I get a lot of cold calls. Today I heard a voicemail from someone with whom I’ve never spoken at a consulting firm I’ve never heard of wanting to tell all about the “race horses” they have available at their firm. 

I am really used to sales jargon, but this was a new one for me. Like they have all these hotshot thoroughbred geniuses of IT consulting (a.k.a. extracting your money), and they can’t wait to tell me all about their prowess at rocking out and recontextualizing my paradigms. I adjusted my Cheese Tolerator yet another regrettable notch higher and moved on. 

I then accidentally heard the message again and realized that the person said “resources.” Oh, right. Dehumanizing, but certainly more mainstream. 

The fact that I thought “race horses” was even a possible term is sad, and it indicates that the Tolerator may have to stay at the new setting.