With employee layoffs happening at tech companies like Spotify and media companies like Conde Nast and Vox, we seem to be revisiting a Dickensian time.
It's discouraging to see corporations placing year end stock prices and valuations over human need, dignity, and respect. I admire the most any human who comes to the aid of another, whether through financial help, physical help or simply a kind word. In my humble opinion, they are the leaders we should emulate.
The book "The Corporation: The pathological pursuit of profit and power" aligns the diagnostic criteria for "psychopath" with corporate best practices. Perfect fit! It's time to stop wondering why companies behave the way they do. It's not a bug, it's a program. The alternatives are employee-owned or not-for-profit organizations. It can be done.
Where is compassion, thankfulness, forgiveness? For sure these needed attributes are not at work in our retirement portfolios, union funds, public employee funds, CD’s, or Black Rocks holdings. Algorithms are not programmed with virtues and our education systems don’t teach virtues. At one time families & religious groups taught these virtues. Society, culture and government institutions approved, mirrored, actively and passively accepted these attributes as normal.
Now, what happened? Not that simple, but the most fundamental, foundational and observable element is the commonly accepted idea of “separation of church and state”. Anyone can parrot the phrase, kind of like “hail Caesar or hail Hitler”. But, it’s power only grows, until it destroys. So...... there’s more that can be said, however let the reader extrapolate and take some responsibility.
It's discouraging to see corporations placing year end stock prices and valuations over human need, dignity, and respect. I admire the most any human who comes to the aid of another, whether through financial help, physical help or simply a kind word. In my humble opinion, they are the leaders we should emulate.
Excellent and thought provoking post, Scott.
Wonderful! I'm getting a copy of 30 Satires post haste! And thanks again, Scott, for another year of thoughtful posts.
The book "The Corporation: The pathological pursuit of profit and power" aligns the diagnostic criteria for "psychopath" with corporate best practices. Perfect fit! It's time to stop wondering why companies behave the way they do. It's not a bug, it's a program. The alternatives are employee-owned or not-for-profit organizations. It can be done.
Where is compassion, thankfulness, forgiveness? For sure these needed attributes are not at work in our retirement portfolios, union funds, public employee funds, CD’s, or Black Rocks holdings. Algorithms are not programmed with virtues and our education systems don’t teach virtues. At one time families & religious groups taught these virtues. Society, culture and government institutions approved, mirrored, actively and passively accepted these attributes as normal.
Now, what happened? Not that simple, but the most fundamental, foundational and observable element is the commonly accepted idea of “separation of church and state”. Anyone can parrot the phrase, kind of like “hail Caesar or hail Hitler”. But, it’s power only grows, until it destroys. So...... there’s more that can be said, however let the reader extrapolate and take some responsibility.