Starbucks is brainwashing employees!

reply to post by hotpinkurinalmint


Starbucks is not a person! Corporations have "legal personhood" -- but they are pieces of paper chartered by the legislature. The piece of paper can be REVOKED. The charter of Starbucks can be revoked.

You can not revoke a person.

Sambucks? Don't think so -- it legally threatens the "name" of the corporate person Starbucks! or Star$ucks? Yep in Shanghai it's possible:

shanghaiist.com...

It's kind of like when Fox News goes off about "illegal aliens" -- they're NOT PERSONS -- according to Fox -- they're "illegal aliens."

When an employee uses WE in regards to the corporation that's called a

"misplaced pronoun modifier."

To use WE in regards to the corporation is the most common tactic of a person who considers themselves a manager -- who thinks they are part of running the business -- vis a vis just a worker or employee.

So a manager will use "WE" meaning themselves and the corporation in a derogatory manner -- this is not the same as "we" meaning a group of people! A group of people is protected by the Bill of Rights under the 4th Amendment -- freedom of association.

On a corporate property you do not have the Bill of Rights -- but a corporation as a legal person DOES HAVE bill of rights protection!

So when an employee uses "we" as a misplaced pronoun modifier in alignment with a non-person piece of paper that is slightly troubling to say the least.

www.endgame.org...

Washington State (entered the U.S. in 1889, along with North and South Dakota and Montana, and Idaho and Wyoming in 1890) came late in the corporation game (the U.S. Supreme Court declared corporations to be persons in 1886), but the history of the 1888 Washington State constitutional convention is instructive. Several of the Kinnear Commission proposals defeated (on the grounds that they would hamper investment in the state) at the convention would have limited corporate activities to those specificed in the charter or law; kept corporation books open for inspection; defined where corporations could be sued; and established a railroad commission (Dolliver, 1989, 192-193, n. 171).

[edit on 31-3-2010 by drew hempel]

[edit on 31-3-2010 by drew hempel]

[edit on 31-3-2010 by drew hempel]

reply to post by drew hempel


You are right, a corporation is a legal fiction. It is not a person in that it does not have all the qualities we associate with a real person like a face, a human personality, etc.

Even if a corporation is not a real person, it still involves real people. Starbucks has human employees, human managers, human shareholders, human customers, and human suppliers. When someone refers to Starbucks as "we," they could be referring to themselves and other Starbucks employees. They could also be referring to themselves and Starbucks' human managers or human shareholders.

no one listens to me, so i deleted this post....

[edit on 3/31/10 by I.C. Weiner]

reply to post by hotpinkurinalmint


The whole point of corporate personhood is to exempt shareholders from liability for the action of the corporate person.

So that's exactly the point -- by a corporation pretending to be a person -- it uses "fiduciary responsiblity" -- the legal requirement to maximize profits -- as a means to kill real people and enable the shareholders to reap the money from death.

frantzmd.info...

Slavery is the legal fiction that a Person is Property. Corporate Personhood is the legal fiction that Property is a Person.

[edit on 31-3-2010 by drew hempel]

reply to post by drew hempel


1. When this person refers to Starbucks as "we", she is probably not thinking about an abstract legal concept like a corporation. She is probably thinking about herself and other real people at Starbucks like her coworkers or managers.

2. While limited liability is a big reason for forming corporations, it is not the sole reason for forming corporations. Businesspeople form corporations so they can raise capital and get tax benefits. Furthermore, the corporate entity does not always protect its owners from liability. The owners can be personally liable if a court pierces the corporate veil.

Originally posted by drew hempel
reply to post by loveguy

 

video.google.com...#

Black Gold -- expose on the multbillion coffee corporate scam

For a 3 dollar cup of coffee a farmer earns 3 cents.

[edit on 31-3-2010 by drew hempel]

Thanks for the link.
Not that I've seen that video before because I haven't, I am aware how it's the "workers" who are the ones getting deprived of the spoils though. And one wonders why homeless people won't "work."

Originally posted by Aeons
reply to post by loveguy

 

I have no idea what half of what you responded means. Its almost completely disassociated from anything I posted, and the quote you use from the Bible is utterly non-contextual.

