Apologies if this type of thing has been presented before. The backstory is that I have a close family member that has followed the bootlicking ways so for damn long that it has simply become a reality – a fact – a truth – so ingrained in their being that there isn’t another way. They are so ingrained to the teet that it is their only functional reality — and no shit me typing this has made the app laggy and wreaked havoc with autocorrect.
She’s REALLT well for herself in terms of earnings. 200k+, maybe even $300k, constantly name drops higher ups like I have any idea who the fuck they are, etc. — she has a sense of importance and duty. Not being a doctor / lawyer / some other highly sought after profession I don’t understand why her job is so engrained in her identity. She could probably retire early but can’t fathom a life without her employer. She is the perfect worker bee. Loyalty to the cause until death.
When I was struggling with my own work problems her solution was to basically stfu, kiss ass, and be thankful for whatever pittance you receive. Despite being in a management role and working for a totally unrelated company, the same bias and power dynamic was applied. No awareness of “hey this is how the system works (generally speaking) so these are your only options (and omitting any options that don’t adhere to those power plays).
Her identity is tightly wound to her job importance. But her stress levels were through the roof. Suddenly has food sensitivities. No alcohol, no meat. Stomach / digestive system not working like it used to (no cancer). “Could it be your job?” No fucking way! It’s anything and everything BUT that.
So, from my experience lurking on Reddit (do not recommend, please go exercise or scroll anything else instead because this has not helped my outlook on society but am thankful for all the insights) — there is an ever growing minority of certain folks age groups 30+ that have still managed to realize the American dream… sorta. It’s killing them, but they’re doing it and continually perpetuating the idea to every person beneath them. And what choice does anyone have when not questioning the status quo? All it means is more money for execs and shareholders.
Unfortunately with todays mechanisms of dissemination, the powers that be can grant them more page views or attention than what the majority of us are experiencing.
So we see this shit — these one off “lottery odds” situations and trying to blame ourselves for our bad luck or shortcoming we need to acknowledge the game is rigged, full of gatekeepers, and we need to focus on organizing, coming together, and building our own movements. Whether that be striking, voting, or whatever let’s figure out next steps!
Anyway, I’m not doing that shit and it is soooo depressing to see a close family member not being able to step back and see the whole picture from Multiple aspects rather than being a shill for the system that’s killing her.