I agree that the forced happiness in corporate culture is damaging. This is one of the main reasons I won't be working for a large company. I much prefer a smaller team where real value and idea sharing is possible.

I don't neccesarily agree that teaching people that they can do anything they want is bad. The problem is when, "what you want" is dictated by corporations or government. I think alot of his criticism could be tranferred to a critic of general goverment indoctrination of the public and the whole idea of a colelctive public.

In Europe I have experienced less of the forced happiness. But corporations are still disfunctional here even without the fake facade. Large companies with centralized power mostly just suck.

With regards to the McDonalds example, I have to disagree somewhat. When you are performing a service for customers - I believe you should at least radiate a neautral friendliness. I don't want to deal with your emotional problems when shopping - just as you don't want to deal with mine. That being said, the forced over the top cheerfullness alot of sales personel practise is just as enfuriating.

In regards to people asking you "how are you" - I remember when living in London - people didn't even expect you to answer more than a grunt or a mumbled "you all'right" in response. Some people people would stop up dumbfounded if one just tried to say "I'm good thank you".

So I guess here the "how are you greeting" in it's own way has been contracted to the simple "hello" Oluseyi was contemplating.

I dont think it may be entirely enforced from the top down.

In certain jobs its a requirement to be happy. Actors if they are anything but happy with dealing with the public then they will turn off their fans, if there even seen with slightly downturned cheeks then they will be in the magazines and papers.

The majority of the public want those they encounter and who are in a subservient position to them to be happy to them, they like that fakeness.

Also I read that there are studies that suggest that other people effect our emotions so if you see lots of happy or around happy people then you will be happy and vice versa.

Quote: Original post by Krokhin

Quote: Original post by LessBread
Mao and Stalin used the same language of harmony and strength through the collective, the same love of spectacles and slogans, the same coercive power of groups and state propaganda, to enslave and impoverish millions of their citizens.

The most outrage example - Nasi Germany-was skept.It doesn't seems me accident[smile]

If you're suggesting that Hedges might be closet Nazi, nothing could be farther from the truth. If he skipped comparison with the Nazis on purpose here, it's reasonable to assume that he did so because he wrote a book on the subject two years ago and didn't want to beat a dead horse, so to speak (American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America).

Quote: Original post by Krokhin

Quote:
We were runnin so fast til we came to the McDonalds where I used to work
We walked up to the drive thru and gave my boss a jerk
Said, "give us all your money and three Big Macs to go
And suck on this you weasel, we're goin to Mexico"
-- "Mexico", Beck

Thanks God- we don't know English,otherwise popularity of such songs would be 10x less...

I doubt that song is heard much in places where the people don't know English. In English, however, it tells a humorous tale about a disgruntled McDonald's employee. But it's an obscure ballad from Beck, so it doesn't get heard much over here either. The complete lyrics can be found here. The claim that the song is an update of a Woody Guthrie/Bob Dylan tune is made here. And a free download of the song is claimed here.

Quote: Original post by LessBread
If you're suggesting that Hedges might be closet Nazi, nothing could be farther from the truth. If he skipped comparison with the Nazis on purpose here, it's reasonable to assume that he did so because he wrote a book on the subject two years ago and didn't want to beat a dead horse, so to speak (American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America).

No,everything is much simple.In any case,nasi economy was based at capitalism.I would like to say that it was a "military-state capitalism" in absolute,perfect form,it was the result of ordinary capitalism,thats why author avoid any mentions about it and prefer socialism as example.Socialism also was such result,but was based at another economy system.

Quote:
I doubt that song is heard much in places where the people don't know English. In English, however, it tells a humorous tale about a disgruntled McDonald's employee. But it's an obscure ballad from Beck, so it doesn't get heard much over here either. The complete lyrics can be found here. The claim that the song is an update of a Woody Guthrie/Bob Dylan tune is made here. And a free download of the song is claimed here.

Thanks.It may be of couse,I take my words back.We also have something

">underground and almost unknown..

Quote: Original post by Krokhin

Quote: Original post by LessBread
If you're suggesting that Hedges might be closet Nazi, nothing could be farther from the truth. If he skipped comparison with the Nazis on purpose here, it's reasonable to assume that he did so because he wrote a book on the subject two years ago and didn't want to beat a dead horse, so to speak (American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America).

No,everything is much simple.In any case,nasi economy was based at capitalism.I would like to say that it was a "military-state capitalism" in absolute,perfect form,it was the result of ordinary capitalism,thats why author avoid any mentions about it and prefer socialism as example.Socialism also was such result,but was based at another economy system.

