AFL-CIO Hooks Up with Fake Bad Boss Expert Ehrenreich
This AFL-CIO bad-boss contest becomes even more suspicious as hoards of people tell of past events, while no one currently reporting to a bad boss tells of getting any help with their situation from the union. And now the union has hooked up with a social commentator to provide insight into the reason bad bosses exist—someone who, by her own admission, is not an expert in the subject.
In her most recent book, Bait and Switch, Barbara Ehrenreich tells of undertaking an investigative research project to learn and report on the inner workings of large business organizations. When she is unable to get hired into a management position, because she is unqualified, she changes the nature of her research and discusses what it was like for her to search for a job.
Now the AFL-CIO positions Ehrenreich as an expert in understanding the bad bosses she never observed or experienced. Here are a few excerpts from her book:
"I realized that I knew very little about the mid- to upper levels of the corporate world..." (p 2).
"I had the disadvantage of never having held a white-collar job with a corporation" (p 8).
"After almost seven months of job searching…I have gotten exactly two offers…But these are not jobs…in that no salary, benefits, or workplace is provided..." (p 189).
"I continue to make applications and follow-up phone calls…until I am overwhelmed by a sense of futility" (p 202).
So the AFL-CIO chooses this person to explain "the real problem with bad bosses." Lacking any knowledge about the subject, she invents an obscure term to sound believable and then purports to have the answer to the cause of bad bosses:
"The problem isn't particular bosses, but what I call 'Bossism'--the hierarchical system that governs all known bureaucracies, both public and private. Giving one person huge power over others…"
There you have it. Problem solved. What a fine service the union is providing.
Now take a look at the insult Ehrenreich adds to injury:
"My great advantage in this project is that I can simply say 'game over' and return to my normal work as a writer" (p 211).
But it seems that Ehrenreich's "game" isn't over after all. And guess who the pawns are?
In her most recent book, Bait and Switch, Barbara Ehrenreich tells of undertaking an investigative research project to learn and report on the inner workings of large business organizations. When she is unable to get hired into a management position, because she is unqualified, she changes the nature of her research and discusses what it was like for her to search for a job.
Now the AFL-CIO positions Ehrenreich as an expert in understanding the bad bosses she never observed or experienced. Here are a few excerpts from her book:
"I realized that I knew very little about the mid- to upper levels of the corporate world..." (p 2).
"I had the disadvantage of never having held a white-collar job with a corporation" (p 8).
"After almost seven months of job searching…I have gotten exactly two offers…But these are not jobs…in that no salary, benefits, or workplace is provided..." (p 189).
"I continue to make applications and follow-up phone calls…until I am overwhelmed by a sense of futility" (p 202).
So the AFL-CIO chooses this person to explain "the real problem with bad bosses." Lacking any knowledge about the subject, she invents an obscure term to sound believable and then purports to have the answer to the cause of bad bosses:
"The problem isn't particular bosses, but what I call 'Bossism'--the hierarchical system that governs all known bureaucracies, both public and private. Giving one person huge power over others…"
There you have it. Problem solved. What a fine service the union is providing.
Now take a look at the insult Ehrenreich adds to injury:
"My great advantage in this project is that I can simply say 'game over' and return to my normal work as a writer" (p 211).
But it seems that Ehrenreich's "game" isn't over after all. And guess who the pawns are?
