Fear & Loathing & Laziness (Unpaid)

Fear & Loathing & Laziness (Unpaid)

By Tom Davidson

The American Way has gone all awry in the 21st Century. We forgot our hard-working roots in a whirlwind fugue that brought on this downspin into the Great Abyss. In the name of profits, we’ve scaled back, using the economics of the time as an excuse to sacrifice selves in the name of more profits for shareholders.
It’s nothing new but it’s evolved to the point that some companies really, really just need to fail. End the bail-outs; instead of just cutting back, close up shop; stop being compassionate and offering across-the board temporary furloughs instead of just firing the dead weight and telling the others they need to work more because their jobs are on the line.
We’ve worked ourselves into a false prosperity by helping life’s “C” and “D” students get by. Sure, it was nice for them, but for the people really trying to make a go of it and almost-succeeding it was a crime.
We took the corporate ladder and turned it into an escalator but we didn’t decide who’s going to pay the power bill to keep the contraption running.
I think it’s best to struggle step-by-step instead of taking the free ride, but then, I’m willing to risk my mettle against a brutal system.
I’m tired of watching lesser workers getting a pass and a free paycheck; it foils industry to accept less when more is needed.
Alas, we’re doomed to fall from first place. We, the American Exceptionalists whom the fates have smiled on for more than two centuries are facing crises because we’ve grown lax; pampered; willing to let others do the dirty work instead of sweating for our own success.
So here I sit, at home, writing for free, off unpaid as work piles on my desk and news gets old. (And we wonder why circulation’s down and some people make fun of us?)
What happens to real journalists at the 40th hour of each week? Do they just stop writing?
That’s what’s happening now, most of the time, and it’s why things are suffering.
We expect less and pay less but still strive to cover more and write better, but the problem is that scale is impossible to balance.
So we’re here, treading water, barely, sometimes drowning as we roll with the waves. We cash our lower paychecks each fortnight and complain as stress builds and resentments fester and the end product suffers.
We’re caught in this Super Cycle with most other American institutions, waiting for the Next Great Hope to save us. The truth is far more unsettling: we are beyond saving; unless we collectively shape up, our ship is sunk, we’re taking on water and oil now, and Houston, did you get that radio call that we’ve got a gusher in the Gulf?
The problem is us and our attitude. The Compassionate Conservatives refuse to assume any blame, but it is all of our faults: We delegated too much power and wealth to too few people and now we’re helpless.
We’re slaves to corporate boards and markets beyond our understanding because we weren’t required to take that class in high school or college. We keep on, strident, unhappy, voiceless in this country built by people who strived to win the game. Now, it’s game over and guess what? They won.