Today’s 5 Things include misinformation on social media platforms and the grifters making money off it; the CDC’s awful mask guidance; the Jan. 6 commission that the republicans just blocked; bosses who very badly want to go back to paying people subsistence wages and micromanaging their every breath; and yet more on the lab leak theory (still super skeptical, thanks for asking).
- NPR: Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows (See also: For Some Anti-Vaccine Advocates, Misinformation Is Part Of A Business at NPR.)
- Ars Technica: CDC loosened mask guidance to encourage vaccination—it failed spectacularly
- NPR: Senate Republicans Block A Plan For An Independent Commission On Jan. 6 Capitol Riot
- Vox: Bosses are acting like the pandemic never happened
- Wired: The Covid-19 Lab Leak Theory Is a Tale of Weaponized Uncertainty (See also: Why Is Everyone Suddenly Talking About COVID-19 Escaping From a Lab? at Lifehacker.)
A lot changed about employment during the Pandemic Year.
Many office workers got a taste of working from home and loved it, which opened up all kinds of interesting new changes and opportunities. A lot of retail, restaurant, and other low-wage workers realized just how incredibly crappy their jobs were, and that opened up some opportunities, too.
There was plenty of bad stuff, too, of course – “essential” workers being treated like garbage, people losing jobs, women being driven out of the work force because they were trying to work and school and care for their kids all at once, health workers run into the ground, and so on.
I think so much changed so fast that we all thought we’d never go back to “the way things were.” But it turns out the sociopathic corporations we work for have other ideas. Like getting back to paying people nothing and forcing people back into shitty offices so they can micromanage their every stray thought.
I dunno, guys. It feels like we learned some lessons here. Smart people would take what they learned and use it to make their employees happier. Pay your servers better. Let people work from home in their sweat pants. Cough up some daycare. More pet-friendly offices. I don’t think we have very many smart people running corporations, though.
Notes & Thoughts 