My older brother worked at a label-making factory. He did not put labels on people ...the labels were put on soup cans, pickle jars, ketchup containers ---labels that contain helpful information. For my brother, it was labeled, an income ---a necessary means to survive.
There were others who worked at the same label-making factory who had spouses who had good jobs ...and for them, this job was just an easy way to obtain a little extra spending money. Many of them didn't work as hard as my brother, and they also looked to the job as a form of socialization.
One day, they decided they didn't just want more for less ...or you could say, more for more, as in more socialization for more money ...they wanted to be entitled to it, as a guarantee, for working less. They decided to go on strike.
My brother was not in favor of this. He said many of the strikers got nasty, and some destroyed property (of those who didn't want to participate in the strike).
What was the result of the strike?
They shut down that label-making factory, and moved.
Now, this would not be as easy, nor as cost-effective for a huge plant such as the automotive industry ...so, for years they gave in to the strikers and the union demands. But as we all know, this got way out-of-hand ...and eventually that hand also was left empty, as many of the plants moved out of the area, and often out of the country.
Those unions were effective for a time, but the success met an end ...and the unions were not able to save many bright futures. The unions seemed to fall short of their original purpose ...of guarding against mistreatment. Often now they put the majority of their effort towards protecting the person who doesn't want to do what others have accepted as reasonable. The unions had become strong, not for representing what is right ...but they began focusing on the dues, not the don'ts.
The response of the capitalist, is to move elsewhere. Most corporations don't benefit from socialization on the job ...or from various forms of socialism, with its hazardous turns of contentment and discontentment. The Communist, on the other hand, finds this as the perfect position for the union ...as they like the disgruntled worker, and a union desperately fighting to maintain their membership. Together, they make a powerful union of angry warriors, void of reasoning and easily directed by their emotions. Everyone knows they've been treated unfairly, but few have the vision to see the preferred path of restoration.
You may think, why does Steve not get this! Well, I do get it ...and I know politicians and corporations often work together for mutual benefit and selfish gains. But if I'm drifting in the ocean in a rowboat with someone I don't agree with, if I refuse to use my oar, we may just go in circles. If we battle it out with our oars, we may both lose our oars ...and furthermore, we may bloody the water, possibly infested with sharks. Or I can offer to take both oars, and row us safely to shore. If I had not by then gained appreciation by my hard work, then I could find a more compatible sea partner for the next time I venture out. And I could also realize that things don't always turn out the way they are planned ...and even Titanics sink. But that does not mean I should remain land-locked for the rest of my life either.
We all want our fair share, but how fair was it to my brother, who wanted to work ...who wasn't expecting an easy hand-out? Through no fault of his own, he lost his job ...but he didn't give up, he got another job. But because this has gotten so out-of-control, those other jobs have become less and less for others like my brother who are willing to work.
How does the Communist respond to this? Regulate the businesses, so even fewer can survive. That increases the number of potential angry warriors.
No comments:
Post a Comment