the following is a work of fiction, any similarities to real personalities or events are completely accidental on purpose, is a legal statement some authors put ahead of their work to avoid persecution from those who controlled the means of production at the time.
my last full-time job was at an advertising agency, where the owner of the business put the entire staff on an indefinite pay-freeze that lasted over 5 years. we had frequent meetings about the poor state of the economy and how we must all make sacrifices for the greater good of the company. we named the pig table Bernard, one of us put cute socks on it, the table top never worked very well, and the whole thing cost more than an average worker's monthly salary. In addition to Bernard, my boss spent hundreds of thousands of dollars remodeling an already opulent space, adding expensive furniture, equipment, security cameras, and locks to protect all that nonsense which contributed nothing to the growth of the company. I lost any hope of redemption and decided to leave when his expanding toy collection began spilling into the production floor.
since my departure, he had purchased a brand new fully optioned Tesla, built a multi-thousand dollars shower room for the employees to use (because if you work all those late nights free of charge, the least you can do is smell nice for the morning production meetings)
being under a pay-freeze while getting paid in dollar means that everyone is getting an annual pay-cut. meanwhile, we are all expected to work more hours without pay, skip vacation time, and take all the blame for the company's stagnation.
to help pay for Bernard's side chairs and floor lamp(s), the agency began hiring international "interns." paid them minimum wage, zero benefits, no overtime, and showered them with bonus candy and soda. now the owner of that studio is an international thought leader with thousands of followers. my guess is that in order to run an advertising agency, you get some medals for being bullshitter (it means placebo)
I am glad that phase of our economy is coming to an end with the advent of cryptocurrencies, where our value is determined by our efforts and contribution to our community. no longer will those who do 10% of the work get away with reaping 90% of the rewards.
my boss was an inspiration to all who went to work for him, he constantly trademarked quotes he borrowed from others. he enforced a policy of open and honest communications, and kept firing anyone who raised their voices in protest. he recommended us to read books he never read, while ridiculing readers. his influence and charm are so powerful that even with all I have witnessed against him, I still cared for him and wanted him to succeed. my biggest disillusionment came when he expressed to me that
"people are like sheep, they need to be given the illusion of freedom, but you must control them every step of the way"
we're all sharing in the same experience and perception, however in an oligarchy like United States, there is no freedom of speech for the worker who is being pressured for more output for less reward. you can not be free to express yourself if that expression cost you your career and thus your primary source of income. it is no wonder that most of us feel like modern day slaves, getting paid just enough to pay for shelter, food, and pay off debts. on weekends, we like to watch movies and tv shows and gossip about our heroes: outspoken, collaborative, sexualand brave characters who the common American citizen aspire to be like. but most of us are timid, conservative, and overstressed humans with limited meaningful movements.
the treatment of employees in the workplaces I've participated in is common practice for anyone working a creative intellectual job in California as of 2017. those who make the laws are so entangled with those who abuse them. meanwhile, we rally after the entitled Batmans and Tony Starks of the world, who despite all of their ability and intent, continue to distract us while they destroy the cities they claim to protect. "who watches the watchmen?" is a good question to ask yourself next time you drop off your kids at a place of authority
the image source
is of the pig Napoleon from the book animal farm: a fairy story