Thanks for your reply, in any case.
I was falling off topic, sorry.

I will resist saying anything derogatory, brother.

reply to post by hotpinkurinalmint


Talk about being brainwashed! Starbucks definitely has a control problem and it is a limited liability corp$e!

starbucksgossip.typepad.com...

As a former "barista" in Corvallis, Oregon...I was fired for not being a "team player"..and that included ratting on my fellow employees( not telling about the affair between the manager and assistant manager)....this Corporation is so shady that it hired private investigators to pose as customers in an attempt to bust these folks....nothing surprises me except the fact that other "barista's" are bitching about customers when they ought to be organizing against this heartless group of corporate executives.....the Corporation leaves zero discretion to the employees (they even send pictures to individual stores in an attempt to get the uniformity)...they are simply McDonalds all over again and you folks ought to get smart and stop shopping there completely.....support local shops and don't shop Starbucks...vote with your feet and the "barista's" should wake up with a triple shot themselves.

In short, in the United States we have three choices when it comes to how we form our business.... The main advantage is limited liability...stockholders can not lose their personal assets when the store closes or the corporation fails...no one puts a lien on their personal assets. They may lose their business investment but no creditors are pounding on their homes looking to get paid. The Corporation simply goes on..even with a stock value of zero,it is impermanent.... However, Starbucks is a corporation and when they do close a store they take a charge against the bottom line for reorganization, this offsets profits from other 4,000 stores and the Corporation really isn't affected all that much. In fact, they may pay less taxes overall because of the store closing...in addition.....Most of the malls or larger stores where Starbucks is located also are LLC or limited liability corporations, so when Starbucks closes they find another tennant and again charge the bottom line offseting profit from their other highly diversifed operations or portfolios.

[edit on 31-3-2010 by drew hempel]

Originally posted by Longtimegone


The point of this post is to discuss why an emplyee would include herself with the company (using the word "we") when it is NOT her career job.

Because in her mind, the `authority`that she acts as an agent of i.e StarBucks, takes responsibility for her actions .

Agency Theory .

I think the info about the bum is distracting from the corporate brainwashing topic which I believe is quite valid.

As someone who has had quite a few craptastic jobs, I have to agree with the OP as far as corporate "brainwashing" being possible.

I have seen this type of coprorate brainwashed attitude happening in small private business as well as large corporations which makes me wonder if being a corporate zombie isn't something that we are all trained to be in school and in society prior to getting jobs???

It's good to be proud of your work and to be a dependable worker. but for low level workers to identify themself AS the corporation is crossing a personal boundery that I think is inappropriate and dehumanizing.

Working well with others is great, but if you really think about the tiresome, overused phrase of "Being a TEAM PLAYER" it de-emphasises the individuals importance.

The individuals importance is less than the "TEAMS" importance. You are not a valuable individual, you are a "PLAYER" easily put into or taken out of the game to benefit the wealthy corporation.

Also, every crap job I have had has told me that they were a family. Oh really??? I already have a family. No thanks. I was applying for a crappy job, not a family.

I'm sure there are psychological reasons that corporations and businesses are usning these terms.

Finally, I find it disturbing that minimum wage jobs are requiring a credit check and a resume????? Let's get real folks. It seems that perhaps corporations are trying to make us feel real fortunate that we were lucky enough to land that minimum wage job.

I've worked at one of the busiest Starbucks in Australia (3rd busiest we were told) and gone through the hours of training, and it is a very 'team' focused company. It's all about helping your co-workers to get the job done efficiently and quickly. They do make you feel like part of the company, and they are so upbeat that you do get caught up in the excitement of it. It doesn't hurt that we also got free endless coffee each and every shift and massive reductions on store products I would have kept working there but it was just too much all the time. Such a full on job - but i've seen people at the age of 18 start there and within 8 months be a complete store manager making more then my mum who works in the government, so i can understand why some are so 'we' focused.

I actually found it amazing, as an Aussie i've worked in both a Quiznos franchise and a Starbucks store, and i was amazed at how efficient american companies are run compared to some of ours! I've held a fair few jobs but those two were ones that always had fantastic ways to manage stock, and timers on everything so nothing is wasted and everythings done on time.


