First, he's an "Executive" right? That's the businessman's euphemism for "bureaucrat". In fact, in Spanish, "burócrata" means "desk jockey", and makes no distinction as to whether you work for government or business. I suppose the world needs some of them, but they produce nothing, they are, at best, overhead.

Second, he's in Marketing. The ultimate bullshit profession. His job is to get people to buy shit they don't need and can't afford, preferably with money they haven't earned yet.

And what does this corporal of industry market? Soft drinks. He sells a worthless and somewhat addictive, highly overpriced product with no nutritional value whatsoever, primarily to children. These are the men our society honors and pays the highest rewards to.

Don't get me wrong, we all have to feed our families, and in this screwed up world of ours few of us have the luxury to be able to do meaningful and worthwhile work. I never look down on what another man has to do to meet his obligations, having had my own share of bullshit jobs in my own life. But though any of us may be forced by brutal economic necessity to bury our lives in trivialities, that gives none of us the right to feel that our phony positions are better than anyone else's because they pay more, or have more prestige.

If it makes you feel any better, in today's economic climate, it's only a matter of time before your "Executive in Marketing for a soft drink company" pays the price for the fundamental lack of social value of his labor and winds up (if he's lucky to find a job at all) as second assistant manager of the produce department of his local stupormarket. At least, his new job will now serve the useful social function of distributing food to people. Perhaps then he may gain a little respect for the man who has the knowledge and skills to prepare a ship to go to sea.