I saw a commercial for SBC once that said there was a merger and that some other company (I've forgotten the name) would now be known as SBC. The commercial then cut to a worker installing or working on a phone line. He was elevated on a ladder up against a telephone pole, and a graphic wave moved across the screen changing his uniform from the old company to SBC. The worker guy (all-american blue collar type) flashed an obligatory somewhat sheepish smile. It wasn't a funny or joyful smile, but the kind of smile you flash to brush off someone's bad joke (i.e. to recognize it was a bad joke by faking a smile so that the moment when you're supposed to react will disappear). The guy gave the smile, then continued working as if the new uniform and working for a different company was absolutely meaningless to him.

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Anyways the commercial made me feel that SBC has quite a lowly opinion of its workers--that they can just change their uniforms with a wave of their corporate wand and the schmoes will just grin and bear it, and continue working with their heads down not even knowing the difference.


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..and if you listen to Chomsky, you'll find that treating labor like cattle is common practice, whipsawing one labor force against another in order to keep costs down.