Activism Change

Changes, plans, & goals

Question:

DAERON wrote: > It’s ironic that they pay among the > lowest wages, but still insist on the most experienced workers for their > ‘positions’.

It’s the impatience of customers along with bottom line problably.  They don’t want the expense of training people in so thoroughly that customers won’t notice an inconvenience due to trainee.  And many customers will not tolerate the quirks and imperfections of trainees. The old "Why should I…just because…" mentality kicks in and no one can dare tell them to lighten up even a little.  Not all, but enough of them to be very troublesome.  It is very hard on a trainee that way, unless it comes very naturally to him to blow it all off.  Of course in some industries there is little choice, the mgmt has to train people and the customer has to deal with it, period.  But it never promises to be pleasant, quite the opposite. Not that a worker shouldn’t do his very best to give good and timely service, but sheeesh!  One is tempted to bring up the "r" word (reasonable).  Oh my.  Will I be kicked off the newsgroup for writing that word?

Response:

In article <3748A756.69B22…@cats.ucsc.edu>,   "j…@cats.ucsc.edu" <j…@cats.ucsc.edu> wrote: > I have to say that after attending a similar club at my school, I found > that I just don’t fit in.  There are a lot of student radicals in my > area and while I often sympathize with the basic cause, I think groups > like these can go overboard sometimes.  I found it intimidating to > openly state a more moderate position on anything.  It could be > different in your area though.

The student radicals on my campus do go overboard as well – they spraypaint "news = propaganda" on newspaper boxes – also they write "Corporatism" underneath ‘STOP’ signs. (Stop Corporatism). Last year, the Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) was held in Vancouver and this stirred quite a ruckus among the radicals who were advocating human rights.  Protests were held quite regularly, and often became violent.  The Vancouver Police were called in on one such protest, and tear gas and mace were sprayed in the radicals’ faces – nearly killing one guy. I think these guys go overboard as well – and, like you – I sympathize with their cause, but not their violent methods.  I’m interested in checking out the Marxist club to get more info. but I’ll be very weary of the tactics that the members use.  Also, ‘Oikonomia’ is something that can be explored as well. Steve. — "Give up yourself, and you will find your real self.  Lose your life and you will save it."    - C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity" –== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==– —Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.—

Response:

In article <3747DE6F.7…@ix.netcom.com>,   DAERON <sta…@ix.netcom.com> wrote: > Wow! Had no idea you read all those books! Another one to be sure to get > (concerning the so called ‘global economy’ and its supposed ‘benefits’) > is: "One World Ready or Not – Tha Manic Logic of Global Capitalism", by > William Greider, Touchstone, 1997. > His last chapter (‘Oikonomia’) is particularly important in showing a > path to alternate solutions.

Will check it out – I believe my university library has it.  I’ve got a few other books on my ‘to read’ list as well. > Well, congrats for being able to jump off this ’service job’ cart which > had obviously reached a point of diminishing returns for you.

Yes, undoubtedly. > Of course he would be that way, since committed workers in the service > industry are very hard to find.

True – and the team I work with at one store is the exception – as all of us have been there for at least a year.  In previous years, I’d see people (clerks and managers) being turned over in the course of a few months. > I think also you are quite a resourceful person, that has enough > confidence now to ’survive’.

Thanks – and I owe a lot of that from my job experience, as well as reading the posts here. > Good for you and this is one powerful way to demonstrate it. Apart from > boycotting the products of these industries. (and trying to get others > to)

With four of us now (me and three friends) who think like this, we could exert a powerful influence on others too. > That’s why I think ‘Oikonomia’ -which also takes into account ecological > factors at the fundmamental level of production, has the potential to be > far more effective.

On the political spectrum, where would you place ‘Oikonomia’?  I know that Marxism and socialism are predominantly left-wing ideologies, and ‘Oikonomia’ sounds leftist, but it seems to have right-wing aspects as well. For myself, I find it hard to say which "wing" I’m on, as there are ideologies from both right and left that are congruent with my value system. > I think you should also explore Oikonomia further as a possible > alternative to Marxism.

