A Summer Romance with Corporate America

Unfair, unjust, cruel, sexist, elitist — these are just some of the words that are often used to describe the corporate American world. From the spit that drips down the chins of those who detest every bit of the private sector, to the sly narrow eyes of the politicians who just can’t wait to slap yet another regulation on an industry: the free market — and especially the corporate world — has become a target of just about every left-leaning group in the United States. This is a sad reality of an even sadder era of American political development. Who would have thought that the things that made this country excel above all others could, in a matter of decades, be turned into the ultimate antagonists of the barely memorable “American Dream”? What I find even sadder is that most of those who criticize the corporate world have never actually been in it.

I, however, decided not to engage in blind criticism, but rather was going to step inside this evil world to investigate its alleged crimes for myself.

I started my nearly four-month adventure with a marketing company out of Houston that represented a massive corporation: DirecTV. Surprisingly, the office, the atmosphere, and the treatment of employees of all races and sexes were on par with the highest expectations. I also did my best to keep an eye on the alleged differences in salaries for women and men. To my surprise, marketing — especially direct marketing — tends to favor attractive women over everyone else. However, even if this were not so, the entire business model was structured around performance and commission; meaning that there is no practicable way to “discriminate” against certain races or based on sex.  The same is generally true with jobs that have a fixed hourly wage for their employees. It is, after all, not so easy to pay the same employees different hourly wages without their noticing the difference eventually. The promotion system was equally immune to the accusation of discrimination, as it was also based on performance and team building.

If evil corporate America didn’t show me its racist and sexist side, then what did I see every day in the office and in the field? The answer is quite simple — profit. Profit drove the business forward, expanded it over the years, and motivated the workers each and every day.

Is this truly a bad thing?

Or is it a commendable effort of the workers to take the future in their hands and secure it for them and their family? When the media depict a businessman in an expensive suit with dollar signs instead of eyeballs, it misses a crucial aspect of the whole picture. Behind that corporate executive, manager, or owner is family, loved ones, and his/her own life! And behind all of them is a sea of other workers trying to secure their own future with the chance they were given.

I leave you with a question: Is corporate America an evil outcome of bourgeois capitalism, or is it a real mechanism for success? I have found my answer.