The inestimable Billmon tweeted the other day, pointing to a couple of stories that make for a serious compare and contrast exercise.
Withering on the Vine — a tale of two democracies by Thomas Frank — is a scathing look at the Democratic elites as typified by those who summer on Martha’s Vineyard.
...It is ever so privileged, ever so private. This is not Newport or Fifth Avenue, where the rich used to display their good taste to the world; the Martha’s Vineyard mansions that you read about in the newspapers are for the most part hidden away behind massive hedges and long, winding driveways. Even the beaches of the rich are kept separate from the general public—they are private right down to the low-tide line and often accessible only through locked gates, a gracious peculiarity of Massachusetts law that is found almost nowhere else in America.
Over the last few decades, this island has become the standard vacation destination for high-ranking Democratic officials. Bill Clinton started the trend in 1993 and then proceeded to return to Martha’s Vineyard every year of his presidency but two—after presidential puppet master Dick Morris took a poll and convinced Bill it would be more in keeping with the mood of the country if the First Family visited a National Park instead.
The second is a searing look at the brave new work of the disposable tech worker. Congratulations — You’ve Been Fired! by Dan Lyons.
AT HubSpot, the software company where I worked for almost two years, when you got fired, it was called “graduation.” We all would get a cheery email from the boss saying, “Team, just letting you know that X has graduated and we’re all excited to see how she uses her superpowers in her next big adventure.” One day this happened to a friend of mine. She was 35, had been with the company for four years, and was told without explanation by her 28-year-old manager that she had two weeks to get out. On her last day, that manager organized a farewell party for her.
It was surreal, and cruel, but everyone at HubSpot acted as if this were perfectly normal. We were told we were “rock stars” who were “inspiring people” and “changing the world,” but in truth we were disposable.
Compare:
Our Martha’s Vineyard Democrats like to talk about inequality. It makes them sad, but it’s also a problem they have almost no desire to tackle. Not only does it not touch them personally, but their instincts, their inclinations, and their deepest unspoken convictions tell them it isn’t a real problem to begin with. People get what they deserve out of life—or, rather, they will get what they deserve once we have ensured everyone’s equal access to the SAT—and for a person with a grade-school education to complain about the hardships of minimum-wage work is the purest sort of folly.
With:
Tech workers have no job security. You’re serving a “tour of duty” that might last a year or two, according to the founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman, who is the co-author of a book espousing his ideas, “The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Networked Age.” Companies burn you out and churn you out when someone better, or cheaper, becomes available. “Your company is not your family,” is another line from Mr. Hoffman’s book.
His ideas trace back to a “culture code” that Netflix published in 2009, declaring, “We’re a team, not a family.” Netflix views itself as a sports team, always looking to have “stars in every position.” In this new model of work, employees are expected to feel complete devotion and loyalty to their companies, even while the boss feels no such obligation in return.
Read both articles. If you’re wondering why Hillary Clinton seems to have difficulty generating enthusiasm among some groups, why Bernie Sanders supporters are looking for so much, and why Barack Obama is still a disappointment to some despite all he has managed to accomplish, the last two paragraphs of Thomas Frank’s story on Vineyard Democrats may offer a clue:
“We were promised, all during the time we worked at Caterpillar, that when you retire, you’re going to have a pension and full benefits at no cost to you,” Solomon recalled. He told about a round of contract negotiations he and his colleagues attended in the 1960s during which a management official complained, “We already take care of you from the cradle to the grave. What more could you want?”
Today, it is inconceivable that an American official of any kind, public or private, would utter such a phrase. In this age of disruption and innovation, everything pushes in the opposite direction. For the generation coming up now, the old social contract is gone—or at least the part of it that ensured health care and retirement for blue-collar workers. Now, as Solomon sees it, companies can say, “We want your life, and when your work life is over, then goodbye. We thank you for your life, but we’re not responsible for you after we turn you out.” At which point, presumably, they head east for a relaxing summer on the Vineyard.
It’s a new century, with new challenges — but who gets left behind, who gets screwed still matters. At least it should. BlackBear50 has a powerful story up that resonates with both articles: Please Just Listen. A View at 22.
We live in a world in which the minimum wage is a starvation wage. A world in which student debt is fucking crippling. YOU DIDN’T HAVE DEBT LIKE WE DO, THIS IS FUCKING STUPID. ALL OF OUR LIVES, YOU- THE ADULTS OF THE WORLD- TOLD US TO GET AN EDUCATION AND NOW WHAT? That education is CRIPPLING US. So many young people = fucked by student debt. Yeah, it’s a pretty big issue. We live in a world in which there are no jobs anyways so fuck it, we can’t even find work to pay our debt cause trade deals let corporations say “Peace out!” Most scaring, we live in a world in which the climate is on the brink of collapse. I will have to deal with your sins. THANKS.
The Republican Party is tearing itself apart — but that doesn’t mean the Democratic Party wins by default. There are real problems out there, and the party we need is one that recognizes them and is ready to offer real solutions.