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by 000ooo000
1142 days ago
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I can only say it's from experience, and though I know folk at the end of their careers who will say things like "it's different now; you're only a number these days" which might suggest there's been a shift, in all honesty I can't suggest it, because I feel that for me it is more of a red pill scenario, and not that I have observed a shift in my ~10y career. Your thoughts about tempering idealism, running up against 'the system', etc feel familiar to me and I could even relate it to a painful scenario I found myself in 2 jobs ago. I don't think the origin of that idealism is coincidental, and if it were, it is still certainly exploited. It's not difficult to see how cynicism might result from the realisation that your idealism is at best convenient for your employer; that doing The Right Thing TM is only tenable when it aligns with the goals of the employer. At worst, it's just handwaved away with "this is what the business needs". And how can you argue with that? (Nearly all) businesses exist to profit and arguing for intangible Right Things TM against cold hard dollars is tough, sometimes hopeless. Regarding your mention of how things have worsened over the years: I speculate that the pandemic itself, the resulting WFH, the looming recession and current layoffs, and (for some folk) the CoL situation have created conditions where the corporate world is struggling to maintain the facade that working life is great and a good job is the path to happiness. There are definitely folk out there working hard to attribute blame and "worker productivity" gives us a clue who. Semi related edit: I have been reading [1] and though I find the switching between labour movement history and anecdotes from today's workers kind of painful, there's been some interesting bits. Possibly worth checking out the reviews and reading only the first half as many have said is the better part. [1] https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53241562 |
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(For me personally, part of my challenge is that I want the ideal. I'd like to be loyal and committed to my employer (and I've tried to select employers that make this more possible, such as smaller and privately held companies at which I hopefully report to the CEO) and to have that not be foolish.
I have trouble truly accepting the reality of human nature, including within myself. From the perspective of "traditional" measures of success, I'm certain that I've hamstrung myself. But I'm unsure I could have done differently; my awareness of my naivete seems insufficient for changing my behavior much. It's as if I cannot endure reality and have to pretend I live in an alternative universe. (Not because I'm so admirably committed to such high ideals, but because I am too weak and afraid to endure the guilt and shame of intentionally failing to meet the standards to which I strive.)
Anyway... thanks again for the response. :) )