And i would have gotten rid of the homeless guy too. It's a store. Would you expect any other store to just let him come in a sit around? The reason people sit in there is because they are paying customers, otherwise no matter how wealthy they are they would be escorted out too. It's not brainwashing by Starbucks, it's just how businesses work. Might not be nice, but you gotta make money somehow.


[edit on 31/3/2010 by bkaust]

reply to post by bkaust


Starbucks exposed as a cult!

chartreuse.wordpress.com...

…We are not investing in a movie and we are not getting into the movie business in a traditional way. What we are doing is leveraging our vast retail store footprint and the cultural relevancy of the Starbucks brand to bring film to the public in a new way during the time when the film industry has been challenged…”

Careful if you're a Starbucks employee on this thread since you can be fired for any disparaging comments about Starbucks

blogcritics.org...

Matthew Brown, a 28-year-old Starbucks supervisor in Toronto, uses the blog, or online journal, to keep in touch with friends and family. The diary contained his thoughts, a place where Mr. Brown vented his frustrations about everything from personal issues to work. When a manager refused to let him go home sick, Mr. Brown sounded off about his boss from home. He said he didn't use his real name, and gave the journal's address to a select group of people, so he doesn't know how the diary ended up in Starbucks' hands. ''I feel violated,'' he told Global News. The coffee chain, which declined to comment, refused to say where the entries came from and fired its six-year employee on the day he was to begin management training. "It was ignorant and rude," Mr. Brown said of his comments. "But it was for nobody except my family and friends. I didn't give the address to anyone at Starbucks. And I didn't name the manager.'' Mr. Brown hasn't decided whether to fight the dismissal. Starbucks employees sign a contract agreeing not to make negative comments about the company, he said.

[edit on 31-3-2010 by drew hempel]

Ok well I understand that if customers were coming up to him and complaining about the smell and the guy wasn't buying anything or wasn't with anyone who was buying anything then I understand he had to do something about it. But there's a part of the story missing it seems. Did he immediately call the cops after the complaints, or did he ask the guy to leave and the guy refused? Cause I don't really see that happening. He probably would have left if asked. But since this part of the story is left out, it seems like he was too afraid to approach the guy so he called the cops. People are so afraid of each other nowadays. They can't just have an adult conversation. Nope, they either avoid contact with other people at all costs, or if they do bother to talk to someone it's to be rude and yell at someone when they lose their temper. At least that's how I see people treating their neighbors. People want to just live their life as if the rest of the world doesn't exist, and then when someone else's life or problems overlap into their life or interrupt or interfere with it, instead of reacting with love and understanding, they just snap. All of their feelings have been held in so long that when they come out, they come in short bursts of pure rage. If they took the time to understand the world around them and got to know other people in the world then perhaps they would not be so blindsided by life's challenges. Maybe they would learn to be patient and appreciate the things in life instead of living in such an instant-gratification, throwaway lifestyle.

reply to post by doctor j and inmate c5779


O.K. so we have a huge corporation relying on farmers making slave wages and it's a CAFE yet their employees have to sign a legal agreement saying they don't have free speech about the corporation -- no bad comments about Starbucks allowed -- even at home if someone else knows about it!!

blogcritics.org...

Another employment lawyer said Mr. Brown may have violated his employment contract, regardless of where he made the remarks. Rick Broadhead, author of Dear Valued Customer, You are a Loser, a new book about technology mishaps, says there should be little expectation of privacy on the Internet. "Posting something on the Internet is like going to the corner of Yonge and Bloor in Toronto or Portage and Main in Winnipeg and holding up a big bulletin board," he said. Mr. Broadhead conceded the former Starbucks employee's journal isn't easy to find, but he added that postings like personal Web sites, are permanently archived on the Internet. He said some companies use corporate monitoring services to scan the Internet for mentions of their name.

Originally posted by illusions
Working well with others is great, but if you really think about the tiresome, overused phrase of "Being a TEAM PLAYER" it de-emphasises the individuals importance.

The individuals importance is less than the "TEAMS" importance. You are not a valuable individual, you are a "PLAYER" easily put into or taken out of the game to benefit the wealthy corporation.

Also, every crap job I have had has told me that they were a family. Oh really??? I already have a family. No thanks. I was applying for a crappy job, not a family.

