Freedom in the Workplace
by Robert Russo
Do you feel that what you do to keep bread on the table satisfies or hinders you as a Libertarian? Do you see free will blossom to allow a worker to do his job to his satisfaction, credit given where it's due and oversight monitored often enough to have faith in the institution as Republicans do, so that politics is about maintaining a good thing and representing people on the shoulders of these businesses? Or is the very thought of freedom a mandatory taboo, reserved for lunch hour if even that? How do you deal with this? When you are politically active is the workplace just one of those things excluded from the conversation, not impeachable like government but indomitable beyond any platform? Does it make you feel like someone who is only religious on Sundays? If our goal of defeating big government is achieved will your current profession be a part of your new lifestyle or will you still owe your soul to the company store? Would the privatization of citizenship even increase its hold, not because freedom doesn’t exist, but because you can’t afford it?
Thankfully you may be self-employed or contracted beyond the restrictions of most work environments, or you may have a job you truly enjoy that has nothing to do with politics. Otherwise the workplace is a battleground. The encouragement of friends, taking risks to do what is right, dealing with spoilers, we are called to represent humanity in a place where people in the prime of life spend most of their time, sweat and attention. And yet this arena appears on no political chart, its deciders and policies never up for grabs in election (in fact such things are often a trade secret except for rare articles and documentaries on "Richmond’s Most Powerful").* The major parties don’t compete over it, but we are Libertarians from the moment we awake in the morning until sundown. It’s true that a code of work ethics already exists, but we know it’s baloney. How many of us, in the supervision of others, in the interview process, in the basic requirements of our profession have to tell ourselves it isn’t?
Every one of us has horror stories to tell. Personally I have watched a long series of employers consistently hire the oldest applicants (most of them in retirement) who become the most difficult to work with, and promote people who are the most vocal and have the least discretion. I was talking to a man with Asperger’s Syndrome who has held 25 jobs in the past 15 years. Survival means being a loyal subject, expression equals demotion to a place even more survivalist. Even when a Libertarian does advance to a position of influence does it seem to you there are always further measures to prevent true leadership? Are there watchdogs set in place on the board or is it logistically impossible because of regulations, affiliate businesses or customers? Do you seem to have automatically less credence than your predecessors, or do subordinates now question your authority and show immaturity when you were always the obedient one? Do they quit over trifles as if they don’t need the money?
We are the only party, if any, that disagrees with the basic structure of the working world beyond fruitless personal complaints reserved for the home. We know the end result will be a company-state. We know the benefits of having just one corner in this market: authority relinquishing, accountability toward people instead of profit. I’ll never forget applying to a foundation known for turning down people with Masters degrees for summer internships, saying I was used to small private foundations and the reply "we are a private foundation". Big business is not a private enterprise, it is an institution riding on the coattails of privacy and abusing rights that belong to individuals. It is an opponent to all personal sentiments. The price we pay is time, a majority of our lives spent in a controlled environment where we are not citizens.
It is not government alone but all authority we must combat, and thankfully sometimes we are enabled. This could mean refusing to rat on a colleague, tweaking a client’s eligibility for insurance, or contacting a qualified applicant who was rejected. Perhaps one day we will have a workers union. http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/HTMLPage/RTD_HTMLPage&c=HTMLPage&cid=1031784382107 is an excellent window into how Richmond truly operates and who pulls the strings.
*http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/HTMLPage/RTD_HTMLPage&c=HTMLPage&cid=1031784382107
Question of the Week: Has a bad experience in the workplace ever made you feel like a Libertarian in a place where it shouldn't occur to you, either because you were set apart or because no one else seemed to have a higher calling? Send your experiences to henrico@richmondliberty.org.
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