Socialism = IN!!

Earlier this week in my Managing Compensation we were discussing the different types of skills needed to perform different jobs, and how these skills are rewarded.

Among other professions we discussed differences between a CFO of a multi-national company and a road construction worker in Ithaca.

Most people agreed that while the CFO had higher levels of education and responsibility, the construction worker faces harsher work conditions and has to put in more physical effort.

The question is; how are these skills rewarded?

Then the Professor, who has worked as an HR Exec for several large corporations such as Pepsi, Bristol-Meyers, and Saks 5th Avenue called on a mohawk coiffed colleague of mine who bluntly said: “They should be paid the same… I’m a Marxist” a few seconds passed and he let out a little chuckle before the Prof, who by the way is one of only TWO registered Republicans in ALL of ILR (both teach part-time) said “For a second I thought we had a socialist in the class”

This caused mohawk to matter of factly state “Well, you do”. Parenthetically telling the Prof to “f***** deal with it”

This relates to Ollie’s posts about how socialism is generally accepted, and praised in our culture, while neglecting the fact that more people have been killed in these societies than were killed in the holocaust. Whether it’s Stalin sending middle class farmers to the gulag or Che sending dissenters to the firing squad socialism never ends up in the utopian state that so many people wrongly idolize.

Additionally, can you imagine the cold-response I would have gotten if I said something along the lines of “I’m a profit-maximizing capitalist, the construction worker should be paid as little as possible leaving more money for the CFO”. Unfortunately I do not have the testicular fortitude to play such a role in class but I’m sure it wouldn’t have made me the leading candidate for class president.