“No one is sure of
finding work; no one is sure of not losing it. I may have my work taken away
from me at any moment by the caprice, the mood, the indigestion of a man who
has not the qualification for knowing whether I do it well, or ill. At my time
of life—at every time of life—a man ought to feel that if he will keep on doing
his duty he shall not suffer in himself or in those who are dear to him, except
through natural causes. But no man can feel this as things are now; and so we
go on, pushing and pulling, climbing and crawling, thrusting aside and
trampling underfoot; lying, cheating, stealing; and then we get to the end,
covered with blood and dirt and sin and shame, and look back over the way we've
come to a palace of our own, or the poor-house, which is about the only
possession we can claim in common with our brother-men, I don't think the
retrospect can be pleasing."—American novelist, critic, and editor William
Dean Howells (1837-1920), A Hazard of New Fortunes (1889)
It was true 135 years ago
when Howells wrote these words, and maybe more so now, about how “caprice” can
end employment, for either individuals or mass numbers of employees.
Executives
screaming for less regulation may well end up playing casino with their employees’
futures. A multinational conglomerate thousands of miles away may abruptly
terminate workers who’ve given the best part of their careers to a company.
All of this feeds into
worker anger. Many may well accept the nearest explanation at hand that they
can understand, even if they involve the creation of scapegoats.
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