I have to take a detour here. I'll get back to Part 2 on technology next time.
I just got off the phone from my Mother back in Australia. She's almost 87 and the rock of our family (Dad has long passed). She was in the air force in WWII and she knows what a blackout is: The Australian mainland was attacked by the Japanese in that war and mini subs actually made their way into Sydney Harbour. She also recalls the Great Depression.
She's very tough for a sweet old lady. And, as Richard Pryor once said, "You don't get to be old being a fool!"
I talked to Mum about a lot of things. About corporate greed, integrity, about sticking by your beliefs and not being bullied, about the place I work (Harrah's Entertainment), and other related issues. This was not your usual small-talk phone call.
I feel very troubled and very saddened. It seems the more I learn, the more I feel for those who have little, and the more I despise those who are doing well and don't give a damn.
Which brings me back to where I work (Harrah's Entertainment). You see the big shots at Harrah's saw it fit to send out an email to its employees on Monday that laid out, in terms that could only be crafted by the best lawyers money can buy, how we Harrah's underlings are to use social networking (read: Adrian Zupp's blog et al), vis-a-vis Harrah's Entertainment.
Lots of rules and regulations. Some of it fair enough, e.g. Don't slander anyone, some of it obvious bullshit -- and definitely contestable in court. The purpose of the latter? That old corporate tactic: make people scared.
If anyone from "upstairs" at Harrah's is reading this -- and I know somebody is -- I ask you to stop and think. I don't say or write anything in this blog for the joy of it. I don't look for trouble or worries. I have enough of them, just like everybody else. I say or write what I do because I care when I see that something is hurting people, or when the "little people" are being lied to. That is how I was raised and I honor my parents by never compromising on that. So it's an easy choice. Fear doesn't enter into the equation for me.
I don't care if I get sacked or sued, berated or belittled, it won't change a fucking thing. I think after 51 years of bouncing around through some serious highs and lows that I'm made of slightly tougher stuff than that. And so are the people at the ACLU, and Michael Moore, and Noam Chomsky, and Norman Solomon, and Corporate Accountability International, and Amy Goodman at Democracy Now, and Naomi Klein, and Ralph Nader, and certain journalists who'll run with a tough story. I know because I know most of these people personally. There are plenty of honest people with guts still around. I even know of a couple on Capitol Hill, believe it or not.
I have never felt as much disdain for a place I've worked than I do for Harrah's. Not even close. I wish I could go to work each day and feel good about it. I really do. But I feel miserable. And I know for a fact, I'm not the only one. Not by far.
So I do my work, feel rotten about supporting the gambling industry, and look for a way out in tough economic times.
But I like to lean more on reason than bitterness. So I appeal to the brass at Harrah's to think about the 80,000+ people who work for them. Many of whom struggle financially. Many of whom simply aren't given enough time off each year. Many of whom need every bit of help they can get to support their families. Many of whom have had their sick leave taken away from them -- despite the fact that Harrah's found a way to purchase the prime, Las Vegas Strip hotel-casino Planet Hollywood quite recently.
The CEO and president of Harrah's Entertainment is a man named Gary Loveman. He makes a lot of money (which, in my opinion, is a kind of slander of his struggling employees). [To see what the Associated Press says he has made the past couple of years, go here: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=153&sid=10916166]. And he still finds time to do paid speaking engagements [go here for one example: http://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/Gary-Loveman/5685 And go here for another: http://www.ispeaking.com/ispeakers/garyloveman/].
Well, I don't have much money, but I'll give Loveman half of my next paycheck, after taxes, to donate to the charity of his choice if he'll go on TV and debate me on the issue of Harrah's integrity as it relates to its employees and customers. Like a man. No BS, no holds barred. I'll even set it all up. So whoever you are, reading this on behalf of the corporation, maybe you could put it to him. Any time I email Loveman he doesn't answer. No surprise there.
We can then dispense with the emails -- including any about social networking. Just one good, healthy First Amendment debate and we can put a lot of this crap to bed.
Frankly, I don't think much of Gary Loveman, for reasons I've made clear in this blog in the past and other things I've learned since. My old Mum doesn't think much of him either. You don't get to be old by being a fool.
But, as always with "House On Fire," I am most interested in the macro scheme of things rather than one company or a single individual. In this case, the broader topics at hand are corporate greed and the culture of fear.
It's been said many times that the way to control a population is to keep them afraid. Whether the government is telling you there's a terrorist under every bed or a company is treating its employees like chattels because they know you're afraid you'll lose your job.
I'm not here to say that the fear is unfounded or unnatural. In fact, I feel the truth is to the contrary. But you don't have to be afraid -- or at least you can reduce your discomfort level. The more you know, the less you live in darkness ("Ignorance is fear"). The more you do to fight the source of your fears, the more the giant looks like an elf. I mean, c'mon, do you think bullying presidents are tough guys? George W and Clinton were draft dodgers and Reagan had a soft gig during WWII that kept him out of active service.
But wow, don't they talk a good fight, like all good bullies. When I was a kid my father told me that the only way to deal with a bully is to belt them. I still live by that -- in a less physical and more figurative sense. I, personally, don't back down unless it makes sound tactical sense.
"What can I do?"
So, if you're scared about losing your job, what are you doing about it? Are you busting a gut looking for something (hopefully) better? (This might fix the symptom but you need to do more to get to the root of the bigger problem.) Are you a member of organizations like the ACLU or Corporate Accountability International? Do you look at specific issues that affect you in the workplace and consider their legality? Do you have a "good story" about what's going on at your company that the press might be interested in and you can back up with facts and evidence?
Of course, in these times of "at will" employment, you can be as right as the Lone Ranger and still get the flick. But the little bit of knowledge you keep in your pocket can come in handy later. And keep notes. Jot down things about your employer you feel are unfair. Specific incidents with times and places. Maybe you can resolve them with him/her if they are a fair sort of person. Or maybe you can use them for leverage or, if it goes that far, in court.
One thing I promise you: The stronger you are, the weaker you'll see the big shots are. I've spent some time studying elites and most of them would buckle under any serious challenge. Take them out of their comfort zone and they look like kids who get picked on at school.
I have a lot more to say on this issue of fear but this is getting super long. Let's break here -- next time I'll do Part 2 of the technology piece and then I'll wrap this up.
I'd just like to end on the note that this doesn't have to be daily trench warfare. Sure, if I had my way I'd wipe corporations off the face of the earth and develop co-ops and such. But that doesn't mean we can't be civil and fair. We should all care about each other.
Besides, it's not for me to try and shove the rich through the eye of a needle. That's something they have to take care of themselves.
Take care,
Adrian Zupp
PS: Getting more followers! You guys rawk!!
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