Sabotage in the American Workplace

(part deux of The Canon, also known as sorting through my old books as I get them ready for storage...)

Got a really crappy job working in the mailroom of a right wing 'family values' organization? Quitting or going postal are the obvious choices. But thwarting your employer's fundraising drive by rerouting cheques straight to the shredder? So much more satisfying.

An entire book celebrating the disgruntled employee and raising their antics to the level of myth. It was published by AK Press in 1992 and I found it at Sloth Records in 1996. I was floating from one crappy job to another and instantly seized upon this as a book filled with great wisdom. I was never so disaffected that I would have actually held 'free days' and refused to let customers pay for anything. Nor could I se myself smashing Christmas ornaments before wrapping them up and mailing them like nothing was wrong. But I had my share of crappy days and it made me immensely happy to know that somebody out there was getting revenge.

I hadn't looked at it for years, but I just pulled it out recently and was filled with the same evil glee. The book is organized by industry, so no matter where you are on the career spectrum, there's someone stuck in the same mess you are. This time, I came across a story about librarians creating catalogue entries for non-existant books. It's a slowburn kind of joke - it might be years before someone realizes that Roman Orgies:Then and Now just doesn't sound right. It reminds me of the all the obscure jokes I've inserted into the use/definition field of the keywording application at work. Not exactly sabotage, but a way to keep myself entertained during the more boring patches. Nobody's said anything yet, but I know it doesn't fit with the intense precision with which other employees approach the job. But hey, whatever keeps me sane