"But maybe, just maybe, this is all of a piece -- a component of late-stage capitalist thinking which expects workers (or the occupied) to be both disposable and happy even as they're being tossed aside."
No question. I spent the day in a "coping with change" kind of meeting. The company for which I work just layed off 10% of its work force. Some three thousand people. But wait, this is just the beginning. In a couple of months there will be "more changes," and they are already reassuring the analysts that they are aiming for a "flexible" workforce and going for an overall 30% reduction. Six of the people they laid off are one of the most experienced, intelligent, productive, seasoned teams of programmers you could find anywhere. What are they doing with their jobs? They're sending them to Prague -- where a junior, inexperienced (but inexpensive) team will proceed to do what they have already done -- nothing. (I'm not saying that foreigners can't do our jobs, I'm just saying that in this particular case, they have not been able to, but this change happened anyway.)
So, I said, at this meeting: "What exactly do they have in mind? They are outsourcing our jobs, laying people off left and right, with no end in sight, and they expect us to just put our heads down and keep working hard? How stupid do they think we are?"
But why should I worry, the recovery is on its way. Right?
I wish I had a bright IDEA for what to do next, so that I could transition to it while I'm getting paid a salary...
Joanna