Professionalism, the death of spirit

Professionalism is a social construct of the capitalist empire.

The word profession means job.

Professionalism refers to the social norms and expectations we attach to the role of performing a job.

So, why is it that — when money enters the picture — we have to code switch?

Norms and expectations of professionalism:

social / economic hierarchy
- within capitalism, money creates a power dynamic
- “putting the customer first”
  - AKA profits over people
inauthenticity
- suppressing feelings & needs
- neglecting boundaries
  - (self betrayal)
- avoiding conflict
  - (white supremacy culture)
relationship commodification
- demanding the performance of “politeness” rather than genuine kindness
- destroying the fabric of community
  - the master interferes with our interactions, which dissolves trust

Social / Economic Hierarchy

Why is it that —within capitalism — a power dynamic is created when money gets involved?

Capitalism is a hierarchical system in which the resource “owners” hold power over the workers.

As such, the “owner” (or master) sets the rules that the workers are forced to obey or else lose their jobs.

Because capitalism is a system that puts profits over people, the capitalist (“owner” or master) is incentivized to maximize profits & minimize costs.

This means making money at all costs.

When the master views workers as expenses rather than collaborators, the master grants the paying customer power over the workers.

The master is unwilling to say “no” to any money, so they demand the workers say “yes” to anything the customer demands.

“the customer is always right”

capitalism is a hierarchical system in which the resource “owners” hold power over the workers. since ownership is a social construct, we could also look at capitalists as “masters” or “dominators”

Inauthenticity

Suppressing Feelings & Needs

When customers are given power over the employees, employees lose their right to having feelings and needs.

Similar to chattel slavery dynamics in which the master would physically punish the slave for expressing feelings or needs, the customer wields power over workers (a dominator relationship).

If the master hears a customer has complained about you (for breaking from professionalism norms), it can threaten your employment.

When employment is threatened, income is threatened.

When income is threatened, food and housing security are threatened.

Hierarchical relationship dynamics are inherently violent.

Suppressing feelings and needs is a trauma response.

Neglecting Boundaries

Within the imperialist paradigm, boundaries are often misunderstood to mean rules or limitations designed to control others.

Within an abundance paradigm, boundaries are simply needs.

They are not rules, but “I” statements.

Writer, activist and embodiment coach, Prentis Hemphill, says that “Boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and me simultaneously”

Feelings inform needs.

Needs inform boundaries.

because they are boundaries.

To neglect your boundaries is to neglect your needs.

To neglect your needs is to betray yourself.

Capitalism retraumatizes us daily by demanding we betray ourselves for our survival needs (food and housing).

A scarcity paradigm that is completely fabricated by hierarchy.

Conflict Avoidance

Within the imperialist paradigm, conflict is perceived as harmful or threatening.

Within an abundance paradigm, conflict is simply a misalignment.

Misalignments are neutral.

Think of a “scheduling conflict” — a misalignment in schedules.

When a worker’s feelings & needs are misaligned with a customer’s feelings & needs, it threatens the master’s profits.

When we are relating to one another as community members (non-hierarchically), we accept the misalignments.

Acceptance = peace.

Forcing misalignments = violence.

Because capitalism maximizes profits at all cost, the master demands we contort ourselves to force the misalignment.

Conflict avoidance just so happens to be a characteristic of white supremacy…

…which isn’t that surprising considering white supremacy and capitalism are both hierarchical ways of relating.

They complement each other like peanut butter and jelly.

Relationship Commodification

To commodify is to standardize.

National chains commodify their products so you can get the exact same thing no matter where you’re located.

Since conflict (misalignment) risks profit, the master imposes rules on the ways workers interact with customers, essentially commodifying our interactions.

When workers lose the agency to express authentic boundaries, they become puppets.

The master is pulling the strings.

We take a backseat to our body and mind while the master imposes their will through our body, like the sunken place in Get Out. If you don’t understand this reference, watch the movie scene here.

There is emotional dissonance between how the worker feels on the inside vs how the puppet master expresses their will through the worker.

Politeness is a social construct — not rooted in authenticity, but conflict avoidance.

Because honesty is a key component of trust, the customer has no way of trusting the worker is being authentically kind vs giving a commodified performance of politeness.

Where do you think the “customer service voice” comes from?

Also known as the “white voice” (again, white supremacy culture).

It’s not an authentic expression.

These are paid actors.

By commodifying our interactions, professionalism sterilizes our relationships.

Whereas, we used to be community members who served each other to meet our collective needs through love and kindness, professionalism interferes with our relationships by inserting the master in between.

Our perceived reality is scripted by the master and we each play our role.

We’re just going through the motions.

Counting down the hours until we clock out and reclaim agency over our expression once again.

Though, of course, the emotional dissonance between reality and performance is so exhausting that we often leave the work day feeling depleted.

Professionalism Impedes Healing

While I was going through my life coach training, my therapist asked me if part of our training included pretending to like our clients.

She revealed that in her therapy training, she was taught to make her clients perceive that she liked them.

From that moment on I couldn’t tell what was real or what was fake.

Healing can only go so far without a trauma informed approach, because — regardless of your intersections of power & privilege, systems of oppression are traumatizing for all of us.

Let me know in the comments if you need this to be explained.

All trauma is rooted in capitalist imperialism.

It simply goes against human nature, so — of course, it’s traumatizing.

Systems of oppression are anti-social and therefore anti-life.

As mentioned above, capitalism destroys trust because it destroys authenticity (honesty).

Healing the root of trauma requires a container of trust.

Healing is inherently relational because humans are social beings.

Trauma comes from anti-social behaviors & experiences.

As Audre Lorde says, “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”

Audrey Lorde
source: poetryfoundation.org

In other words, we’re not going to heal from capitalist imperialism by using the social constructs of capitalism imperialism.

Professionalism is part of what we’re healing from.