to be done), time (how long it should take), and cost (the resources available). You can change one, but it will always affect the others. If scope increases, you need either more time or more resources. If time gets cut, you either need to reduce scope or increase resources. Nothing is unlimited, and the balance of these three factors is what determines success.
You do not need to be a project manager to use this as a tool for your own work.
At the start of a task: When you receive a new assignment, ask which of the three factors is most important. “Is the deadline firm? Is the scope negotiable? Are resources available?” These questions set clearer expectations.
In the middle of a task: If circumstances change, like a deadline moving up or scope expanding, use the Triple Constraint to reset the conversation. “Since the timeline shifted, we may need to narrow scope or add support.”
At the end of a task: If success is being judged too narrowly, reference the constraints. “We delivered on time and within budget, though scope needed adjustment. By the Triple Constraint standard, that is still a success.”
The Triple Constraint is a reminder that trade-offs are always present. Using this framework helps you ask better questions, set clearer boundaries, and explain outcomes in a way managers can understand.
➡️ If you have a survival tip you would like to share, click the button below to submit it for the next newsletter.
The System is Broken: The Proof is all Around Us
Federal Workers Are Resigning in Waves (Published September 28, 2025)
US agencies are losing experienced staff as federal workers resign, citing burnout, low morale, and politics that make it harder to do the job. Services suffer when institutional knowledge walks out the door. via The Guardian
Why Leadership Training Misses the Mark (Published September 22, 2025)
Companies spend heavily on leadership workshops that rarely change daily behaviors. Without clear accountability, practice, and manager modeling, the training fades and cultures stay the same. via Inc.
AI Workslop Is Dragging Teams Down (Published September 23, 2025)
Researchers warn that low-quality AI content, sometimes called “workslop,” is flooding workflows. It creates noise, confuses ownership, and hurts real productivity rather than helping it. via CNBC
Suzy Welch on Gen Z and Work (Published September 19, 2025)
Commentary on Gen Z’s workplace expectations highlights a growing divide between what young workers need and what employers are willing to offer. The mismatch fuels churn and frustration on both sides. via Yahoo
Site Updates: Fixes and Progress
The first version of the site has now been fully deployed. It is a working foundation that I can use to check functionality, reliability, and the overall flow. While it is still early, having a version I can interact with makes it easier to see what needs to be improved.
The next step will be to add features and make customizations so the platform fits the needs of this community. For now, I am focused on testing the basics and making sure everything works as it should.
It is good to move past the setup stage and into testing. This phase will take time, but it will help identify what is solid and what needs more work. Once I am confident in the foundation, I can shift attention to building out features and sharing more about what is coming next.
If there’s a feature you believe this community must have, I would love to hear it. The launch of the community is still on track for November 15, 2025 and everyone on this list has a guaranteed spot.
Spread the Word: Strength in Numbers
Know someone stuck in a job with no clear way out? Forward this issue and help them join the community now. Together we can build a space where no one has to face work struggles alone.
They want us to feel isolated, like our struggles are ours alone. But the more we come together, the fewer of us will fall through the cracks. Every new subscriber strengthens this network and makes it harder for broken systems to silence or divide us.
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