Conservation of Hypocrisy

One human failing is eternal: a predilection for cant and hypocrisy. Oh, we feel superior to the Victorians who tended to tread lightly in sexual matters. We are blunt about sex but coy about economics. Thus underpaid workers, have metamorphosed into ‘associates’ or ‘sales associates’ or given fancy names like ‘barista’ while many new and brutal corporate ploys are simply part of the “business model.”

The resulting lack of candor can be irritating. Spend five or ten minutes navigating a company’s phone tree and you do not feel convinced when the recorded Ms. Smiley Voice tells you that ‘your call is important to us.’ Similarly, Mega-banks voluminous ‘privacy policy’ statement does little more than obscure the fact that your data will go to every last tentacle of their octopus-like corporate structure and will be sold to the highest bidder as soon as the occasion arises.