From: "Peter Jovanovic" <peterzoran-AT-hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: AUT: anecdote from my ex-workplace, was introduction
Date: Tue, 05 Jun 2001 11:40:20 +1000


hi all

Chris Wright wrote:

>One of the people I work with, who lives in a fairly well off suburb and 
>who is a sort of All-American blonde ex-jock, with maybe some Green Party 
>leanings, looks at all of us and says "Let's get the bastard in here for a 
>week.  Make him start by trying to do his job as we field all the phone 
>calls, run around, do projects, etc.  Then after two days, let's make him 
>answer a call an hour and have him still try to do his other job.  then 
> >let's leave him alone to answer calls ashappens to us on a fairly 
>frequent >basis, while the rest of us go fix problems."  So far, he just 
>wants him to >taste the pain.  But then he says, "Better yet, let's bring 
>down one system >everyday so he can see what we really have to face from 
>time to time.  We'll
>bring down a different server each day.  That should fucking teach him!"

<snip>

i know this isn't too relevant but here goes. i used to work as an 
electronics technician at a small company that made useless stuff for the 
Australian military. Many of my co-workers had been in the Oz military, 
mainly the Navy. Some of them were among the most reactionary people i have 
ever met. they frequently denounced environmentalists, aboriginal people, 
single mothers, welfare recipients and trade unions/ists. yet at the same 
time most of them didn't exactly go out of their way to work hard and often 
consciously did as little work as possible. management as usual didn't have 
a clue about what we were meant to do, so generally couldn't tell how long 
tasks should take. one co-worker (not ex-military) and I spent many days in 
the back workshop doing little to no work and talking about everything under 
the sun. anyway the points are 1) struggle is indeed everywhere or at least 
present in the unlikeliest places and 2) anyone with only superficial 
knowledge of the place would have dismissed most of the workers as racist 
rednecks and not seen their own small struggles against capital.

peter


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