#boomers at work

[360degreesasthecrowflies]

Some thoughts on corporate teambuilding events, capitalism & boomer-vision

I had my first 'teambuilding conference' at work yesterday and it was such an interesting thing to be in the room for. I might write something longer about it at some point but a few key things that stood out right away:

These kinds of events feel very much like the brainchild of boomers and still taking that work ethic/approach to work as a) absolutely universal across the organisation as a norm - newsflash they very much are NOT - and b) absolutely natural, obvious, default. We had roughly two hours on the history of the organisation and 'what's happened in the four years since you were all last here, and what we expect to see in the next five years when we do another one of these' - as if a majority of the people in the room have been there for so long AND expect to be in the same job, or at least in similar roles, for life. But interestingly, obviously enough people on the organising committee or in the room DID feel that that was realistic, and something that we would actually be invested in learning more about. The thing is, I do care about my job. I don't dislike it and I do think broadly it's valuable. But that doesn't mean I care a jot about the organisation, the leadership or its history, growth etc. for anything more than if they can still afford to pay me or if they can still afford to provide the services to the client they said they would and signed up to. It feels almost performative that anyone in the room would care more than that.

Similarly, there were a lot of other assumptions made about the people in the room, which particularly came out through the 'wellbeing/mindfulness' activity we did in the afternoon. The assumption was very much that we were a room of people whose only issues might be small interpersonal things in the backdrop to what was otherwise a comfortable, middle-class, married, parenting, healthy and able bodied, existence. (e.g. - overthinking things, not believing in yourself enough etc... as if the only possible barriers to thriving in the workplace in 2023 might be personal psychological barriers a person has created for themself and can overcome easily by the power of positive thinking, reframing or confidence boosts etc.) Which in itself felt quite... anti intersectionality and awareness of the individual real and impactful external difficulties, that people might be struggling with or up against. (So again, performative)

One of the things we had specifically was to, in groups, discuss the 'three things you're grateful for today', that we were assured we would all have if we just thought hard enough about. It was great to be told how we all had that by the unbelievably cheery, straight white married dad guy who was giving the presentation. Didn't you know, he didn't used to be thankful for his children or the fact he owned a house? Like my dude, at which point does your own low self-awareness of your own privilege become a teaching point for a group of strangers without the recognition that that actually kinda comes off like a brag? I also was struck once again by the implicit messaging that work should be a place where everyone is comfortable to share everything about themself with everyone, and to be a major, if not the only, social space that adults inhabit. Once again, this feels like something that a very non diverse board thought up. As a queer person in a majority straight, and likely conservative workplace, I need to always police myself and say what's safe, because ultimately, I'm not there working as a hobby. This is how I pay for things in my life, and that relies on keeping that environment as safe and comfortable as possible to avoid real conflicts that might escalate and actively put me in danger. This is the country that just voted for Brexit and Boris Johnson after all.

There was once again, a lot to read between the lines, and - perhaps because of the establishing backdrop, giving us the presentation about unity, history etc. and so on - was that a deliberate psychological technique I now wonder? - anyway, a lot of people in the room didn't seem to be actually reading between those lines. So some things that were mentioned in the later sessions in the day; the financial pressures the company was under to meet obligations (so... that means cuts, or a lack of payrises, or possibly not delivering our services as promised?), or the fact that a majority of our projects delivered little value and didn't cover themselves monetarily (so... how are we going to afford to do them? why are we doing them? ARE we going to keep doing them, are people going to lose their jobs?) The interesting thing once again that struck me was that these things were both presented as inevitabilities, but also things that we as a group of people would all have to deal with together as they came up, as if just because we CURRENTLY worked there in certain roles, if anything changed, we would somehow have to just take it and suck it up and suffer in those roles instead of... moving on for a better opportunity and leaving the leadership to pick up the pieces of the messes that they themselves ended up making. Like folks, the thing is, if you're going to tout collective responsibility and organisational solidarity, you can't have a hierarchical model of who makes the decisions. And if you're going to, it's pretty bad form to attempt to psychologically manipulate your underlings to feel bad about things they have no control over, and to stay in a bad or difficult situation that you single-handedly ended up creating.

Of course, what was interesting is that those of us in the room who were a bit younger and who have already worked through hardships and adversities, who are used to not being respected or treated fairly in the workplace or appreciated for what we do and given opportunities to progress, literally didn't give any of this the time of day. It came across to us like polite fiction towards the members of staff who wanted to delude themselves and put their heads in the sand. Ironically, this team day that was meant to be about discovering our commonalities and finding better ways to work together just illustrated more clearly than ever how some of us are living in the real world regarding the current economy and situation, and some of us aren't. Well sadly, if things do go a bit tits up, it's those who aren't who are going to be caught out, and the longer these kinds of delusions and optimistic beliefs persist, the bigger that crash is going to be both financially and in terms of self image and what they've invested in psychologically. And then what good is wellbeing and mindfulness going to be when the very foundations that you've built yourself around have crumbled under you?