Where can I find more information on Oikonomia? Steve — "Give up yourself, and you will find your real self.  Lose your life and you will save it."    - C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity" –== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==– —Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.—

Response:

Mr. Steve wrote: > Then I arranged to see the manager and gave him my two weeks notice

Good for you!  Sounds like a perfectly nasty environment to work in. They imagine that abuses will make you work harder or better, but all it does is make things worse, and of course that means justification for more of the same, in their mind.   I have a low paying service job myself, but fortunately, do not have to have much contact with customers at all, other than to see some give me nasty or sneery looks on occasion, which I can just ignore. Nevertheless, there is no intention here of doing it forever, even though I’ve done it a long time.  There is more to do yet, but that Notice Day gets nearer, sooner or later I am not yet sure, but I "feel" it coming, as it were.

Response:

Mr. Steve wrote: > On the political spectrum, where would you place ‘Oikonomia’?  I know > that Marxism and socialism are predominantly left-wing ideologies, and > ‘Oikonomia’ sounds leftist, but it seems to have right-wing aspects as > well.

Actually, as Greider notes, Oikonomia transcends all political spectra, which are actually merely the reflections of human abstraction, with a strong dose of the ‘crossfire syndrome’ thrown in. What Oikonomia is really about is the original def. of economics, which was to manage the ‘household’ (i.e. planet) for the welfare of all its inhabitants. True, in today’s thinking, this can be construed as ‘left wing’ but that is only a reflection of how badly the dialog has been corrupted by corporate propagandizing. I think a foremost constribution of Oikonomia, is the attempt to assay all natural assets, and recast the entire system of ‘economic measurables’ as Prof. Hermann Daly and colleagues are attempting to do. This also means taking adequate account of entropy, in our aspirations for sustainable development. > For myself, I find it hard to say which "wing" I’m on, as there are > ideologies from both right and left that are congruent with my value > system.

I’ve ceased to define myself by ‘wing’, since the entire convention is largely false choice, amplified by the corporate media for soundbite purposes. And, as I noted, Oikonomia (fundamental economics) transcends all ‘wings.’   > Where can I find more information on Oikonomia?

For starters, check out Greider’s book with the chapter by the same title. After that, obtain the references from the footnotes, endnotes therein. — "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save  the few who are rich."  - John Fitzgerald Kennedy, from his Inaugural speech, January 20, 1961.

Response:

