It's LABOR WEEK on The Street, and with that in mind, the WSJ has a
section on getting ahead in a lousy American job market.
And, what the Journal shows is a labor market that is for the most
part TOXIC TO WORK!
Everyone it seems is "doing" OFFICE POLITICS! And, very few people
other than the secretaries, janitors and security guards are
actually "working!"
The Journal describes discouraged workers slumped over their desks
waiting for "their turn to be shown the door."
It suggests that, in some cases, entire departments "disappear," and
the only people left standing are "the boss and his jerk."
And, it's even suggested that you have to be a "jerk" to make it in
today's American corporate labor market.
Of course, most of the real work for American corporations these days
is done by swarthy-skinned little people in foreign lands, who "work
cheap."
So, the American "cubicle culture" is mostly about preening, back-
biting and posturing for "promotions" into areas like "customer
relations," "governmental affairs" and "assistant to the assistant
VP in charge of marketing."
The Journal sites examples of some people who have given up on the
toxic American Corporate Nightmare, and are now doing things like:
Cooking, running their own art galleries, fashion design, or
otherwise running their own business. You can make a "small fortune" this way, provided you start with a large one!
Still, being a "stakeholder" is a very satisfying thing. In effect, you "make your own job."
Only you can't go up against the likes of Walmart and Home Depot and
expect to survive.
And increasingly, American retailing is about selling ever cheaper
stuff to people who are under-employed!
Not a happy business environment really.
MY HUNCH IS THAT THE LABOR NUMBER ON FRIDAY WILL BE BAD;
BECAUSE THERE IS JUST NO SIGN OF HOW IT COULD BE GOOD.
I MEAN IS ANYTHING REALLY "BOOMING?" WHERE?
ESSENTIALLY, THE MONETARY AND FISCAL PEDALS ARE TO THE METAL, AND THE
CAR IS STILL ONLY GOING 5 MILES PER HOUR!
BUT ALAS, THE BOSS AND HIS JERK DON'T SEEM TO EVEN CARE ANYMORE!
