...and today's a celebration!
May Day TSA Solidarity and Other Visions of a More Perfect Society
This Week in Work: May 1
May 1 is observed around our world as “International Workers’ Day” or “May Day,” an occasion on which we celebrate the hard-earned gains of the labor class throughout history.
Make no mistake, the weekend that (some of, shout out to the service industry) you just enjoyed is a product of revolution, a concession only clawed away from the capital class after intense periods of struggle and bloodshed.
This ain’t exactly ancient, sepia-toned history…the infamous Pinkertons that earned their name cracking skulls at labor rallies of the 19th Century are still doing brisk business at the behest of their corporate clients today under the Securitas umbrella…you’ve probably seen them at any large event ever.
In fact, the firm--whose eye logo inspired the “private eye” moniker once applied investigators for hire--will be happy to kick in the door of any private citizen, as they did only last week at the orders of Wizards of the Coast, a trading-card game company. There’s probably a point right after I load the last shell into my Mossberg to go intimidate a teenager over a Pokemon card where I would question what the fuck I was doing with my life, but I guess that’s just me.
…and that’s before we get to the Battle of Blair Mountain…you know, that time the US military set its sights on the hardworking coal-miners of West Virginia for having the raw audacity to demand fair treatment from their employer.
Makes it kind of weird that some of the most adamant supporters of a police state also champion values such as hard work…at every major point of inflection in the long journey between Actual Slavery and something as unthinkable to an Actual Slave as parental leave, the contemporary cops have been standing at the gateway to liberation, armed and often unsympathetic.
However, let’s not get sidetracked with law enforcement…an understanding of their role in enforcing the status quo, however fundamentally absurd, is only a small part of the equation.
From the very first recorded strike in ancient Egypt to today’s ongoing labor actions that pit the workers of our world against those whose dying mission is to exploit every available resource in it, it is only a collective awareness of our standing in the struggle that has delivered true and enduring dividends for the working class. May Day celebrates the unvarnished truth of the matter: People fought, bled, and died for your right to scroll at work….with that in mind, let’s move on to the next segment of “This Was a Real Job,” right after this break.
Maybe Update your Resume: Propagandists?
Tucker Carlson’s sudden departure from the world’s most openly dangerous media conglomerate may have been a cost-cutting move--you ever fuck up at work and cost the boss most of a billion dollars?--but with an eye on the future, it’s easy to see where the network goes next with its signature brand of brain worms.
A recent political ad from a national party offered a taste of the horrifying future, releasing an attack ad on the incumbent featuring AI-generated images and video. You really have to see it for yourself, it’s some truly wild shit.
What was intended to evoke a theoretical dystopia in the minds of voters instead highlighted the actual cyberpunk nightmare that awaits us sooner than any of us would find comfortable. Imagine a world where not only could some flapping televised mouth spew screeds of toxic misanthropic bullshit into homes around the world on a nightly basis, but back it up with what appears to be credible video evidence?
We’ve already seen eyebrow-raising moments like a deepfake of Kyiv mayor (and former heavyweight boxing champion of the world, incidentally) Vitali Klitschko successfully contacting “his” counterparts in City Halls across Europe and those satisfying but sadly fake images of a criminal American President fleeing for his freedom.
How long can it be until we can no longer believe anything we see on a screen?
I don’t have the answer to that question…I suspect anyone who says they do is lying.
Regardless, technology marches on.
Cannot Be Unseen: TSA Agents Are People Too
With the recent news of a significant pay raise for TSA agents at airports across the United States came another discussion of their role in the nation’s travel security administration…a debate which I think misses the bigger picture a bit. You see, at least from this angle…one of these days someone is going to conceal an explosive device in a proctologist’s area of specialty, and their jobs will become truly impossible.
No, for me the most practical function of the TSA is as a jobs program. For its nearly 50,000 employees, employment with the TSA offers a steady paycheck, a frequently tolerable work environment, and a clientele who, while unpredictable, you can immediately punish for making your day more difficult in any way at all. I can certainly imagine worse ways to pay the rent.
In a nation where 1 in 3 workers (as in, if it’s not you, it’s statistically at least 1 of the next 2 Americans you meet) earns less than $15 hourly, how many other paths does a high school graduate with no specialized skills have to a consistently comfortable working class paycheck?
If you guessed “cop” or “soldier,” you nailed it…and with “TSA agent” being by far the least problematic of the three, I totally get why someone would go in that direction instead of trading your knees for a career in the trades. Sure, the US could probably have better national-level jobs programs--the Civilian Conservation Corps comes to mind--but when you carefully construct, the massive stupidity machine that is the modern American reality, you can’t really be all that shocked when stupids come out of it.
Whatever you may think of the TSA, the fact is that they are an outstanding indicator for the basic value of the nation’s labor, and when the floor rises for any among us, it’s a net positive for all involved.
