H.R. 875, Climate Change, and Retail Hell
Okay, back to your regularly scheduled programming. Comments and questions on the story are still welcome, however.
First, more info on H.R. 875:
The sponsor's campaign contributions. Guess who's #1. http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/pacs.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00000615.
A good summary of the bill. http://cryptogon.com/?p=7362
Now, climate change. Around here it is fairly normal for it to get into the 60s throughout March. Early spring and all that. The 70s are pushing it. The 80s are way too much.
It was 85 when I left work yesterday, and 83 the day before. Climate change, anyone? Yes, it's all ready cooling back down, but still.
My new job is not going well, to say the least. It's a retail job. At the mall. The words 'retail hell' don't do it adequate justice. It can't be a good sign when you'd rather shoot yourself than go back to work. Oh, I'll go back all right. I need the money too bad not to. But it is pretty awful. I feel all of a sudden like I'm part of the problem again instead of part of the solution. But until I get my land I can't farm or write full-time.
To make matters worse, my manager has scheduled me for at least one day and time I specifically told her I could not work due to a prior committment when I got the job. When I mentioned this to her, all she said was "I'll see what I can do." I'm afraid we may end up in a Mexican stand-off: how bad do I want this job? Bad enough to give up everything that matters to me and jump everytime they say jump?
I do not make a very good corporate automaton.
I can't help but think retail hell and climate change may be related. Oh, that's right, it's because they are!
Labels: climate change, H.R. 875, retail hell, work
posted by RAS at 8:14 AM
2 Comments:
I am in rather a similar situation now, and I certainly know what you mean about not making a very good corporate automaton.
Good luck with it until you can get onto your land. Thankfully, I DO have land that I can be working on as soon as winter decides it is done. Actually, the whole time I have heard of your hunger for a small parcel of land, I've wished to be able to offer some of ours.
Sorry to hear about the horrible stuff that happened down your way.
Beyond Retail Hell.
This will help. Norm Feuti's "Retail" comic strip blog...
http://coopersretailblog.blogspot.com/
And his book about retail: “Pretending You Care.”:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1401308902?tag=coosretblo-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1401308902&adid=015RGS711MJKFN87TXM0&
For all those that have, or are enduring the crap in the most pivotal segment of our current capitalistic product/service/consumer money flow exchange...
Change is coming...
Personally, first and foremost, I believe all people in retail should start a global union. And everyone, including all the high and mighty college graduates, and especially upper end professionals with their diploma tickets to more esteemed, privileged work and pay, should spend a year working in retail (at minimum wage, without vacation or benefits...). And especially, our world’s superstar business tycoons, models, rock and roll gods, movie stars and righteous religious preachers / self improvement gurus should spend some time in the lowly positions tending the cash register, and stocking the merchandise—learning how to get over their massive addictions to being the center of attention and living the blessed, talented glamorous life because they happen to be special, and or of a chosen special spiritual belief systems that gives them justification for being in a better employment, or life situation.
People that work in retail, so goes the social, economic and class structure belief system are just not so lucky (or smart) in life. Life is not about luck, and being relegated to class structure because of smartness. Life, is about fairness and respect for all participants, in all needed venues that make our world go around... And until this broad social evolutionary leap is made, this planet will continue to fail miserably, and continue the cycles of economic/social chaos disruption that we are now in the massive storm of. Find the answer to what are two highly dysfunctional places that teach class placement dysfunction, and you are on the road to understanding why our world is in the mess that it is.
As you can guess, I struggle with the realities of retail, and of course the socially demonized value, and monetary worth of real people on the frontline of a needed essence of commerce. When people (obnoxious, arrogant, money hogs) belittle people that work (and struggle to survive) in our vital retail world, I let them know... Then again, my last retail overlords fired me, because I would tell "A-- H---" customers to shop somewhere else...
But that is okay. I got the long inside the window look at a part of the glamorous get rich, tycoon world of investment capitalism, that people on the stock market investment news never talk about. Retail workers. Well, actually they do talk about the retail, and industrial, and service workers, but only when they are being laid off because corporations are trying to survive and save the value of their stock prices... Creepy actually, that the workers in the grand profit margin scheme of big business are treated like nothing more than disposable slaves. Not a hopeful system where real people can put a lot of positive psychic aspiration for making the world a better place, when there is no equity, and especially when investors are more important to commercial success than real humans that make it all possible...
Which reminds me, stock analysts, investors, government workers, finance world tv talking heads, and their affiliated con artist banking industry associates should spend at least three years working in retail... (maybe some permanently).
But, there is hope for retail workers. It is a great place to get into the heads of consumers, and teach them about sustainable products, peak oil or at least about more ethical product manufacturers. It can be an amazing place of teaching and engagement, when you know that there are decent customers among the customers from hell that just do not have a clue about life...
Treat retail environments like a church, and miracles will happen. Or, as I like to say, if life is sacred, and we choose to believe in sacredness and higher purpose, then all elements of life are sacred. And, yes, the dear person making sure that I can buy a candy bar is also sacred. Funny, how a miniscule change in attitude can make one look at an ignored, contemptuous environment appear in a whole new light.
So, I will finish with this bit of advice.
I have seen Angels working in rather boring retail, and other non-glamorous work environments. When asked why they were not spending their precious time working around churches and more esteemed spiritual environments or causes, they answered, “Simple, we cannot get any real work done in the holier than thou environments where people think they can use religion to escape, or justify reality. Besides, you know how they treat ethereal creatures in churches, sometimes they end up nailing them to a cross. And church goers have to spend one hour a week being reminded of the B.S. cost of sacrifice. Talk about creepy.”
Church is where you find it. And it is not always what you think it should be. Nor should the idea of church be limited to tax free buildings, that usually sit vacant collecting dust 160 hours a week, and then tokens of absolution of sin for two hours a week. Talk about a truly inefficient use of space and time...
Besides, churches and belief systems come and go. Retail, is forever within a material reality...
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