[theabigailthorn]

British producers be like: THEM: "We love this! Let us put our heads together and get back to you early next week!" SIX MONTHS LATER UNPAID INTERN FOR THAT COMPANY: "Everyone you spoke to has been sacked, we hate you fuck off."

American producers be like:

THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON YOU'VE EVER MET: Hey kiddo do you wanna meet The Rock? Do you wanna meet Margot Robbie? Do you want to fuck my wife? I can't give you a job but gosh darn it you've got moxxy, let me put you in touch with Doug Bigcheese, the biggest producer in Hollywood! DOUG BIGCHEESE, EMAILING YOU BACK WITHIN 20 MINUTES: Hey kiddo, that guy said you're awesome! Lemme ask round town and in the meantime you can live in my house borrow my car and by the way have you met my wife?!

[soft--dogs]

puppy pool party!

[kurohaai]

can't believe he just yoinked her like a literal kitten like that

[ryan-sometimes]

Enemies to lovers? No. Enemies AND lovers

[mylifeingotham]

[sunlit-mess]

Aaaahhhhh you doodle-sona(?) is so hot 😩🤤

(sorry if that's weird)

[tannnnblogs]

Part 1 | Part 2

[dispatchesfromtheclasswar]

[kijeu]

favourite bang chan fancams 2 / ∞ [ 210828 music core - thunderous ⋆ ]

[tyrannodokuro]

"you could never make a duke nukem game today" oh yeah this generation would REALLY hate a sex-positive trans ally himbo who fights cops and loathes fascism. get fucking real.

[fly-the-pattern]

[braincellwhatsthat]

….

(Edit was a slight color change)

[coulsonlives]

This dude spitting facts! Please consider listening to this if you have the time, it's just under 3 mins. :)

(Inb4 all the people who claim this video is 'defending boomers' when there's a big difference between explaining something and justifying the outcomes.)

[47crows]

Someone said the first thing we should do in these difficult times is create. I have taken that message to heart. I havent been drawing my usual vampire blorbos though. Mostly what ive been doing is just

Pig

[likeathunderoverflow]

So I've been thinking about Ateez as Superheroes

I saw someone say they'd love to see San as Wolverine, and, like, I see the vision but in my brain he's just such a sweetheart. So instead I picked who I think Ateez are most like. Please don't yell at me lol.

San: Captain America/Steve Rogers

Like he's just so sweet and buff, the pride of his hometown, perfectly dorito shaped. 100/10 Cap material. Also husband material.

Hongjoong: Iron Man/Tony Stark

He's just giving Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist. He's the creative thinker, the doer, the leader. Avant garde, witty, but a serious love for those he considers his people.

Seonghwa: War Machine/James Rhodes

Listen, he's HJ's second in command, so an obvious pick. In the same way that War Machine is sassy and sick of everyone's shit so is he. Also I really like the idea of Rhodes building the Stark Tower out of Legos.

Yunho: Spiderman/Peter Parker (duh)

It's not even a question, I will brook no argument. Also, can you imagine him in the suit? I am unwell.

Yeosang: Dr. Strange/Stephen Strange

A little kooky, very dry sense of humor. Seems like he'd make inappropriate use of the sling ring lol. Honorable mention to Hawkeye but only because watching him do archery was akin to how I imagine most men feel watching their favorite sports.

Mingi: Thor

For starters, I need football Mingi to drop kick me off the Sears Tower ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME WITH THIS FIT. Second, I really feel that he and Thor match in terms of Himbo energy as well as ego. Both feel things very deeply and can be easily hurt, but they will also bounce back with some slap stick comedy. Also both princesses.

Wooyoung: The Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes

Here's the thing, best friends with Captain America is an obvious point. However! Wooyoung has been very open with his feelings of loneliness in the past and Bucky was alone for a long time. I also know WY has this very deep serious side that he occasionally shows but I really think it's the tip of the iceberg. Additionally, sarcasm.

Jongho: The Hulk/Bruce Banner

Sweet, quiet, serious Jongho that can absolutely go apeshit as needed is so fun to me. He has younger siblings, you think he hasn't Hulk Smashed them before? Plus whenever the bear hits a high note with his fierce little scowl it's like watching the Hulk transform. Just *chefs kiss*