« America's lexicographical sweetheart | Main | Inference vs Implication »
March 20, 2005
Alternative APA
The American Philosophical Association holds its Pacific Division Meeting in San Francisco from 23rd to 27th March, 2005, and at the moment they still plan to hold it at a hotel under boycott from the union UNITE HERE. Sally Haslanger has posted the letter from UNITE HERE asking philosophers to boycott the hotel, as well as links to information about the alternative APA (also hosted on the APA website) and a very sensible letter about it all from Lawrance Blum. Brian Weatherson hosts a serious discussion about whether the benefits that young philosophers get from the Pacific APA should outweigh the needs of the hotel workers to some extent. Brian thinks 'yes.' I think 'no.'
I am a young philosopher. Among other things that involves having an excellent education, which I can only expect to get better, and some official recognition of that fact (my PhD.) I have research skills, highspeed access to the internet on my beloved 12-inch powerbook, and, these days, I have a weblog. I am fortunate in all these things and they give me a kind of power which most hotel workers don't have: they allow me a voice and a respectful audience, and with that comes some influence over the world around me.
A year ago or so I read Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed, in which she takes minimum- or low-wage jobs (waitress, maid, cleaner etc) for a year and reports on her experiences. One of the most obvious features of those experiences - familiar from my own undergraduate experiences with such jobs - is that you get no respect; your employer doesn't listen to you because she doesn't care what you think; employees may be expected to empty out their pockets and submit to searches at any time; their schedules are rearranged with little respect for their convenience, and the contract between the employee and employer is treated like a benificent gift from the employer, which she may retract with a moment's notice. The employee is treated as if they were almost powerless. And they kind of are - on their own. The thing about organisation, of which unions are a form, is that it lets a lot of people with very little power work together. And together they have more power and stand a better chance of getting all the benefits of respect: being listened to, being treated carefully, not being taken for granted, not being threatened.
Of course, power is just power, and both employees and employers can do good or bad things with it. But that's true of the vote too, and we don't need to know how someone is going to use their vote in order to decide whether or not they should have one. For the most part people in low-paying jobs are too vulnerable and too easy to exploit. They should have some more power over their lives. If a group of them have got together to try to take back some control and respect, then yes, they might inconvenience us, there might be interests of ours that are harmed in the process and it might be that young philosophers have their interests harmed more than most. But not so much that it would justify stamping on a serious attempt to improve the lives of low-wage workers.
I've opened the comments on this, because, well, it's that kind of issue. Comments are welcome from ANYONE, no matter what they think. The Clinical Attitude is encouraged. Respect for other commentors is required.
Added 21/03/2005: Here's the link to Brian's post giving the APA's reasons for staying at the boycotted hotel.
Posted by logican at March 20, 2005 12:07 PM
Trackback Pings
The trackback address for this entry is:
http://www.logicandlanguage.net/trakbak.cgi/10
Comments
In the service of openness, I should add that I am not going to the APA and so won't be inconvenienced.
Posted by: Gillian Russell ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.logicandlanguage.net/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 20, 2005 05:27 PM
Firstly congratulations for the Clinical Attitude link. There are many online that should read it, before being over-aggressive to others.
Now, in relation to the issue discussed, I think it is something that a majority of the APA members cand decide by a vote to transfer it or not. I am very sympathetic to your arguments though, I would attend the event, if it was not held elsewhere. But, in any case, to hold the same event at different places is not the best solution or most practical.
Posted by: Tony Marmo at March 22, 2005 01:44 PM