Avoiding the connection between ordinary capitalism and fascism would apply to numerous American commentators, but I don't think it applies to Hedges.

Quote: The coercion is not exclusive to corporations, though, which is why so many people adopt it unbidden. How many of your casual acquaintances, when asking "How are you?" do you think really want to know how you are? Want to know about your foul mood, difficulties paying the bills, problems with your wife and how you hate your boss - or how ecstatic you are over an accepted proposal and a consequent promotion? People seem to just want the perfunctory answer "I'm fine, thanks for asking. You?" because they really don't care. It's just small talk.

There was an episode of the Red Green Show (sort of a goofball Canadian home improvement show billed for humor and duct tape) that had a segment about this - Red's point was that if someone asks you how you are, you don't say "I'm good." If you say "I'm good," the other person will too, and the conversation ends. If you say "well, I'm not sure, I just found out yesterday my daughter got her bellybutton pierced," that opens up the conversation for the other person, who when asked, may say something about themselves, like "I could be better, I just found out there's a serious case of mold in my basement." At the end of the conversation, both people probably feel like the other guy's got it worse than they do.

Now I don't do this exactly, because you can say something good about your life and have the same effect. "How are you" is essentially the same as "what's up," and either one can start or kill a conversation depending on the response. Neither of them are useful unless you add details. "I'm great, I just found this amazing artist online yesterday" or "I just left WoW" or "I feel really awful and I need a hug." Even as a casual acquaintance, I still like hearing about the lives of others - how do you think an acquaintance becomes a friend? Usually not in total ignorance of the life of the other person. Oluseyi, I would listen if you brought up bad moods, marital stress, or promotions, and I would probably talk to you about the first two if you needed it, and get super-excited for/with you about the promotion. So yes, there are strangers that do want to hear. Why not?

Quote: Original post by LessBread
Avoiding the connection between ordinary capitalism and fascism would apply to numerous American commentators, but I don't think it applies to Hedges.

Yes,maybe.

Quote: Original post by Krokhin

Quote: Original post by LessBread
Avoiding the connection between ordinary capitalism and fascism would apply to numerous American commentators, but I don't think it applies to Hedges.

Yes,maybe.

No. [grin] If Hedges saw a reflection of Nazism or encroaching fascism that helped to make his point, I don't think he would shy away from stating it. Here are several essays and interviews where he does precisely that.

The Christian Right and the Rise of American Fascism (2004)
Is the Christian Right a Fascist Movement? (2007)
Chris Hedges: America’s Holy Warriors (2006)
Chris Hedges on “American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America” (2007)
Why We Resist (2007)
Chris Hedges: The Christian Right’s War on America (2007)

And here is a bombshell reported this week that corroborates some of Hedges assertions.

Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder

In Explosive Allegations, Ex-Employees Link Blackwater Founder to Murder, Threats

Quote: Original post by LessBread
No. [grin] If Hedges saw a reflection of Nazism or encroaching fascism that helped to make his point, I don't think he would shy away from stating it. Here are several essays and interviews where he does precisely that.

My answer just mean that I agree with you,but there is a light hue of uncertainty[smile]
In SU such method ("whip & honey-cake" on the top,enthusiasm on the bottom) was applyed to society at all and thus was too abstract.I don't know,may be Hedges simply worry that such method will be more effective in West society.If I understand right this point of view,this is a model of jungle forest :every tree must be uniform inside,but all trees fight to get some sunlight.And nobody interesting what happens on the ground.I.e it's just a matter of bad balance between corporative and commoon national consciousness.

Quote: Original post by Krokhin

Quote: Original post by LessBread
No. [grin] If Hedges saw a reflection of Nazism or encroaching fascism that helped to make his point, I don't think he would shy away from stating it. Here are several essays and interviews where he does precisely that.

My answer just mean that I agree with you,but there is a light hue of uncertainty[smile]
In SU such method ("whip & honey-cake" on the top,enthusiasm on the bottom) was applyed to society at all and thus was too abstract.I don't know,may be Hedges simply worry that such method will be more effective in West society.If I understand right this point of view,this is a model of jungle forest :every tree must be uniform inside,but all trees fight to get some sunlight.And nobody interesting what happens on the ground.I.e it's just a matter of bad balance between corporative and commoon national consciousness.

I think he sees it as an effort to create a false consciousness, divorced from reality, and thus a source of social dis-ease, that is, socially destructive.