Color Commentary: Zelensky’s Costume
The war in Europe may seem a bit outside the scope of an employment-focused periodical, but can demonstrate the surprisingly large role that aesthetics can take in the professional world.
By now we can all call to mind the deep olive green ensemble that has become the Ukranian President’s work uniform in these turbulent times. The quarter-zip windbreakers and fleece jackets paired with cargo utility pants in this stern, martial shade is almost Hollywood-perfect as the attire of a leader under fire…it is an inherent acknowledgement that the standard Western suit and tie is not generally the work uniform of someone here to help with their own hands.
Of course, it is important to understand that “costume” is not here used as a diminishing term.
One’s costuming can be their communication with the world…clothing, and the colors it comes in, can wield tremendous psychological power. The same way someone who appears in a lab coat wants you to know about their scientific background, a person dressed neck-to-ankle in combat green wants everyone to understand that the business at hand is deadly serious.
In the absence of (what is most commonly referred to as) “formal wear,” Zelensky’s situation-specific clothing choices and curated color communication can be viewed as indicators of his intent. It’s an important lesson in the political factors at play in any workplace.
Talent Visa Tracker: Portugal
Typically I use this space to highlight countries around the world poised to offer a soft landing to migrants such as myself as the conditions of these Interesting Times continue to evolve…last edition focused on Estonia’s digital citizenship program. However, it’s just as important to keep in mind that societies will not always remain receptive to the inevitable and unpredictable changes that any set of newcomers will bring to an established community.
The recent policy changes enacted by Portugal stand as evidence that a nation’s welcome mat isn’t exactly indestructible. In response to skyrocketing housing costs partially spurred on by new arrivals scalping real estate through online platforms, the country has ended its “Golden Visa” program as well as restricting the types of property non-citizens can own. Whether you agree or disagree with the decision, the message is inarguable:
“You people are taking up too much space.”
As a Political Science major, one of my central takeaways from history is that the first folks to suffer when material conditions deteriorate are The Others…as a society’s newcomers are its most likely Others, it is essential to those who aspire to live abroad to keep in mind that public sentiment dictates public policy.
The door might not always be open.
Hope Spot: Sunday Church
Finally, I’m happy to leave you feeling hopeful this week, which is especially easy to do when you’re feeling especially bullish about the future.
If you’re wondering what brought on this surge of optimism at the end of such a mixed bag of content this week, it’s because last weekend I headed up to the local Sunday market…an experience I’ve long found intensely purifying.
These events go by different names around our world…these fine people call it tianguis, somewhere on the other side of The Planet it’s known as a bazaar, my unmistakably American upbringing brought it to me as a flea market, but by any alias, it’s one of my favorite activities…I figured it wouldn’t be a bad day at work either.
As job types go, particularly as we head into the future, there are definitely worse than ”artisan” (besides, “market vendor” isn’t a gig I expect to be automated anytime soon).
You see, I’ve been attending open air markets since I was a child, only recently freed from the constant and careful grip of my mother’s hand. It was my first time as a vendor, but it was no less exciting than the first time I found myself at one.
As with finding the gems at such a venue, understanding the appeal of a flea market requires a careful and practiced eye.
What may at first glance appear to be an endless expanse of random goods also reveals great truths about the structure of our society. The real-world value of goods, with once-haughty trinkets and overtreasured toys side by side with hard-worked garden tools and cooking vessels with many meals left to give. The fripperies exposed, only those items which have and will continue to prove their worth will attract the eye of a savvy buyer.
The next time you see a shiny new item carefully sealed in its promotional package, picture it on a unclothed folding table in the blazing afternoon Sun. Is it worth quite as much?
The flea market is an inherently egalitarian venture. Formal zoning is extraneous, discernment dictates the only guidelines. Packs of socks and bushels of fruit side by side. A pop-up juice stand just outside the lines of a children’s ball game. With few exceptions, it is a meritocracy. Your success is weighted by your prudence and reputation. Most often, the goods for sale are made or obtained with your own labor. The market, to the extent possible, is free.
The marketplace’s barriers to entry are gone, less knocked down than simply ignored as the abstractions they are. Permits? Licensure? For the idle and malicious. Make a first impression with fresh made wares, or give viable equipment a well-deserved second life, if you be worthy. There are no gods, no masters here. You got the entry fee to help pay the essential hero cleaning the bathrooms? You’re in…a more inclusive venture you will not find.
The use of public space, the sense of community, the establishment of the vaunted Third Place, if only for a few fleeting hours. If you squint just right, it is one vision of a society made perfect, and I was fortunate enough not only to see it for what it was, but to sell a bracelet along the way.
At least at this time, it doesn’t get much luckier than that.