Today was the last straw that broke the camel’s back in regards to my low pay service-industry job working at a c-store and how I feel about it.  I have been working at a total of two stores for over three years now (the same length I’ve been posting to a.s.s.) and have decided to kick the bucket on it.  That job was the main source of social practice for me and has helped greatly in this regard – and there were many positive memories of it, including all the friends I made – but frankly I’m just tired of putting up with the bullshit that is assosciated with serving the public and getting treated like a 10th class citizen. What happened today wasn’t anything special – it was just extremely busy and the customers were rude and uncivilized as usual – but for some reason all of the previous shit I had dealt with on the job, the recent knowledge of my repressed anger and how to manage it, all the reading I’ve been doing (i.e. Opposing the System, The End of Work, Your Money or Your Life, Modern Madness, The Poverty of Affluence, & Corporate Abuse), more fulfilling and supportive social interaction _outside_ of work recently (but this wouldn’t have happened w/o the social skills and courage derived from work!), the temp experience I’ve had working in data entry, and other factors have coalesced together and I’m now saying to myself, "I’ve had enough of this shit!!  I can do so much better than this, and I can’t believe I’ve put up with it for so long!" Also, I am much more aware of the larger social issues, and how my job fits in with them.  Essentially the work I’m doing is to serve customers who are disposing of the income to purchase large quantities of unncessary items – which they could easily do with less (such as gasoline, cigarettes, lotto, etc.) It’s an artificially created job, basically, which wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the consumer society in which we live in.  I am also indirectly supporting a corporation (Shell) which has caused untold damage in Nigeria – and from the report I read from the Sierra Club a while ago, it turns out that there was a corporate conspiracy on a global level between Royal Dutch Shell (the parent company) and the Nigerian government, although I’m not sure of all the details.  Not only that, by I am indirectly supporting the tobacco corporations to make large profits on smokers’ bad habits, as well I am supporting the lottery corporations to create another artificial consumer ‘widget’.  I don’t wish to be a party to these things anymore. I was, of course, very angry today at work – and as usual, it got repressed to save face in front of the customers (although my co-worker doesn’t care about professional service anymore, he takes his anger right out at the customers) but then I excused myself to the back room and starting hucking boxes all over the place – to get rid of the anger in some way. Then I arranged to see the manager and gave him my two weeks notice, and asked him for a letter of reference for future positions.  He of course was obliging to this request, and was slighly miffed to see me go (seeing as I was there for so long) and gladly offered that I could come back and work extra shifts if needed. This may have been a risky move on my part – quitting a stable job – but I do have temp work to tide me over as I look for other stable work. Plus, now I am very motivated to find work that I *like* and have a fairly good strategy to do this, not to mention adequate social skills and enthusiasm. But most importantly, I turfed this job because it goes against a lot of my principles – many of them shaped by the reading I’ve been doing – and I don’t want to be a party to the social and economic injustices spawned by the oil, tobacco, and lottery corporations anymore.  I’ve had enough of the crap. This will free up more time for me to pursue other more healthy social interests, as opposed to the toxic social interaction serving grumpy customers – one of them being a Marxist gathering which meets every week in the city.  I found out about this group from a friend of mine, in the Christian club I’m in, who has been attending for awhile.  She, like me, is a Christian but also is quite against the ‘System’ and I’m learning that two other of my friends are in the same boat.  I am a little weary of combining Christianity with "Reich-ism" as some of the ideas don’t mix – particularly those of unlimited human potential.  But the single biggest uniting thread between Jesus and Reich is that of the spiritual emptiness contained in our consumerism-obsessed culture — and the social and economic injustices contained therein.   Knowing that there are other Christians who are involved in social activism and are social critics is good news, and this Marxist club is something which I will explore further. Some other goals of mine this summer will be:   To enroll in drum lessons, and eventually play drums at my church.  To continue attending club meetings and learn more about my exec position.  To continue going to Toastmasters and making speeches.  To continue going to social functions and meeting new people.  To attend a few Bible studies, and to find myself a job that I like. Steve. — "Give up yourself, and you will find your real self.  Lose your life and you will save it."    - C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity" –== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==– —Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.—

Response:

Mr. Steve wrote: > What happened today wasn’t anything special – it was just extremely busy > and the customers were rude and uncivilized as usual –

Amazing how they can be that way! But that is part of what is generated by a consumerist, service culture. As I noted in a letter I wrote – which was published in yesterday’s Baltimore Sun (‘Bottom Line Mentality at Root of Problems’, p. 10A): "I suggest that we examine carefully the pathology of our society, which breeds a host of individual pathologies-from substance abuse, to more overt self-destructive behaviors. I believe this pathology is rooted in our ‘bottom line’ mentality that skews nearly every human exchange." "This mentality treats people as commodities and places economic concerns before public welfare. The society as a whole values profits over people." > knowledge of my repressed anger and how to manage it, all the reading > I’ve been doing (i.e. Opposing the System, The End of Work, Your Money > or Your Life, Modern Madness, The Poverty of Affluence, & Corporate > Abuse),

Wow! Had no idea you read all those books! Another one to be sure to get (concerning the so called ‘global economy’ and its supposed ‘benefits’) is: "One World Ready or Not – Tha Manic Logic of Global Capitalism", by William Greider, Touchstone, 1997. His last chapter (‘Oikonomia’) is particularly important in showing a path to alternate solutions.  more fulfilling and supportive social interaction _outside_ of > work recently (but this wouldn’t have happened w/o the social skills and > courage derived from work!), the temp experience I’ve had working in > data entry, and other factors have coalesced together and I’m now saying > to myself, "I’ve had enough of this shit!!  I can do so much better than > this, and I can’t believe I’ve put up with it for so long!"

Well, congrats for being able to jump off this ’service job’ cart which had obviously reached a point of diminishing returns for you. I worked service jobs – during Xmas, summers, through my college years, and found those more than enough to take. <snip> > Then I arranged to see the manager and gave him my two weeks notice, and > asked him for a letter of reference for future positions.  He of course > was obliging to this request, and was slighly miffed to see me go > (seeing as I was there for so long) and gladly offered that I could come > back and work extra shifts if needed.

