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The New Coffee Room

  1. TNCR
  2. General Discussion
  3. Democracy Dies in H.R.

Democracy Dies in H.R.

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  • AxtremusA Away
    AxtremusA Away
    Axtremus
    wrote last edited by
    #1

    New research sheds light on how mediocre employees help would-be authoritarians maintain power.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/world/americas/actually-democracy-dies-in-hr.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jVA.MwBQ.MAx8eyQrAuOT

    ...
    In the absence of real data, researchers have tended to assume that [the employees] cooperate because of ideological extremism, fear of persecution or some combination of the two.

    New research, drawing on an extraordinary data set from Argentina’s Dirty War in the 1970s and ’80s, suggests a very different explanation. It turns out that the kinds of career pressures familiar to employees everywhere — the desire to revive a stalled career or obtain a minor promotion — can be enough to incentivize lower- and midlevel officials to violate professional obligations, fundamental norms and even basic morality. The people who make those decisions, the research suggests, are neither extremists nor victims. They are often just middling workers looking for a way to get ahead.

    Does that match your observations?

    taiwan_girlT 1 Reply Last reply
    • MikM Offline
      MikM Offline
      Mik
      wrote last edited by
      #2

      Nah. It's why I went out on my own. I could be like NS and tell people to go fuck themselves.

      Some people sell themselves very cheaply. I'm not one of them.

      "You cannot subsidize irresponsibility and expect people to become more responsible." — Thomas Sowell

      1 Reply Last reply
      • Tom-KT Offline
        Tom-KT Offline
        Tom-K
        wrote last edited by Tom-K
        #3

        Well that's the world of "hanging on in quiet desperation" of 21st century American capitalism. There's was the kind of hope of "if you work hard enough you can make it." at the end of the last century. that's gone now so all the workers now are just rats fighting for the last scrap of cheese. It's a meritocracy of the smartest and those just not up to it (smart but just not smart enough) are left behind. There was a place for them in the past--not so much today and so they are desperate and behave a desperate people behave. Kind of sad what America has turned into. We little band of brothers (and sisters) here on TNCR are a lucky few in the grand scheme of things. We're all "piano" kind of people--not to many people can discuss Chopin of Schubert at the drop of a hat. As we all know I just met Jon, as many of you have--can anyone doubt he's one of the most intelligent people we've ever met. We're all just lucky. Lots of other's aren't so much and can't quite cope. It's a little but sad that the American dream isn't for us all the way it used to be.

        ^^^^A rant! 😆

        Ego similis habere bonum et non curat nunquam accipere malum.

        1 Reply Last reply
        • AxtremusA Axtremus

          New research sheds light on how mediocre employees help would-be authoritarians maintain power.

          https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/world/americas/actually-democracy-dies-in-hr.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jVA.MwBQ.MAx8eyQrAuOT

          ...
          In the absence of real data, researchers have tended to assume that [the employees] cooperate because of ideological extremism, fear of persecution or some combination of the two.

          New research, drawing on an extraordinary data set from Argentina’s Dirty War in the 1970s and ’80s, suggests a very different explanation. It turns out that the kinds of career pressures familiar to employees everywhere — the desire to revive a stalled career or obtain a minor promotion — can be enough to incentivize lower- and midlevel officials to violate professional obligations, fundamental norms and even basic morality. The people who make those decisions, the research suggests, are neither extremists nor victims. They are often just middling workers looking for a way to get ahead.

          Does that match your observations?

          taiwan_girlT Offline
          taiwan_girlT Offline
          taiwan_girl
          wrote last edited by
          #4

          @Axtremus said:

          The people who make those decisions, the research suggests, are neither extremists nor victims. They are often just middling workers looking for a way to get ahead.

          Sounds like that came from the Nazis in World War 2.

          Doctor PhibesD 1 Reply Last reply
          • taiwan_girlT taiwan_girl

            @Axtremus said:

            The people who make those decisions, the research suggests, are neither extremists nor victims. They are often just middling workers looking for a way to get ahead.

            Sounds like that came from the Nazis in World War 2.

            Doctor PhibesD Online
            Doctor PhibesD Online
            Doctor Phibes
            wrote last edited by
            #5

            @taiwan_girl said:

            @Axtremus said:

            The people who make those decisions, the research suggests, are neither extremists nor victims. They are often just middling workers looking for a way to get ahead.

            Sounds like that came from the Nazis in World War 2.

            The banality of evil, as Hannah Arendt referred to it.

            I was only joking

            1 Reply Last reply
            • Tom-KT Offline
              Tom-KT Offline
              Tom-K
              wrote last edited by
              #6

              Jolt fires company's entire HR department.

              https://www.thehrdigest.com/bolts-ceo-fired-his-entire-hr-team-instead-they-now-have-people-ops/

              Ego similis habere bonum et non curat nunquam accipere malum.

              1 Reply Last reply
              • MikM Offline
                MikM Offline
                Mik
                wrote last edited by
                #7

                Read that earlier. Makes sense for a smaller, more nimble organization. Could catch on.

                "You cannot subsidize irresponsibility and expect people to become more responsible." — Thomas Sowell

                1 Reply Last reply
                • Doctor PhibesD Online
                  Doctor PhibesD Online
                  Doctor Phibes
                  wrote last edited by Doctor Phibes
                  #8

                  It sounds a lot like he’s offloading HR duties onto other people who are presumably already quite busy doing their regular job.

                  I was only joking

                  1 Reply Last reply

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