Bait and Switch : The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream | Barbara Ehrenreich

Bait and Switch : The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream | Barbara Ehrenreich | I thought I was the only one...

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Bait and Switch : ...

	Bait and Switch : The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream Barbara Ehrenreich, 2005 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 211 reviews view larger image
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Could it be B. Ehrenreich's poor acting that triggered the "Switch"?

This book starts out light with the author taking on the challenge of entering into the corporate world. As repeated attempts failed (even with the help of the extreme-makeover specialists), the author brings us into the world of stark reality, rejections, and questions of one's self worth.

The conflict between individualism and corporate fascism comes to the forefront and is being described and examined in great details. How does one maintain one's integrity and individuality, and find courage in the face of this mammoth corporate monster? The choice is clear: Either be a corporate prostitute or be ready to blow the whistle.

As the author suggests in the final chapter, it takes great courage.

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I thought I was the only one...

...who encountered these types of struggles with finding a half-way descent job. Ehrenreich underlines the fact that corporate America is now an impenetrable fortress on a hill for the vast majority of us, including those who "did everything right." Greed, outsourcing, and lay-offs are everyday news, but this author goes further: she gets into just how insidious, evil, and brain-washing "corporate culture" really is, at least towards those trying to join it or precariously stay in it.

No less insidious is the "industry" that "coaches" the unemployed middle class by tactics of blame-the-victim b.s. One of my favorite parts is the boot camp chapter where Ehrenreich questions "What about the child whose home is hit by a bomb? Did she have some bomb-shaped thoughtform that brought ruin down on her head?" HA! That's perfect! I'm so glad someone else sees these "vibrating thoughtforms" as borderline psychotic delusions.

Her expose' of how many "networking" events are really guises to convert people into some religion is also great. I have to commend her for showing yet another example of how the separation of church and state is a crock. The only flaw in this book is that it leaves the reader asking "Where do we go from here?" She bandies about the terms "banding together" and "collective action" without describing at all how this could be done.

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