At last! Doc Searls has
- Cory Doctorow
- Uncategorized
- Aug 12, 2001
At last! Doc Searls has posted the entire text of the inspirational polemic and international best-seller, “The Cluetrain Manifesto” on the Web.
Professionalism goes far beyond acting according to a canon of ethics. Professionals dress like other professionals (one eccentricity per person is permitted — a garish tie, perhaps, or a funky necklace), decorate their cubicles with nothing more disturbing than a Dilbert (formerly Far Side) cartoon, sit up straight at committee meetings, tell carefully calibrated jokes, don�t undermine the authority of (that is, show they�re smarter than) their superiors, make idle chatter only about a narrow range of “safe” topics, don�t swear, don�t mention God, make absolutely no reference to being sexual (exceptions made for male executives after the hot new hire has left the room), and successfully “manage” their home life so that it never intrudes unexpectedly into their business life.
Most of us don�t mind doing this. In fact, we actually sort of enjoy it. It�s like playing grownup. And having extremist political banners hung in cubicles or having to listen to someone talk about his spiritual commitments or sex life would simply be distracting. Disturbing, actually.
And yet… we feel resentment. Find someone who likes being managed, who feels fully at home in his or her professional self. Our longing for the Web is rooted in the deep resentment we feel towards being managed.