Many of my patients would like to see the category of “capitalist depression” in the next DSM.
They say things such as, “I don’t think 90% of the people who I interact with today— besides family members and a few friends — care if I live or die. Most of my business associates would be too busy to attend my funeral. They wouldn’t even read the second paragraph of my obituary unless it was performed as an interpretive dance by my daughter on TikTok. Sometimes I feel like a wallet with legs.”
In hyperspeed late capitalism, authentic empathy has become a luxury commodity. If you have a boss, you know that she wants to report to her boss that she is squeezing the most productivity out of you and paying you the least wages possible. It’s her job to maximize efficiency. That’s what she gets paid to do. Even if she and you hug the same tree during the annual company retreat and wear matching vests with the company insignia next to your hearts, she would fire you faster than you can say Jiminy Cricket if it resulted in a bigger Christmas bonus.
The Leave It to Beaver illusion of company loyalty is a product long ago discontinued, replaced by MBA consultants helping your company merge and acquire or be merged and acquired.
“Mergers and acquisitions” has the same outcome as a “performance improvement plan”: it means that someone is getting fired. The only job security today is a golden parachute.
