The Dark Side of the Bright Side: Found Poems
from
Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America
by Barbara Ehrenreich (2009)
This is the 4th of nine poems in the series, one from each chapter of the book.
Read #1 Here: The Dark Side of the Bright Side: Found Poems
Read #2 Here: The Dark Side of the Bright Side: Found Poems #2
Read #3 Here: The Dark Side of the Bright Side: Found Poems #3
Read #4 Here: The Dark Side of the Bright Side: Found Poems #4
Motivating Business and the Business of Motivation
Today there is no excuse
for remaining stuck in the swamp of negativity.
A whole industry has grown up to promote positive thinking,
and the product of this industry,
available at a wide range of prices,
is called Motivation.
If you have money,
you might choose to go to a weekend session
in an exotic locale
with a heavy-hitting motivational speaker.
Or you can consume Motivation in its many inert, fetishized forms:
posters and calendars, coffee mugs, desk accessories,
all emblazoned with inspirational messages.
In the hands of employers,
positive thinking has been transformed
into something it's 19th century proponents never imagined--
not an exhortation to get up and get going
but a means of social control in the workplace,
a goad to perform at ever higher levels.
With Motivation as the whip,
positive thinking became the hallmark of the compliant employee,
and as the conditions of corporate employment worsened,
the hand on the whip grew heavier.
Motivational speakers and coaches
promote themselves as a tool for managing "change,"
meaning layoffs and the extra workload imposed on layoff survivors.
A coaching company promises
to cure the toxic atmosphere left by downsizing:
"This program is perfect for organizations and corporations
that are going through change
such as downsizing, mergers or acquisitions.
If the people in your organization are reacting
with resistance to change, coffee room gossip,
decreased performance, declining communication,
or increased stress,
this change management training teaches
how to stay positively motivated and focused."
One unusually forthcoming motivational speaker
expressed some discomfort with her role,
saying that employers use people like her
to "beat up employees"
if they don't achieve the goals
that have been set for them.
"They can say, 'Didn't you listen to the speaker we brought in?'"
America's white-collar corporate workforce
drank the Kool-Aid,
and accepted positive thinking as a substitute
for their former affluence and security.
One laid off executive said,
with quiet pride,
"I've gotten over my negative feelings,
which were so dysfunctional."
Positive thinking promised a sense of control
in a world where the "cheese" was always moving.
They may have had less and less power to chart their own futures–
but they had been given a worldview,
a belief system, almost a religion–
that claimed they were, in fact, infinitely powerful–
if only they could master their own minds.
lisa eddy (she/her) is a writer, researcher, youth advocate,
environmental educator, and musician. Email: lisagay.eddy1@gmail.com
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