“I only smoke when I drink” reminded me of something I overheard at The Crumpet Shop in Seattle a couple months ago: "My brother is vegetarian but he eats pepperoni when he's drunk".
I went there the one time I visted Seattle! I wasn't even entirely sure what a crumpet was before I had one, just that it was something British people have with tea.
I also work at a large university, and in the past I have worked at a large company. Higher education certainly has its issues, but, and it's possible that it's just because my specific role doesn't expose me to all of the same things that the letter writer experiences, I've never felt the same ethical qualms that I felt working in the corporate world. The jobs I had at that company made me feel sleazy while also being overworked and underpaid. (And I actually really liked the people at that company! It was just the industry as a whole.) And whatever other job you take- education, healthcare, nonprofits, law, etc.- are going to have plenty of their own issues. The truth is that few people get fulfillment from how they earn their money, and there are few ways to earn a decent enough living to feel like you're not struggling that don't have some kind of ethical concerns. It's like that Good Place episode about how hard it is to earn "good" points because of how complicated modern life is. So...do whatever feels right, whether it means leaving your job, working for change at your job, or trying to affect change outside of work. But you're far from alone here. Most of us struggle with living in a world so focused on the bottom line.
I would like to add to the reader pep talk that I do think higher ed/academia provides significant grounds for abandoning ship for anyone who cares about ethics. It is actually a pretty awful sphere--almost more nefarious than many as it brainwashes people to become complicit in really exploitative, toxic environments and labor abuses (not to mention the business of putting people into crippling debt) under the guise of the "greater good" and "pursuit of human knowledge." But I can say that of the people I know who work for a major university that has done worse recently, most fall into two camps: those that stay critical of the institution and fight for better, and those that have had to convince themselves that everything is fine because they have to do those mental gymnastics to not face their complicity. Just be honest about your complicity. We're all complicit in something.
Hi! Hello! Longtime reader, first time-ish commenter! About those summer reads: Agreed, Percival Everett's Trees was holee-smokes-what-just-happend in such an awesome, inventive way. I can't way for Key and Peele to make it into a movie! Elizabeth McCracken's Niagra Falls--I read it a few months ago and I found it just okay. I love her work, but this is earlier in her stuff and I think it shows. I'd like to recommend (oh look, I AM recommending): Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capo Crucet. It is this really wild ride that interweaves Scarface and Moby Dick and the legacy of the immigrants who shaped Miami. Will not disappoint. Cross check with Maris, but I would bump that one up on the list. And congrats on the new special and all things GondelCom related! :)
Sheila, oh hi and thanks for your post! I'm checking out your recommendation, and I'll just leave this here: Meg Mason's Sorrow and Bliss and Elizabeth Jane Howard Cazalet Chronicles.
“I only smoke when I drink” reminded me of something I overheard at The Crumpet Shop in Seattle a couple months ago: "My brother is vegetarian but he eats pepperoni when he's drunk".
I went there the one time I visted Seattle! I wasn't even entirely sure what a crumpet was before I had one, just that it was something British people have with tea.
I also work at a large university, and in the past I have worked at a large company. Higher education certainly has its issues, but, and it's possible that it's just because my specific role doesn't expose me to all of the same things that the letter writer experiences, I've never felt the same ethical qualms that I felt working in the corporate world. The jobs I had at that company made me feel sleazy while also being overworked and underpaid. (And I actually really liked the people at that company! It was just the industry as a whole.) And whatever other job you take- education, healthcare, nonprofits, law, etc.- are going to have plenty of their own issues. The truth is that few people get fulfillment from how they earn their money, and there are few ways to earn a decent enough living to feel like you're not struggling that don't have some kind of ethical concerns. It's like that Good Place episode about how hard it is to earn "good" points because of how complicated modern life is. So...do whatever feels right, whether it means leaving your job, working for change at your job, or trying to affect change outside of work. But you're far from alone here. Most of us struggle with living in a world so focused on the bottom line.
I would like to add to the reader pep talk that I do think higher ed/academia provides significant grounds for abandoning ship for anyone who cares about ethics. It is actually a pretty awful sphere--almost more nefarious than many as it brainwashes people to become complicit in really exploitative, toxic environments and labor abuses (not to mention the business of putting people into crippling debt) under the guise of the "greater good" and "pursuit of human knowledge." But I can say that of the people I know who work for a major university that has done worse recently, most fall into two camps: those that stay critical of the institution and fight for better, and those that have had to convince themselves that everything is fine because they have to do those mental gymnastics to not face their complicity. Just be honest about your complicity. We're all complicit in something.
Hi! Hello! Longtime reader, first time-ish commenter! About those summer reads: Agreed, Percival Everett's Trees was holee-smokes-what-just-happend in such an awesome, inventive way. I can't way for Key and Peele to make it into a movie! Elizabeth McCracken's Niagra Falls--I read it a few months ago and I found it just okay. I love her work, but this is earlier in her stuff and I think it shows. I'd like to recommend (oh look, I AM recommending): Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capo Crucet. It is this really wild ride that interweaves Scarface and Moby Dick and the legacy of the immigrants who shaped Miami. Will not disappoint. Cross check with Maris, but I would bump that one up on the list. And congrats on the new special and all things GondelCom related! :)
Sheila, oh hi and thanks for your post! I'm checking out your recommendation, and I'll just leave this here: Meg Mason's Sorrow and Bliss and Elizabeth Jane Howard Cazalet Chronicles.
Oh awesome!!! I just cleared the decks on a giant, boat anchor type book and will need something new! Thanks! 💥💕
I love everything that's going on here! I do think Maris would co-sign the Jennine Capo Crucet rec!
YAY!!! Phew—I was sweating it out a bit. I can’t wait to hear what you think 😊
dear josh,
love the debate analysis, love the everything else, including this gem:
"my pep talk to you is this: It’s okay to be a little less comfortable to live in a way that’s a little more aligned with your values. "
love you, thank you!
myq
hear, hear!
Josh, thank you for giving advice to "Not Great, Job" I had the same question. And I feel helped out! That's nice. (that's marvelous!)
Aww thank you, Maria! So wonderful to hear from you as always!
Let 👏Bizzy 👏Drive👏
It’s the right thing to do!
We will consider it!!!
I feel incredibly silly for asking this but where do I submit a pep talk request?
I think there’s both a DM function an email reply function on here that will get it to me smoothly! :)