Working Class Hero

The last couple of years have been pretty tough for most people thanks to a recession that has resulted in more work, more stress, and more fear about job security with no compensation or recognition from employers who are trying to survive a bad economy. For a while, people were probably just happy to be earning a living while millions of Americans either lost their job or struggled to find any work whatsoever.

I'm starting to sense, however, an approaching zeitgeist. I'm starting to sense people have had enough of longer hours and more work with nothing more than you're lucky to have a job in return.

Take for instance the story of a JetBlue flight attendant whose final straw was delivered by a passenger removing his carry-on luggage before the plane finished taxiing. Steven Slater, the flight attendant, tried to stop him, only to get hit in the head with the luggage and called a "motherfucker" by the passenger. And that was enough for Mr. Slater. He got on the microphone and announced to the plane "to the fucking asshole who told me to fuck off, it's been a good 28 years". He then grabbed his bags, a beer, and inflated the emergency chute and slid off the plane. Police later arrested him at his apartment, and when they arrived, he was reportedly having sex with his boyfriend. Neighbors say as he was being taken to the squad car, he had a huge smile on his face.

Take also, for instance, the story of a young assistant who transferred a call to her boss, only to overhear before she hung up her boss refer to her as a "hot piece of ass". This clever girl sent out an email to the entire office a series of 33 pictures with her holding a dry-erase board outlining why she was quitting. This boss of hers, apparently, had recently installed some device to monitor his employee's online activity. Well this clever assistant knew the code to that device and decided to look into what her boss spent his days doing online. In her dry-erase photo monologue, she revealed he spends nearly 20 hours a week on Farmville. That's half the typical work week! In addition, he spent many hours on other non-work websites. Oh, and she told him he had a bad temper and bad breath. And obviously "I quit."

These episodes of revolt, of workers saying enough is enough, is cathartic and beautiful and inspiring. They give relief and hope to all the overworked underclass who are held down by fear, by the notion that abuse is acceptable because times are tough, by the feeling that they are trapped and helpless and indentured to their employer. Hopefully we'll see more stories like these and employers will wake up and start treating their employees with a bit more kindness and regard in a time when people need those things more than ever.

Like John Lennon said, "A working class hero is something to be".

Click here to read about the JetBlue episode and here to read about the Farmville episode.