Creative Zeitgeist

by Meredith McGhan

Watching the debates and speeches as the presidential race wears on, I‘ve heard the candidates pontificate about the importance of secure jobs, a la the pre-information society model of the unionized factory worker. But both of America’s major political parties seem to be in denial about the nature of today’s job market, with its downshifting, outsourcing, and masses of contingency workers from day laborers to consultants. It’s becoming a post-job world, due to globalism, technology, and a proliferation of knowledge work that has spawned a “creative class” whose workstyles do not match either the pro-labor or pro-big business paradigm.

Members of this creative labor force are the lucky ones. Despite the shaky job security everyone must deal with these days, knowledge workers at least have educations to fall back on, as well as mental skills easily transferable from one opportunity to another. It’s the manual laborers who are hit hardest by both the change and the denial, and the end result is not going to be good for anyone. Continuing to regard America’s strength as a secure, pensioned labor force that can be resurrected through politics is like repeating “I do believe in fairies!” and expecting Fifties-style prosperity to reappear like Tinkerbell. In reality, the only thing that will appear is a slew of goods from abroad, cheaply made so the weak U.S. dollar can buy them.

We can’t go back. But we can adapt, and we have to. For those of us who have always felt caged by spending eight hours in an office, the shift to a more flexible workstyle can be a blessing, but our relative prosperity, freedom, and education create new responsibilities, too. We should do what we can to make sure no one is left behind, while at the same time being open to working with people from other countries and cultures. They’re not going to go away, nor should they have to.

Side by side with flexibility and creativity is a dearth of benefits and social services. Forty-seven million Americans don’t have health insurance, including part-timers, consultants, and the self-employed at all income levels. Like subatomic particles, jobs move in and out of existence rapidly. People are left behind as technology grows more complex. These issues are taking place in front of a worldwide cultural backdrop of rapidly changing values and backlashes against them.

Because of such backlash, America’s cultural climate today feels almost dystopian to some creatives. It’s not even anything that can be concretely pointed out; it’s just something in the air, a sense of contempt. A tendency to see creatives as flaky dreamers has always been there. However, its tone has not always been as hostile as the Right’s current vitriol. And the Left is simply silent, except for an occasional mention of bringing arts education back into the schools. Where is the acknowledgment that “jobs” are no longer compartmentalized blocks of time-for-money? Why is the focus on immigrants “having to learn English” instead of on welcoming foreign talent to our universities? What are some solutions that can be part of the change instead of stop it from happening?

Discourse is welcome at Creative Zeitgeist. C’mon, let’s brainstorm!