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The Business of Bullshit
Klikauer, Thomas
http://www.counterpunch.org/2018/01/17/the-business-of-bullshitDate Written: 2018-01-17 Publisher: CounterPunch Year Published: 2018 Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX21949 Bullshit business is about the meaningless language conjured up in schools, in banks, in consultancy firms, in politics, in the media and, of course, in thousands of business schools releasing MBA-certificated managers who are then spreading the meaningless managerial buzz-word language of bullshit business around the world. Bullshit business can indeed take over organizations crowding out their core purpose – profit-maximization. Abstract: - Excerpt: The historic origins of bullshit business and its pathological language lie in Kroning and AT&T's management "guru" hired to change the AT&T corporation. A management guru is someone named so by people who can't spell "charlatan". Others call them "witch doctors". In the case of AT&T's bullshit business, it was Russian mystic George Gurdjieff introducing an entire new set of bullshit language. Managerialism's language has indeed led to a lot more management meetings as everything takes twice as long. It is true that Kroning may have been killed off while Kronese has lived on. Nonetheless there are powerful forces behind bullshit business. Like Managerialism, the bullshitter has a lack of connection or concern for the truth – as if truth had ever been relevant for corporations and corporate management. True, bullshitters are not concerned that their grand pronouncements might be illogical, unintelligible or downright baffling. All they care about is whether people will listen and whether they can persuade them that corporations are good, management is legitimate and capitalism is the best system on earth. And this even though life expectancy in the USA – a truly capitalist country – has declined for the second consecutive year. Subject Headings |