Starscream philosophy 

A philosophy in which a recipient keeps a particular resource (object, another person, etc.) around and at their disposal despite having a very good reason to rid themselves of that resource because the resource in question provides some sort of valuable fringe benefit for the recipient. The term has it's origins in the science-fiction epic "TransFormers" in which Megatron, the evil leader of the Decepticons, keeps his cohort Starscream around despite the threat Starscream poses to Megatron's iron-fisted rule of his subjects because Starscream apparently does his job so well. The term can be used to apply to a number of different situations.

EXAMPLE 1: "Though he knew that the alcohol he was drinking to excess would eventually do him in, Starscream philosophy kept him from flushing it all down the nearest toilet." EXAMPLE 2: "She could barely stand to be around him because he was an over-emotional idiot, but she kept living with him for the great sex and the financial security he provided. Starscream philosophy was clearly at work here."

Starscream philosophy by Kirk Bradford Myers December 9, 2008