CEO's and Workers...

[GiantBear91]

Can you tell me why hard working people in America think that CEO's got where they are today because of hard work?

That is a complete lie. What are your thoughts?

[Dr Mindbender]

Can you tell me why hard working people in America think that CEO's got where they are today because of hard work?

That is a complete lie. What are your thoughts?

Well it's a loaded question.

For many bourgeioise, such as those born into hereditary wealth, this argument works, unfortunately for some cases, you can't argue against it because it's true, many capitalists who pulled themselves up by the bootstraps did get where they are because of hard work.

But then it's a dangerous angle for a leftist to criticise them from so we shouldnt use it.

The fact that some capitalists work hard, doesnt give them a right to exappropriate the labour of the workers. We need to push socialism on the argument that all workers create capital in equal measure.

[Stranger Than Paradise]

Even if they had worked hard to get there it does not matter really. For every CEO who has worked hard to get there, there are endless workers that have worked equally hard but are workers not CEO's.

[Dr Mindbender]

Another important point, is that the CEO's who live the best are rewarded for arbitrary 'skills' that have no material bearing on our collective well being as a species.

Many workers and professionals, whose role our society would fall apart without their input are penalised purely because their skills do not cater for the free market on as many levels.

[cyu]

For many bourgeioise, such as those born into hereditary wealth, this argument works


Yep.


unfortunately for some cases, you can't argue against it because it's true, many capitalists who pulled themselves up by the bootstraps did get where they are because of hard work.


Actually, I would say that in these cases, it wasn't because they were capitalists. They started companies which required loans, they got funding from venture capitalists, they paid rent charged by landlords - in fact, during their start, they were the ones that were actually exploited by capitalists. In fact, their hard work during these initial years was being used to enrich their bankers, investors, and landlords. If the company managed to succeed despite that, then yes, many of these people then move from the exploited class into the exploiting class.

[GracchusBabeuf]

Can you tell me why hard working people in America think that CEO's got where they are today because of hard work
They are ruling class ideas, myths picked up by workers due to their being ruled by capitalists in a capitalist system.

The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas, i.e. the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same time its ruling intellectual force.

[Klaatu]

Surely, some CEOs are smart and/or have worked hard. But mostly, it is not so much what you know,
it is who you know.

My dad was in top management (retired) at a large car company. From what he has told me, a lot
of CEOs are not very smart at all, they just knew how to stick their nose where the sun don't shine.
(Quick way to advance up the company ladder) For proof of this, look at our failing banking system
for example. Some "nosey" CEOs there!

[gwjones]

Having worked in a corporate, multinational environment for almost 15 years (no longer, whew!) I attribute stellar CEO pay to unvarnished, unalloyed greed. Most often, this is what propels executives to the top of the heap; a callus disregard (sometimes sadistic satisfaction) for stepping on the faces of others to clamber up for the golden ring. Once a CEO has command of a firm, he can reward the Board of Directors who decide on his pay. The idea that "only the few and the brave" can do this work is laughable. Sure, one needs to be smart and decisive- but it's the clear priorities "a) me, b) the BoD, c) the shareholders and (maybe) d) my loyal coterie, that distinguish CEO's.

[Dust Bunnies]

Capitalism is like a pyramid, you have the CEOs on top at the tip, and at the bottom it has the majority, people living in poverty.

[Bitter Ashes]

Famous quote from Leo Durocher:

"Nice guys finish last"

True, he was talking about baseball, but it applies to capitalism too. Capitalism punishes kindness and rewards exploitation and abuse. Goods and services are witheld by capitalists on the basis of how much your labour is valued at. If you're labouring in a charity helping the homeless then your labour is valued at nill. If you're able to twist words out of proportion, whip up hatred and tell outright lies for a living, like Rupert Murdoch, then expect your "labour" to be valued in the billions a year. If you're a "nice" CEO then you wont be a rich one and will probably find yourself in the dole queue pretty fast because your customers will be usurped by competitors who will exploit and manipulate the working class more to drive down prices for the customer.

[Il Medico]

Americans believe it because we have had it forced down our throws all our lives. They tell us not to question authority, and if we work hard for the nice capitalist then we will get rich too. It is a complete lie, but people in America are in denial about the oppression of the working class, they have been thought that, we and our cause are evil and will take their freedom. The American people are like indoctrinated racist, they will be hard to change.