The Ugly Truth About Work, Identity, and Corporate Control

Hey there, it's Earnest Mann. In this episode, I’m talking about something a lot of folks feel but rarely express out loud — how soul-crushing modern work can be. If you've ever felt that your job is degrading, pointless, or straight-up harmful to your spirit, then this episode is for you.

Why Work Feels So Dehumanizing

I kick things off by breaking down why so many people feel stuck in emotionally draining jobs. Whether it’s a toxic boss, a manipulative company culture, or just the grinding repetition of corporate life, we’ve all been there. And here's the kicker: work, by its nature, is unfree. You’re doing something not because you want to, but because you have to — to survive.

The Myth of Loving Your Job

You’ve heard it: “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” But let’s be real — most people aren’t doing what they love. They're doing what they have to. I tackle the toxic illusion of workism, how it turns people into submissive drones, and why it's dangerous to make your job your identity.

Fighting Back in Subtle, Strategic Ways

I offer a possible solution — resistance in small but meaningful ways. One way to reclaim your autonomy is to slow down. Yes, slow down. It’s an act of rebellion against the corporate system that demands you burn out for their bottom line. I also explain how breaking rules strategically (not recklessly) can restore your self-respect and self-worth on the job.

The Corporate Scam: They Don’t Care About You

Let’s not kid ourselves — corporations don’t care about you. If they could replace you tomorrow to increase profits, they would. I call out the hypocrisy of massive profits and low wages, and how companies fight unionization by brainwashing employees. If you’re being worked to death while executives rake in obscene bonuses, it’s time to see it for what it is — exploitation.

A Wake-Up Call to Action

At the end of the day, if you're not doing something to change it, nothing will change. Marching and slogans aren’t enough. You need action that hits where it hurts — productivity and profit. This is a blunt but necessary truth, and I say it because I care.

I would like to meet - both online and in person - individuals interested in discussing ideas on what really needs to be changed, to improve the quality of our lives.

So if you have a suggestion for an episode topic, or simply want to reach out to me for help, you can reach me via my website's contact page - https://theearnestmannshow.com/aboutcontact - and I will get back to you ASAP.

I'm not promising miracles, but my advice is often a hell of a lot better - and certainly cheaper - than a therapist!.

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© 2020 - 26 The Earnest Mann Show

0:00

Hello. I hope life is treating you well.

0:03

Today we're going to be talking a little

0:06

bit about work. Do you ever feel

0:08

degraded by your work or that your work

0:12

lacks purpose? You're not alone because

0:14

millions of people do feel that way.

0:17

Let's explore a possible solution. My

0:20

name is Ernest. Welcome. Let's jump

0:23

right in.

0:25

Have you ever found yourself in a

0:27

situation where you're torn between two

0:30

different emotions because of two

0:32

different realities? Allow me to

0:35

explain.

0:36

Let's say you have a person that is in a

0:40

bad or at least unpleasant relationship

0:43

situation.

0:44

That relationship can be with a lover, a

0:47

family member or an employee because

0:51

they are all still relationships.

0:55

Now this person who is having problems

0:57

in their relationship you really feel

1:00

bad for. So you offer good sound advice.

1:04

Let's just assume for the moment that

1:07

objectively it is good sound advice.

1:11

But the problems persist and it persists

1:14

for a very simple reason. The person

1:17

you're giving the advice to absolutely

1:20

refuses to follow through with your

1:23

advice.

1:25

This is what I mean by the struggle that

1:28

comes from being torn between two

1:31

different emotional realities.

1:33

Because on the one hand, you can see

1:36

very clearly what the problem is. Yet on

1:39

the other hand, they refuse to follow

1:42

your advice. Therefore, the problem

1:45

never really gets resolved.

1:48

So then your care and concern turns to

1:51

anger and you simply say, "Welcome. If

1:55

they're too stupid to follow my advice,

1:58

I'm not putting any more energy into

2:00

them."

2:02

This is what I have experienced

2:04

countless times, especially since

2:06

starting this show.

2:08

It really throws a lot of weight into

2:10

the old adage that you can lead a horse

2:13

to water, but you can't make it drink.

2:16

Or my personal favorite, you can lead a

2:19

to culture, but you can't make her

2:22

think.

2:23

Still, there is hope. Because even

2:26

though people can certainly be stubborn,

2:29

change is possible. And I have

2:32

experienced it many times. And when I

2:35

do, it really invigorates me, you might

2:38

say, to keep proitizing about the

2:41

virtues of advanced perception. So with

2:44

that in mind, as the old saying goes,

2:47

once more into the breach, let's start

2:50

by defining work. Now, of course, I'm

2:54

not talking about the technical

2:55

definition of work from an engineering

2:58

andor physics point of view.

3:01

I'm simply defining work as something

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you have to do in order to survive. It

3:08

is often unpleasant for the very reason

3:11

that you wouldn't be doing it if you

3:14

didn't have to. So by that definition,

3:18

which I believe is totally reasonable,

3:20

work sucks because it is inherently

3:24

unfree.

