Railway workers of Japan: rise up, scowl, and overthrow the tyranny of enforced false joy! Our masters pay us to facilitate their profits. They have enough power without demanding that we pretend to enjoy it - it's an attempt to take over your souls.
Here in the UK, grumpy shop assistants are a cultural strength, from Open All Hours to Fawlty Towers to Black Books, never mind the distinct brand of misery dispensed by transport officials. Why should people on the minimum wage be forced to smile through the inanity and stupidity of the great British public? I respect the strength of mind of any employee who refuses to engage in this fraudulent attempt to persuade us that suffering terrible conditions on low pay is somehow the fulfilment of all their fantasies. Furthermore, the grumpy employee reminds us that there's a human in that uniform, not a robot on whom we can unload all our frustrations. They can treat us as badly with full legal immunity - they can't build enjoying it into our contracts.
So next time you're treated dismissively, rudely or surlily by a man or woman in a neon nylon suit, remind yourself that this is an act of class warfare and applaud their brave stand against the tyranny of simulated joy. Unhappiness is your right and mine.
3 comments:
Graveyard shifts in the ER keep my smiles away.
Hello Voley, what you describe is known in business schools (well, the good ones!) as 'emotional labour', most air hostesses and retail workers are expected to do similar, although there isn't software yet to check on them as far as I know. Having said which though I'm afraid I strongly disagree about rude, grumpy British shop assistants, they p*ss me off royally. It's one thing for a shop worker to be grumpy if they're being shouted at, in that circumstance you'd have a point, but more often than not I simply want some help to find or pay for an item and they're too busy stood around chatting, and make no bones about displaying how mightly disgruntled they are that you may actually expect them to do their job instead of socialising for a couple of minutes, ARGH! But having said that I think it's often the case that their company shows no real loyalty to them/doesn't treat them particularly well, so why should they be loyal to the company?! But then if they feel that way, get another job! All in all its a sorry state of affairs all round, disgruntled workers, disgruntled customers, society today isn't exactly great. :-(
Yes, SCW, that might do it, though all the medics in my family have incredibly dark senses of humour.
Kate - thanks for the terminology. OK, I was being slightly tongue in cheek about supporting rudeness. I hate it when they hand back your change without looking. I don't put my hand out, let the money go everywhere, then wait for them to pick it all up for another go. But the principle that they're alienated workers stands…
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