I'm sure there are psychological reasons that corporations and businesses are usning these terms.

You make an interesting and incredibly valid point - the brainwashing of otherwise competent individuals does have a nefarious purpose. It is to, at once, both dehumanize you to the point where you feel as though individually you don't matter and secondly, to make you feel as though the team, the family if you will, is what matters most - i.e., the company's bottom line. Once you buy in, that's when you have managers and supervisors outwardly recognize your contributions to the team, remind you that you have potential, that the company loves what you're doing...

It, quite simply, is complete, unadulterated bulls%$t (and I know, I just broke my own rule about cursing, but it's not without merit), and this homeless man being tossed is just another byproduct of the hypocrisy.

See, I've worked a lot of jobs in my adult life - graduated from college, worked in journalism, advertising as well as marketing for guest relations at a rather large tourist destination. In each instance, I was fed the same crap over and over again. I played along, got what I could but realized that at the end of the day that my membership in the family was only as strong as the accountant's books - any wonder then why I've worked a lot of "jobs" and as yet haven't found a career... the most glaring example however, was the most recent.

Like a lot of people, the recession got me canned from my guest relations/ marketing gig after six years. Wound up working in wireless last fall. After the "seasonal" part was over I was kept on. Inundated with things like "teamwork" and "family" and "you've got a lot to contribute, you're great with our customers!" Problem was, I had a fractured ankle which caused a blood clot... worked on it the entire time. Made good commission, contacts... and here it is; this company that touted familial ties and teamwork laid me off three weeks ago because they didn't want to start having to give me healthcare benefits to treat this. Bam. Gone, just like that. No mention of our "family," no mention of the "team."

So kids, let that be a lesson to you. There is no such thing as "family" when corporations are involved... it's carefully disguised indoctrination designed to do one thing - keep you happy, comforming and productive - until the point comes when you're a liability to them, whether it's your fault or not.

With that in mind, let the homeless guy come in and dry off. Show some humanity, because you sure as hell won't get it from the people claiming that you're part of their big, happy corporate family...

And if your immediate boss bitches, tell him you were only doing the decent thing you thought the company would want

reply to post by Legion2112


Where's that applaud button when you need it?

The OP would rather have workers that don't care about their job, their employer, and instead simply tag along for a free ride. if you work for Starbucks then you follow their protocol, otherwise you should be fired, or you should leave. Instead of justifying what you said, on the Internet, why don't you figure it out with your friend.

[edit on 31/3/2010 by C0bzz]

www.nytimes.com...

In the United States, purveyors of specialty coffee - caffè lattes and the like - net $8.4 billion a year, according to the Specialty Coffee Association of America, a sponsor of this weekend's event. The spread of Starbucks is a big reason for that sum, which is more than in any other country. But no Starbucks barista has ever won a United States championship, much less the world title

Damn those Starbuck baristas just don't cut it.

The latest World Champion Barista kicks off a disloyalty card as Starbucks unveils their new loyalty card....

seattletimes.nwsource.com...

December 23, 2009 Starbucks starts new loyalty program as World Barista Champion launches disloyalty card Posted by Melissa Allison

[edit on 31-3-2010 by drew hempel]

[edit on 31-3-2010 by drew hempel]

[edit on 31-3-2010 by drew hempel]

Originally posted by Legion2112

and here it is; this company that touted familial ties and teamwork laid me off three weeks ago because they didn't want to start having to give me healthcare benefits to treat this. Bam. Gone, just like that. No mention of our "family," no mention of the "team."

So kids, let that be a lesson to you. There is no such thing as "family" when corporations are involved... it's carefully disguised indoctrination designed to do one thing - keep you happy, comforming and productive - until the point comes when you're a liability to them, whether it's your fault or not.

Excellent post!

That is some hard core reality right there.

That is why it is indeed brainwashing. Because only a brainwashed fool would believe that a Corporation is his "family" or "team".

When in reality Corporations are driven by greed and other negative outlooks. They will stab you in the back the second it becomes profitable.

But on the bright side, if you are deceptive, cunning, deceitful, and altogether complete jerk; than you will become a star in the Corporations and rise to the top quickly. Just cut them throats to glory!