This week, we're tackling a lot of socioeconomic themes for Better Worlds Theory - some of which dovetail nicely into sci-fi chats.
Today, for instance, two Alien films spanning 45 years offer a haunting reminder that the greatest threat in our lives has never really been alien to us: it lies in the relentless overreach of corporations much closer to home.
#LabourDay #SFF #Economics #Film
https://open.substack.com/pub/mlclark/p/oh-how-blue-collar-work-has-changed
@joycereynoldsward is one step ahead of me. I was about to post that this new corporate era coincided with Reaganomics and union-busting.
Can't speak for the rest of the world, but the American public went along like sheep after a decade of double-digit inflation, OPEC embargoes, failures overseas, etc.
"Alien" pre-dated Reaganomics, but we were already trending in that direction. (1/2)
As @joycereynoldsward writes about her spouse, my last SoCal employer made Weyland-Yutani look progressive. The COO married the daughter of a board member, and schemed so that a majority of the board members were his cronies.
One time he commissioned an outside entity to take an employee satisfaction survey. The numbers were dismal. He sent out a memo ordering us to be happy, and that was that. He produced a propaganda video to show us we were happy. A sick man. (2/2)
@MLClark I came of age just before the Reagan era. What is not remembered is the degree to which the breaking of the air traffic controllers strike also seriously broke unions.
Spouse also worked for an aerospace company that ended up with a lot of Jack Welch clones. It was pretty dicey at times because of my union involvement.