Behold The Wisdom Of Sheep
(Updated below)
I just read something that has verily shocked and outraged me. Via Raw Story - Workers told to shape up or pay up:
"Looking for new ways to trim the fat and boost workers' health, some employers are starting to make overweight employees pay if they don't slim down. Others, citing growing medical costs tied to obesity, are offering fit workers lucrative incentives that shave thousands of dollars a year off health care premiums."
At the last, the companies and corporations are now flatly coming out, unafraid and unfettered, to proclaim their intent of actually controlling your lives as they see fit.
Not only does this constitutes a serious breach of human rights, such encroachment into our personal, private lives would leave us open to any desire, whim and fancy of the moment from high-minded, arrogant corporate bureaucrats whom, let us not forget, will ever remain watchful of the bottom line first and foremost, rather than your health and/or well being.
What's next? Employees being fined for not eating enough veggies? For eating too much meat? For drinking too much coffee? For listening to "non-approved" kinds of music or artists? For reading "non-approved" books or blogs? For watching "non-approved" TV channels and/or shows? For smoking cigarettes or having a drink, at home?
For dating a "non-approved" other?
For having a "non-approved" number of children?
For having a "non-approved" overall lifestyle?
For holding "non-approved" political views?
For following a "non-approved" religion, or specific denomination?
For belonging to a "non-approved" party?
For (fill in the blanks)?
For non-conforming to every single dictate of your employers?
As utterly mind-boggling that such an advent as companies/corporations establishing policies of fines for employees who do not fit their "definition" of health, read what one person targeted by such unconstitutional authoritarianism had to say about it all:
"At first, I was mad when I thought I would be charged $30 for being overweight," said Courtney Jackson (...) "But when I found out it was going to be broken into segments — like just $10 for being overweight — it sounded better." Jackson said she was going to try to slim down before the plan took effect. "If I still have weight to lose when it starts, I'll deserve to pay the $10."
Behold the wisdom of the sheep, quietly accepting to have its life owned lock, stock and barrel, and thus being entirely run, by company/corporate decree.
If, and when, our democratic societies crumble into corporate authoritarianism, we will owe our gratitude to such quiet, intellectual sloth-driven acceptance/apathy.
Looks like we have already begun sliding downward the slippery slope ...
And as we keep sliding down, we will be told through it all that it is for our own good.
I, for one, beg to differ.
How about you?
Update: 07/29/2007 - Via at-Largely: Chicago police stormtroopers swarm a gathering of poetry reading on private property - without warning and without warrants. Now, I am not a "fan" of poetry, but still ... looks like the Powers-That-Be decided that poetry was not for your own good, or something to this effect? Perhaps the quite innocent, legal and constitutional gathering was percieved as an exercise in subversion - perhaps even indulging in reading the Constitution, the most subversive type of litterature of all? Or perhaps the nefarious shadow of poetic terrorism is on the rise again? How about the clear and immediate danger to Homeland Security for reading in public? After all, knowledge is a very dangerous thing indeed.
And further down we slide the slippery slope ...
(Cross-posted at DKos, at Suzie-Q and at Diatribune)
I just read something that has verily shocked and outraged me. Via Raw Story - Workers told to shape up or pay up:
"Looking for new ways to trim the fat and boost workers' health, some employers are starting to make overweight employees pay if they don't slim down. Others, citing growing medical costs tied to obesity, are offering fit workers lucrative incentives that shave thousands of dollars a year off health care premiums."
At the last, the companies and corporations are now flatly coming out, unafraid and unfettered, to proclaim their intent of actually controlling your lives as they see fit.
Not only does this constitutes a serious breach of human rights, such encroachment into our personal, private lives would leave us open to any desire, whim and fancy of the moment from high-minded, arrogant corporate bureaucrats whom, let us not forget, will ever remain watchful of the bottom line first and foremost, rather than your health and/or well being.
What's next? Employees being fined for not eating enough veggies? For eating too much meat? For drinking too much coffee? For listening to "non-approved" kinds of music or artists? For reading "non-approved" books or blogs? For watching "non-approved" TV channels and/or shows? For smoking cigarettes or having a drink, at home?
For dating a "non-approved" other?
For having a "non-approved" number of children?
For having a "non-approved" overall lifestyle?
For holding "non-approved" political views?
For following a "non-approved" religion, or specific denomination?
For belonging to a "non-approved" party?
For (fill in the blanks)?
For non-conforming to every single dictate of your employers?
