One person, in particular, who for me came to personify the danger of short-term, self-centered thinking, and acting. Just for fun, let’s call her Bea. Bea was in charge of student advisors. She and a group of four or five of her minions met with student groups, resolved disputes, advised on one thing or another. By PSU standards in the mid-1990s, Bea was considered cool. She was alternative. She listened to obscure music and worked with the fluorescent lights in her office shut off. (Considering that her office had floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a park, it seemed odd to award cool points based on the lights.) She wore tie-dyed skirts and big, clunky jewelry. She was the first person I ever met to hold up a bi-racial child – her own – as a evidence of her smug superiority. Bea was so darn committed to social justice, in fact, that she was studying public administration.
And when it came time for the employees who were represented by the union to raise a little hell over whatever the trickery of that particular period was, Bea stayed in her office. Those of us represented by the union were “classified,” while Bea and her ilk were “academic.” So, even though Bea could barely sign her name without assistance and supervision, and even though she probably didn’t earn that much more than us, Bea believed herself a cut or two above “the union.” Unfortunately, Bea was not alone. Many of her “team” were openly disdainful of the walk-out and of the union in general.
So, even though it’s unpleasant to think about people like Bea, it was her, precisely, that I thought of when reading about the demonstrations in Wisconsin. In his mission to blame the state employees for his state’s fiscal issues, the Republican governor decided it was time to strip unions representing state employees of their collective bargaining rights. All of them, that is, except for the unions that represent the police and the fire fighters.
Forgive me, but my standard assumption is that people in Wisconsin, generally, are a bit more thoughtful than people in Oregon, a little more thorough in deciding how they feel about various issues, and a little more reserved when it comes to congratulating themselves. So even though I wasn’t shocked I was pleasantly surprised by what I read. Unlike Bea, the fire fighters in Wisconsin understood that they were being played against other unions, singled out as special not as a form of long-term preference but for the governor’s very short-term convenience. So the fire fighters joined the protesters – it’s called solidarity, Bea, and it’s more than a buzz word – and marched into the state capitol. And just to make sure their presence was noticed by the governor and his supporters, and spineless stand-asides like Bea, they brought their bagpipes.
