This is what I received from my employer for my end of the year bonus. It was printed on a small green slip of paper that looked as if it were cut with scissors. My bonus was US$45.17.

There are a few things I’d like to point out in regards to the above note which I think will help demonstrate the clear understanding managers (herein referred to as Oppressors, Exploiters, and Dominators or OED’s) have regarding the people who work for them.

1) They couldn’t spell out the words ‘date’ and ‘from’ at the very top. I don’t know why this is. If someone can think of a reason for this, please share it.

2) The note is from “management.” What does this mean? Did all of the OED’s get together somewhere and decide who gets these bonuses and how much, etc…? All of the OED’s? It’s confusing because I would guess there to be at least 35 to 50 different people throughout the company I work for who might be classified as part of “management.” It’s hard to imagine these people all getting together to write this simple note. So, since it’s obvious that not all of the OED’s physically came together, what’s meant by “management” is a class of people who oppress, exploit, and dominate (a.k.a. manage) other people. It’s not that all of the OED’s had a say, but all of the OED’s certainly back up the decision to give me only $45.17 for my bonus. This proves that “management” thinks of itself as being separate from “all associates.” It also demonstrates that “management” feels it is their responsibility to give a yearly gift whereas the associates do not have this responsibility. Is this guilt?

3) ”... we would like to take this opportunity to recognize your efforts.” Oh, so my efforts this past year amount to a dollar value of only $45.17? This is basically telling me that they’d fire me if they had a reason and I should probably start looking for another job, seeing as my efforts are only worth $45.17 to them. The message I get from this is clear, find another job now.

4) “In these very challenging economic times, it is particularly important for us to strive to be the best that we can.” Is this another hint to find another job? “Challenging economic times” could be code for “we’re going to shut down soon.” Also, who is the ‘us’ and ‘we’ in this paragraph referring to? It starts out with a tone from “management” to associates with the ‘we’ referring to OED’s. And then, it continues the ‘we’ and ‘us’ terminology hoping that associates will suddenly read themselves into the note and take responsibility. But, there’s no indication that the note is referring to associates. So, this is simply a pep talk for OED’s to work harder. This is a way for OED’s to say that they’re going to oppress more, exploit more, and dominate more (a.k.a. work harder) during these “challenging economic times.” This is the logic OED’s are going to use in order to further alienate associates from their lives, “challenging economic times” made me do it. And to top it off, the OED’s are being urged to “be the best that [they] can.” That is, to be the best oppressors, exploiters, and dominators that they can be.

5) “We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!” That’s how it ends. After being told that all associates are going to be exploited more, oppressed more, and dominated even more than we currently are, we’re wished a safe and happy holiday season If this isn’t doublespeak…

The moral of this story is this … IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS TO BE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE. Hierarchy is the main culprit in this case. A socially responsible corporation (if it were possible) would hold all people as equal, even people who have no direct connection to the company. If the corporation I work for is so open about these class distinctions regarding the people who work for the corporation, imagine how they might feel about random people who have no input into the profitability of the corporation

Workers = worth less than OED’s

Random people = worth even less than workers

Not only must a corporation be open financially (every profit, every loss, every single penny earned must be visible to everyone), but it must also revolt against hierarchy in order to BEGIN it’s journey into socially responsible territory.

In Montreal, QC – Canada, the official definition of corporations (Rethos, Inc. is based in Montreal) admits the following:

“The goal of a corporation is to operate a business for profit and to distribute the profits among the shareholders.”

...Citation…

So far, I’ve not received a response to many of the questions I’ve had regarding the language in the Privacy Policy and Website Terms for Rethos.com. How am I supposed to know if Rethos, Inc. is a socially responsible corporation that truly thinks of Rethos.com users as a “community” or if Rethos, Inc. is a corporation that’s only out to make a profit based on the goal stated above and thinks of Rethos.com users as a commodity … How can I make this determination if my questions remain unanswered?

I have enough troubles dealing with the for-profit corporations in my life explicitly oppressing, exploiting, and dominating me, so I’d like my experience with Rethos to be different. Is Rethos, Inc. a socially responsible corporation?