3:25

Now, I totally understand that there are

3:27

millions upon millions of people who are

3:30

so thoroughly indoctrinated with the

3:33

Protestant work ethic, aka workism, as I

3:37

like to call it, that they will

3:40

vehemently deny that what I just stated

3:42

is true, and that they in fact love

3:46

their jobs.

3:48

Just bear in mind there is still a

3:51

sizable number of people on this planet

3:55

who still actually believe that the

3:58

world is flat or that Bigfoot,

4:01

especially here in the Pacific

4:03

Northwest, actually exist.

4:07

What's important to understand here is

4:09

that other than a handful of very

4:12

specialized true occupations,

4:15

your work or job should never be your

4:20

identity. It is not mentally or

4:22

physically healthy because that is by

4:26

its very nature what turns humans into

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dull submissive work drones and

4:33

consumers whose only real purpose other

4:37

than work is eating, and

4:40

reproducing. And that's something that

4:43

obviously isn't maximizing your human

4:46

potential.

4:48

That's what a cockroach does. And we

4:50

don't want to do that, do we? If you

4:54

want to feel better about your job or

4:56

work, you're going to have to do

4:58

something connected with that job that

5:01

increases your self-esteem.

5:04

And one of the ways to do that is to

5:07

consistently do something, however

5:10

small, that breaks the company's rules.

5:13

Now, I'm not going to go into specifics

5:15

about what that action should be. That

5:19

is something you're going to have to

5:21

figure out for yourself. In general,

5:24

however, I found that one of the

5:26

simplest actions you can take is simply

5:30

to slow down.

5:34

This of course runs completely contrary

5:37

to the desires of most companies because

5:40

the truth is they always want the

5:43

maximum amount of production from every

5:47

employee to squeeze every bit of work

5:50

out of you. And it doesn't matter to

5:52

them if you like it or not or drop dead

5:57

because you are expendable and

6:00

replaceable. Therefore, just remember

6:03

this motto.

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You should never give a damn about the

6:07

company because ultimately the company

6:11

doesn't give a damn about you.

6:14

Now, the company realizes this, so they

6:17

do everything in their power to prevent

6:20

any and all resistance, such as fiercely

6:23

and often forcibly inoculating its

6:27

workers with anti-UN videos, which are

6:31

made mandatory to attend, that convince

6:35

you of the horrors of unionization,

6:39

and that the sky will fall, the company

6:42

will fail, and it will be the end of the

6:45

universe,

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which is simply not true. This is

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particularly true in the service

6:52

industry. So, if you're being worked to

6:55

death, but are constantly being told by

6:58

the company that it can't afford to hire

7:01

more workers, yet it's making billions

7:05

in profits, you need to collectively

7:08

call them on their and remind

7:11

them that they certainly could afford to

7:14

hire more workers if they dramatically

7:17

cut the obscene salaries and benefits of

7:22

all the company's upper for management

7:24

and CEOs. If I could just take a moment

7:28

for this pitch. Here's the amazing and

7:30

incredible Earnest Man tote bag.

7:34

Christ, which can be all yours for a

7:38

very reasonable donation by just

7:40

clicking on the link in the description

7:42

below. It's sturdy and holds a lot of

7:45

ramen noodles.

7:47

No, seriously, it it holds a a lot of

7:51

ramen noodles.

7:53

So, in case I haven't made this clear,

7:56

there are many ways that you can and

7:58

should make a statement about this on

8:02

your job. Now, I fully sympathize with

8:05

the way they're mistreating you, but me

8:08

and millions of others are not willing

8:11

to feel your pain if you're not willing

8:15

to go beyond bitching and moaning about

8:18

how unfair the company is. yet you're

8:23

not actually doing anything about it.

8:27

And no, walking around carrying signs or

8:31

little feelgood speeches here and there

8:34

does not constitute doing something.

8:38

Because if that were the case, all the

8:41

people that have been doing that for the

8:43

last 40 plus years would have succeeded.

8:47

And many folks out there wouldn't have

8:49

to be working two or more jobs a day

8:52

just to survive. I don't wish to

8:56

offend you, but if you're foolish and/or

8:59

brainwashed enough to believe that the

9:02

corporation cares about you and has your

9:05

best interest in mind and that

9:08

prosperity is going to trickle down to

9:11

you any day now, I can only say that

9:15

you're being delusional. And if you

9:18

continue to do what you've always done,

9:21

you will always get what you always got.

9:25

Well, I hope you found this helpful or

9:28

interesting. And if you have any

9:30

questions, you can reach out to me via

9:32

my website link in the description

9:35

below.

9:37

And if you really want to give me a

9:39

compliment, telling a friend about the

9:41

show would be the best compliment

9:44

besides subscribing you could ever give

9:47

me. Until next time, this is Ernest and

9:51

that's all I've got for today.