In today’s episode of The Xanadu Review, I’m joined by Theresa Tallien. We discuss what it means to be a 1790’s feminist, modern dating, the age gap discourse, aging millennials, class in modern America, labor and its relation to gender, race and class, the HR regime and its discontents and what comes after identity politics.
Not to be a nitpicker, but I think your critique of HR culture is kind of “missing the capitalist overlords for the wokeness”.
At many — if not most — major companies, HR has gone from a glorified payroll department in past generations to being deeply entwined with upper management, interposing itself in all sorts of high-leverage decisions.
I don’t think we have really grappled enough with the extent to which we’ve handed so much power over our livelihoods to a whole different group of “unelected bureaucrats” than the ones the right wing typically obsesses over demonizing.
Good point. We kind of addressed it with the formerly "woke" billionaires going "based", it seems very cynical. But only so much time in a podcast to cover everything!
Indeed, it wasn’t intended as a nitpick but rather a “this goes even deeper!”.
Somewhat relatedly, I find myself remembering that one of the earliest uses of Facebook was for HR to conduct lifestyle vetting on recent college graduates.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the role this may play in a long-term historical rise of corporatocracy, and it seems that the federal government’s (practical at the time) incorporation of HR into enforcing large swathes of civil rights laws provides a vector through which we may see later popular demands for further incorporation of civil rights into corporate employment.
Take the recent debate over companies providing abortion benefits. What if that eventually turns into an expectation and demand that companies protect abortion rights themselves? Repeat this across all kinds of other rights, and boom, you now have a corporatocracy based on an employment-based conception of citizenship.
If you haven't already, I would suggest looking into the corporate union buster consultants who rebranded as "diversity, equity and inclusion" consultants. Very related.
Former Ancient Problemz guest Theresa or should I say “Theresa.”
The Xanadu/Ancient Problemz shadow network of influence only grows
If any domestic billionaires are searching for networks to capture, we are taking bids.
Not to be a nitpicker, but I think your critique of HR culture is kind of “missing the capitalist overlords for the wokeness”.
At many — if not most — major companies, HR has gone from a glorified payroll department in past generations to being deeply entwined with upper management, interposing itself in all sorts of high-leverage decisions.
I don’t think we have really grappled enough with the extent to which we’ve handed so much power over our livelihoods to a whole different group of “unelected bureaucrats” than the ones the right wing typically obsesses over demonizing.
Good point. We kind of addressed it with the formerly "woke" billionaires going "based", it seems very cynical. But only so much time in a podcast to cover everything!
Indeed, it wasn’t intended as a nitpick but rather a “this goes even deeper!”.
Somewhat relatedly, I find myself remembering that one of the earliest uses of Facebook was for HR to conduct lifestyle vetting on recent college graduates.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the role this may play in a long-term historical rise of corporatocracy, and it seems that the federal government’s (practical at the time) incorporation of HR into enforcing large swathes of civil rights laws provides a vector through which we may see later popular demands for further incorporation of civil rights into corporate employment.
Take the recent debate over companies providing abortion benefits. What if that eventually turns into an expectation and demand that companies protect abortion rights themselves? Repeat this across all kinds of other rights, and boom, you now have a corporatocracy based on an employment-based conception of citizenship.
If you haven't already, I would suggest looking into the corporate union buster consultants who rebranded as "diversity, equity and inclusion" consultants. Very related.