As utterly mind-boggling that such an advent as companies/corporations establishing policies of fines for employees who do not fit their "definition" of health, read what one person targeted by such unconstitutional authoritarianism had to say about it all:
"At first, I was mad when I thought I would be charged $30 for being overweight," said Courtney Jackson (...) "But when I found out it was going to be broken into segments — like just $10 for being overweight — it sounded better." Jackson said she was going to try to slim down before the plan took effect. "If I still have weight to lose when it starts, I'll deserve to pay the $10."
Behold the wisdom of the sheep, quietly accepting to have its life owned lock, stock and barrel, and thus being entirely run, by company/corporate decree.
If, and when, our democratic societies crumble into corporate authoritarianism, we will owe our gratitude to such quiet, intellectual sloth-driven acceptance/apathy.
Looks like we have already begun sliding downward the slippery slope ...
And as we keep sliding down, we will be told through it all that it is for our own good.
I, for one, beg to differ.
How about you?
Update: 07/29/2007 - Via at-Largely: Chicago police stormtroopers swarm a gathering of poetry reading on private property - without warning and without warrants. Now, I am not a "fan" of poetry, but still ... looks like the Powers-That-Be decided that poetry was not for your own good, or something to this effect? Perhaps the quite innocent, legal and constitutional gathering was percieved as an exercise in subversion - perhaps even indulging in reading the Constitution, the most subversive type of litterature of all? Or perhaps the nefarious shadow of poetic terrorism is on the rise again? How about the clear and immediate danger to Homeland Security for reading in public? After all, knowledge is a very dangerous thing indeed.
And further down we slide the slippery slope ...
(Cross-posted at DKos, at Suzie-Q and at Diatribune)
16 POVs/Comments:
What say you?
Sounds like communism to me.
It doesn't matter what form it takes, corporate or government, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and has an oily arse like a duck, guess what? It's an effin' duck!
'Nuff sed.
It sounds like greed to me. If the employers really care about their employees well being, let them initiate an exercise program on paid company time. It works for the Japanese.
Tom has a good idea.
Hiwever, medical science has established that obesity is one of the fountainheads of multiple terminal diseases. As long as health care is (mistakingly) placed on the back of businesses, it is reasonable for businesses to explore preventive medical measures for their employees, whether coercive or not. IMHO.
Yes, I agree, the employers should be more concerned about their employees being healthy, rather than taking money from them.
Vigilante: I repeat here what I answered you at Suzie-Q -
With all due respect, re-read aloud the title of this post, to yourself ...
Suzie-Q: the point is that *they should mind theit damn business*. Period. This is *not* just about health!!!
Dad2059: exactly!
TC: there ye go! Now, *that* is a non-intrusive way of doing things. But here in North America, it boils down to saving money and enacting a corporatocracy to rule the private lives of people.
I agree. Recently, I joined googles adsense to try my hand at making a little money. After two weeks they ended my membership claiming I had "invalid clicks". I tried to find out what they were talking about and they referred me to a forum to write a complaint! They said they cannot discuss any details with me as to protect their advertisers. I can NEVER get another account. They also asked me not to bother them or ask for an explanation. That really burns me up. They will also not pay me the $12.00 they owe me.
Bobby: *typical*
This sounds like the one whereby folks get dropped from their phone provider (who kept making billing mistakes and such) for having called customer service/support too often.
There is no other way to say this: this is pure B.S. all around.
Fact is we can't trust companies/corporations do "do the right thing" because what matters first and foremost is the bottom line - which is quite normal, and as it is suppoed to be. It is the nature of the beast.
Wow - yet again.
The DKos version of this article was highlighted as a rescued diary last night.
"Behold the wisdom of the sheep, quietly accepting to have its life owned lock, stock and barrel..."
That reminds me of Brave New World, where everyone was born into a certain ranking in the hierarchy. I forget the group names, I think it was Alphas and Betas (it's been a long time since I read that book). The lower class Betas were constantly reciting something like "I'm glad to be a Beta. I wouldn't want to have all the responsibility of an Alpha."
I'm glad we're moving into corporate authoritarianism. Now I won't need to make these difficult decisions by myself.
Who Hijacked Our Country
Tom: see how easy it is? And don't forget: it is for your own good, too!
;-)
I remember while stationed in Japan I saw a lot of Physical exercise by employees every morning. I guess that is why you see less heart attacks there.
This is a free country and people should be able to do and look weight wise as they wish. It's their life not the employer.
What next...every employee must bring a bag lunch.
Let's Talk: ate - the Japanese "fitness" model is the right one - all voluntary, not coercive or punitive.
As for the bag lunch - hey, anything can go ... once we have started down the slippery slope.
Mentarch:
I don't know what you did, but today I can get on your blog.
Larry: me did nuthin' ... ;-)
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