- Joined
- Jan 31, 2020
I think a lot of his problem can be explained by the fact that he doesn't understand the value of a dollar, and more important, has never been in a position that he doesn't get bailed out of when he doesn't have that dollar. He's never had to face the music of his spending habits and not buy groceries that week, or have his utilities cut off due to non payment and be two weeks away from a payday. Someone has always stepped up to the plate for him, all his life; He's been robbed of this life lesson, and now he (so far, correctly) believes that if he cries loud enough, someone will give him what he needs. Slight powerlevel, but I was a shitty irresponsible teenager that left home way too early at 15, and when I'd pick up the phone and cry to mommy that I don't have enough for X, the money would magically appear in my account the next day. So, being a selfish little shit, I started fabricating expenses and the money would show up, until she figured out the game and never sent another cent. It's the exact same with our boy Burnell, he's learned that if you turn up the tears, the money appears. Except every time someone figured out the game, a new whale pops into existence by some stroke of blind luck. No household has the 20+ bills he somehow manages, and biweekly taxes. He's cultivated a gathering of whales that don't question where their money goes, don't care, for whatever reason. So he knows that every day is bill day, and he needs that money or something bad will happen, guys, seriously, I can't tell you what, but it'll be bad!So what's the general consensus on Phil's financial state?
We all know he uses poverty as an excuse to not have to do things, and has never personally experienced such struggles as he doesn't understand that he can't cry poor and then brag about eating out at a buffet.
Yet at the same time, we know he's a compulsive spender that intrinsically HAS to spend outside of his means. His autism regarding Walmart is something else, I can't even tell if he was telling the truth or just came up with some wild defense as to why he shouldn't have to go to a cheaper alternative to where he normally spends. Like that picnic rant.
Lately with the Tips Goal being consistently hit, Phil has been having a harder and harder time trying to justify his begging. Yet there's still a part of me that thinks "You know, maybe Phil really did throw all his money away and he actually isn't in a good spot."
He certainly isn't as wealthy as he should be.
Like everyone on the board says: his brain is trapped at some adolescent goalpost, unable to grow any further, so he tries to capture what success was to him at 16 and mommy was combing his hair and daddy was sending him kisses goodnight over the phone every night. Nice car, house with a garage, appearance of money, wife to cook and clean, 'full time' job, big toys, eating out. I want to say he has arrested development, but the thing is, he hasn't stopped developing, he's actively becoming less developed. Over his online career, his ability to play games has declined, his ability to adapt or create has declined, his ability to interact with others has declined, it's like some otherworldly force is sapping the life out of him and some unknowable power is throwing an ever increasing amount of fools at him to keep him just alive enough to create content.
So what gives out first? The shell, or the fools?