corporate slaving
guess who's been listening
to SNOG, boys and girls?

there's an idea that working for a corporation and abiding by the rules is being a corporate slave... but is there a short-sightedness about that? shouldn't we consider the fact that living off the system you hate is a form of rebellion in itself? it all depends on what you believe inside. it's like all the new-age/hippy/alternate lifestyle people who live in communal situations and stuff - they freely admit that most of them are on the dole. so what if the system can be screwed by simply using it as much as you can to survive life? i'm not talking about using the system to rip people off for millions or shit like that; what i'm talking about is taking what you legally can - every little bit. whether in the form of welfare when you're out of work or wearing a suit to keep a job that keeps you fed.

there is however a difference between that and just being a slave to the suit and tie (just as there's a difference between living on the dole and making an effort in a communal situation). it's when you change yourself to fit into the system that you've lost out. but let's face it, sooner or later you've got to eat. if it comes down to being a corporate slave or being hungry, i'll put money on what 99.9% people are going to do. not saying it's necessarily right, just a certain pragmatism that states "the mind likes to be the boss but the stomach is still in control".

i figure it's attitude that makes the difference. it's not the fact that someone works for a large company that makes them annoying, or repulsive to your ideals - it's their attitude. what really irks most people is when a corporate slave tells them what to think, what to do, how to dress, how to live. THAT is what the real problem of being a corporate slave is... when you become a walking set of the rules life forces on you.

as far as i'm concerned, it's ok to get money if you work for it; it's ok to wear suit and tie to feed yourself and your family; it's ok to work within the system. what's not ok is expecting everyone else to do the same as you, to believe in the same things as you. it's not ok to abuse your power, to hurt other people to get what you want. it's not ok to be gluttonous like Microsoft, Telstra or Shell. it's not ok to charge huge amounts for a service, or to force people to upgrade software and spend more money on every little util over again; it sure as hell isn't ok to go into a third-world country and play god and "above the law".

i'd also never be able to look at myself if i sang a company song like IBM employees. that kind of shit disgusts me. i also couldn't eat food bought with money made directly from exploiting, terrorising and killing people... but there you go, plenty of people can. THAT's the kind of corporate slave that's insidious and evil.

what am i trying to say with all this? i don't really know, i just think that people have to think about what the real world dictates; and the fact that working hard in a business world is different to being a corporate slave. the true CS is the one higher up, hungry for power and willing to murder, lie, exploit and suck the bosses dick to get it. it's the highest level that breeds the corruption... not the lower levels. the lower levels are just living, surviving, like everyone else.

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