Bet he IS some type of management stooge/plant. It'd be just like them to try to get by on the cheap and not even be able to get a troll right.
Other than learn english, ya have to ease into it, son. Come in generally agreeing with just a bit of a dissent on some of the possibilities. Pretend to be one of the fellers and then start a gradual shift. Bat things around a bit--be on 'our' side--then start shifting the argument bit by bit into the wacko ideas.
Go back, give it some thought, do some internet research on how real pilots talk and practice it with a friend, get a new handle, and give it another try.
Good luck--and I mean that sincerely. Like to see how you do it. Folks here are pretty used to an entity thats an expert in manipulation and deception--an entity that talks at times with extreme truth then seamlessly shifts (sometimes within the same thought train) to extreme deception. That hires high achievers (who equate professional failure here with professional failure somewhere else or in life when nothing could be further from the truth) and then dangles the fleeting carrot (base openings, some cosmic rostering system that fixes everything, magic airplane deliveries, upgrades, improvements in quality of life, long call reserve, pay rises over inflation, etc.) just a wee bit beyond arm's reach while things gradually decline. Investing a great portion of one's life into something (sometimes at the expense of other really, really good and important things) only to find out much later it isn't what they thought it was (or at least had been once upon a time--maybe this is why some come back as sim instructors).
Only this time they've overplayed their hand--too much has happened way too quickly (the key to making this work is that folks don't realize it at the time)--well before wounds from the past had healed or been forgotten--and the jig is up. Folks aren't scared anymore, realize in many cases they can do this somewhere else (even if it does mean starting over), realize they can do something ELSE and are trained and valuable professionals, and realize that golden handcuffs ARE still handcuffs and handcuffs are bad (usually
). And, more importantly, there is a huge great deal more to life than a friggin' job (and that NO job is worth screwing up your health or family life over). Folks aren't ungrateful, but do realize that gratitude is a two way street.
So the days of sacrifice and fear are over.
And I do sincerely hope things do get better. Only I'm not going to wait on something else to ensure my life gets better and that I enjoy the things that really matter.