Vanishing Landmarks: The Trend Toward BolshevismShaw, Leslie M. (Leslie Mortier)
Philosophy
Vanishing Landmarks: The Trend Toward Bolshevism
Shaw, Leslie M. (Leslie Mortier)
United States -- Politics and government; United States -- Social conditions
The primary difficulty in solving the so-called labor question lies, I
think, in failing to recognize the individuality—the personality of
the employee. Some tiny share of profits is offered in lieu of
increased wages and it is accepted as a mere sop. The offer of stock at
a price below the market, with easy payments, is looked upon as a cheap
way of tying the hands of the employee, and as an insurance against
strikes. I think I am safe in saying that in a very large majority of
cases where any of these methods have been tried the men have resented
them, and in some instances spurned them. Then the employer concludes
that labor will not accept decent treatment, closes his ears, his mouth
and his heart and proceeds to get all he can and to give as little as
can possibly be forced out of him.
If the basis of masculine happiness is, as I have tried to show, the
divinely implanted desire for creatorship, sovereignty and achievement,
then we will find it impossible to satisfy the subconscious longings of
the human heart with shorter hours, increased wages, or with some
slight share of profits in lieu of increased wages. If I am right in my
analysis the pathway of access to the real man in the overalls—and a
real man is in the overalls and must be discovered—is by some scheme
that will necessarily recognize him as a real, thinking and potential
entity.
Most humans prefer to be called “citizens” rather than “subjects.”
Autocrats speak of their subjects. In republics there are no subjects.
All are fellow citizens. If this thought can be carried into the
industrial world, the “citizens” therein will find their heart hunger
appeased, their hope inspired and they will lift their heads into the
clearer atmosphere of industrial opportunity, and possibility of
ultimate social recognition. If the theory of evolution has any
foundation in fact the species began to lift its head with the first
impulse of hope, and its whole body stood erect when the consciousness
dawned of being human. A free, brave and hopeful people never went mad.
Desperation and failure of recognition is the parent of revolution.
Most anyone will fight when called “it.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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