Corporate America Games Bore Me
So much can be said by a CC in interoffice politics. So much can be said by a tone or a "Could you please review Pg. 109 of the manual and you will see that..." It's so damn depressing that people get offended and can't come back with humor. America as a culture is one of the more humorous cultures I have comes to know but when our strange protestant work ethic seems to rear it's head it's as though Stalin and Hitler both walked in at the same time to inspect the sticks that need to be up everyone's ass.
"Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to the pretend I'm mediocre in my cool state of the art glass enclosed, all inclusive, what they call a "campus", cafeteria having, janitor/security staff, my son won't stop crying because his daddy has to work weekends...place of business"
The corporate environment is much like an elite High School. You have freshman (new comers) and seniors (lifers). You have jocks(sales) and nerds(tech). You have popular (local chirpy loser broad who just got married and won't shut up about it) and unpopular (mid 20's guy with angst that could split an atom).
People that taught you that high school politics don't matter are the same people that tell you "it's how you play the game and not whether you win or lose." Obviously, these are the people that lose. And I say "elite high school" because you can work next door to Kinko's or go to lunch at a restaurant and like it or not, the fact that you work in a high rise and wear a tie makes you think you are more important and damn cooler than they the people employed without those uniforms. And if you role your eyes at that then you are just lying to yourself. Because working for a corporation and having perks such as, oh I don't know, healthcare and dental plans, and bonuses and shit like that makes you that much more powerful in life. Like it or not, it's fucking true.
"The suit knows all."
I like where I work. I think the people around me are super intelligent and I respect them when I pull up with them one on one. It's when I see us all together and I see the phony smiles and awkward head nods that I get uneasy. You see I don't do that. I don't clap at someone leaving after 10 years of service unless I know them. You clap if you think they did a great job but personally if I have never worked with them or felt the fruits of their labor than I don't see a need to play the charade. I mean there are worse things in the world than being polite and obeying social customs. Obviously working in a lumberyard doesn't have as many perks. But if you compare the two then the corporation could learn more from the lumber yard than the lumberyard could learn from the corporation. But, what I'm saying is that if corporations just cut the bullshit and let people be the rogue naturally competitive surly people they are I think the productivity level would rise and resentment and problems would be much easier to fix. At least they would be fixed honestly as opposed to someone just having to hold their tongue and I think you would see people stay with companies longer and be proud of where they work. They would respect and defend their office as two fighting siblings would defend and respect each other. They do this because despite the fights and due to the open air atmosphere there is a level of truth.
"Johnson has been showing signs of rogue activity"
"Yes, we should move him to sector 3"
It always amazes me how people never lose their lame identities throughout life. It always shocks me to see how different someone is outside of work as opposed to how they are inside. Me, I am pretty much the same while I'm there or not. If we go out drinking after work I don't order a Miller Lite. I sit down and order a face melting double Jameson on the rocks just to pronounce that I'm not scared of anyone's labels. The tip toes that corporate cultures walk on make me sick. People slouch themselves into a straightjacket of mediocrity just to make sure they don't make anyone uncomfortable. And the worst part about that action is that this carries through to the rest of their life. They become defeated and emotionless. They stop having wild sex and seem to glaze over in front of the TV as opposed to going out with friends or laughing their face off on an adventure.
"And to the swoosh by which it stands one conglomerate..."
I guess the games and strategies and roles I see being played in corporation bore me so much because it wastes so much talent. These people that work in these places are usually highly accomplished, credible, abstract thinking, motivated people. What do most of them become after a while? They become shells without foresight and with muted hopes of stock market dreams and patio furniture Sundays. At one time they were ideal. There was an ideal in them and the system of BMW's and $400K houses took them under and made them forget what it was like when they ran the school and screwed all the pretty girls. If the shackles of the culture could be broken to exhume a level of natural aristocracy and innovation the corporation could be made into a team again or even a eutopic place where these talented people come to flourish and fight for their future pedigree every day. When this type of human capital is together it makes no sense to reign them into a bunch of cattle just there to stand in line and give milk.
