Lucia

de Vernai

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April 29, 2009

The Grassroots Gives the Finger Back to the Marketplace

Meeting our basic needs is the prerequisite for political participation, but now political participation on the grassroots level is necessary for those affected by the economic crisis to get what they need. At a time when the invisible hand of the marketplace is giving us all the finger, it’s time for a change in alliances.

When you can’t make credit card payments on time or you can’t figure out how to afford any summer plans for your kids, it’s time to recognize that the marketplace, employers and corporations are not there to help us along to the American Dream. The economic crisis has not only forced millions of otherwise involved citizens to adjust their lives to pay cuts and threats of foreclosure, but to do it in an environment that treats them in a profit-before-people manner.

Civility in the job search process is no longer a requirement because of the surplus of applicants. Today it’s common for recruiters or interviewers to say they will have an answer, or even an offer, within few days. But it’s weeks and numerous unanswered calls later that you finally get the hint. Too many individuals find themselves out of work when their replacement shows up to claim their desk on Monday morning. No one is naïve enough to ask for two weeks notice, but 20 minutes sounds reasonable.

Working way below their education level, many people have trouble paying off their student loans. Whoever came up with the phrase “good debt” should refresh the concept of those of us folding sweaters for $7.50 an hour after graduate school. The salaried folks who find themselves working 60 hours a week for two thirds of the pay could probably use a pep talk too.

The great thing about our brand of capitalism is that, wherever we get to, we’re convinced it’s because of our individual will and hard work. Unfortunately, when a crisis caused by others forces workers across trades and disciplines into a race to the bottom, we also have to bear it alone. Organized labor and professional associations have been neutered to not hinder the individual by forcing him to look out for others, or so we’ve been told. It worked. Now you’re broke and alone, and rugged individualism has nothing to say when you realize your family can no longer afford basic medical insurance.

When we scoffed at paying dues to an organization (because why the hell would you waste your hard-earned money making sure the other guy’s OK?), little did we know that as a result we’ll be dependent on other’s contributions – government assistance, unemployment benefits and Medicaid – to make our ends meet.

While lateral organization is not the only answer to our economic problems, just as their cause does not lay solely with workers, it is time for us to acknowledge that we can do something other than wait for government regulation to rescue us by initiating enough change at the grassroots level to give the marketplace the finger back.

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