VooDoo Economics: Slight Return

I'm proud to say that, for the most part, I haven't had to go back to the same well when writing posts for this blog over the past year and a half, but this one, first posted late last October, now slightly revised, and with new songs and visuals, unfortunately captures me where I am now, in exactly the same place almost a year later.

--Bob

The Smiths--"Work is a Four-Letter Word" (mp3)
Men At Work--"Who Can It be Now?" (mp3)

One of the many stunning aspects of Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man (my vote for the greatest American novel) is how often the main character returns to his naive state, only to be tricked once again. When I've taught this book, both students and I have laughed at such naivete. Who could possibly fall for the same hoodwinking over and over and over again? What an idiot!

The truth, my friends, is that all of us are that idiot. At least all of us who want to believe the best about people. We want to think that our bosses care about us. We hold strong feeling for our place of employment because we believe, for all of its size and impersonal qualities, that it really does, in some sentient way, care about us and our circumstances. And, indeed, on some level, all of that is true. But don't we allow ourselves to get tricked again and again when it comes time for a little institutional belt-tightening, when we buy into the fiction that we are all in this together, that we are all part of the sacrifice that must be made? We rationalize, we compare our circumstances with those who are worse off, perhaps don't have jobs at all, we take comfort in a communal belief that, heck, our raises may be miniscule or non-existent, but it's for the common good and, ultimately, for our survival.

Last year, I had another one of those wake-up calls, when a ringing in my brain pulled me out of my naive slumber. It seems like a couple of times every year, I drift back into one of these long winter naps of innocence and acceptance. The last time it happened, it was about money. I felt like I was being underpaid and when I woke up and looked around and got a sense of what other people were being paid, I said so. In a letter, of course, because that's the kind of coward I am. And so, I got called in to the head guy's office and we sat down and talked about my letter and he said what shocked me then and what I not-so-conveniently forgot until last night: "We assumed that you were happy because we never heard anything to the contrary."

What? You mean if I complained about my contract each year I would have a chance to get it raised?

Oh, yes, I got it raised and then time passed and then other things came my way and I got to feeling all comfortable and satisfied and I was back to being the busy little worker bee again.

Until yesterday.

SPOILER ALERT! (I promise you that if you work where I work, going to the website that follows WILL SPOIL your day) It all comes down to one thing: Guidestar.com. For those of you who don't work in non-profits, you may not have such a website where you can look at your company's tax returns and see who's making what, at least at the top end. But all those years ago, Guidestar was also how I found out that an incredible x number of people here were being paid the y number of dollars that I wasn't. So, it's an invaluable site, if you can take the damage it does to your soul. Yes, my friends, you would be opening the hurt locker.

So, yesterday, after three colleagues told me about it, I went on there and found out that over the past two reported tax years, (remember: we lagging behind a couple of years in reporting--it doesn't matter, the impact is the same) in a climate of tough times and, at most, 3% raises, the top-salaried people were getting huge raises! Oh, Guidestar, you double-edged sword, who can provide such information which seems so valuable until it starts taking away sleep! Oh, Guidestar, you teller of truth, you destroyer of faith!

I am often told that I am doing a good job. I hope that you are, too. So, yes, now I'm in my wide-awake, cynical mode again and not very happy about it. Because I want to feel valued and celebrated and appreciated and buttressed in a key way that matters--monetarily. Instead, I'm just treading water in the inexorable tide of inflation, higher health care, higher college tuition, etc., which I thought was the case for everyone. The fact that I was feeling the same way a year ago adds a certain poignancy, I think, but also leaves me disconsolate. But, hey, I'd rather know than not know, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you?

Men At Work and The Smiths are available at Itunes.