Of course he would be that way, since committed workers in the service industry are very hard to find. It’s ironic that they pay among the lowest wages, but still insist on the most experienced workers for their ‘positions’. In our area – hundreds of low -end service jobs are going begging, even with so-called ‘incentives’ (like $200 ’signing bonuses). > This may have been a risky move on my part – quitting a stable job – but > I do have temp work to tide me over as I look for other stable work.

I think also you are quite a resourceful person, that has enough confidence now to ’survive’. > Plus, now I am very motivated to find work that I *like* and have a > fairly good strategy to do this, not to mention adequate social skills > and enthusiasm.

This also goes a long way. (Unlike me, for ex. when I worked at ‘Jackie Gleason’s Restuarant’ and the ‘Great One’ himself darkened the door one afternoon in July and asked the manager ‘Why isn’t that guy (me) smiling?’ (I was a busboy at the time) > But most importantly, I turfed this job because it goes against a lot of > my principles – many of them shaped by the reading I’ve been doing – and > I don’t want to be a party to the social and economic injustices spawned > by the oil, tobacco, and lottery corporations anymore.  I’ve had enough > of the crap.

Good for you and this is one powerful way to demonstrate it. Apart from boycotting the products of these industries. (and trying to get others to) > This will free up more time for me to pursue other more healthy social > interests, as opposed to the toxic social interaction serving grumpy > customers – one of them being a Marxist gathering which meets every week > in the city.  I found out about this group from a friend of mine,

I don’t know. I have my suspicions about Marxists-Leninists. True, Lenin’s own theories, i.e. articulated in ‘Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism’, are ’spot on’ in predicting the rise of a global economy, monopolized by a few corporations and an economic oligarchy. But the Marxist-Leninist ’solutions’ have historically fallen far short,  I suspect – because they lend themselves more readily to abuse. I saw a M-L state first hand, in 1978, when I went to Guyana (then under ‘Comrade’ Forbes Burnham) for a CXC Astronmoy Teaching Seminar I was giving. What I saw depressed me to no end. I also saw the mass of people suffering from shortages, i.e. toilet paper, few meats, limited electric power, water cutoffs, while an elite cadre of the ‘upper echelon of comrades’, prospered (had their own electricity generators, swim pools, food stores, freezers, etc.) I don’t think any M-L system in this sense would be much different from ‘lean & mean’ capitalism. Both breed, in different ways, a ‘top dog’ kind of ethic, where a certain inner cadre or in crowd, reaps the major portion of the rewards of others. That’s why I think ‘Oikonomia’ -which also takes into account ecological factors at the fundmamental level of production, has the potential to be far more effective. > I am a little weary > of combining Christianity with "Reich-ism" as some of the ideas don’t > mix – particularly those of unlimited human potential.  

True, and Oikonomia sounds the same caution: that there is no way to have unlimited material potential in a finite world. >But the single > biggest uniting thread between Jesus and Reich is that of the spiritual > emptiness contained in our consumerism-obsessed culture — and the > social and economic injustices contained therein.   Knowing that there > are other Christians who are involved in social activism and are social > critics is good news, and this Marxist club is something which I will > explore further.

I think you should also explore Oikonomia further as a possible alternative to Marxism. As I noted, Marxism in its pure form has never worked, because after the various ‘collectives’ are constituted there will always be an elite that want more than the rest. (Like Burnham and his cronies in Guyana). Marxism might conceivably work if one fair day humans suddenly acquired the ideal attributes Jesus and other mythic figures (Tammuz, Osiris, Horus, Mithras etc.) embodied. But seeing as how these were mythic figures, as opposed to flesh and blood humans, I don’t see it happening. As I said, I believe Oikonomia has far more to commend it, as a confluence of Greens’ environmental consciousness and Keynesian capitalism. (Using government intevention, as JFK did, to control the direction of markets instead of letting them run amuck). — "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save  the few who are rich."  - John Fitzgerald Kennedy, from his Inaugural speech, January 20, 1961.

Response:

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