Barbara Ehrenreich's 2005 Book Bait Research Paper

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For example, Ehrenreich tamed her naturally assertive nature into a more tame and likable demeanor: one that corresponded with gender norms as well as with norms for prospective employees. Working with one career coach in Georgia, the author presented a confident, convincing sales pitch. She marketed herself and her work skills admirably for a whole hour before the coach bluntly told her without humor that she seemed angry. If Barbara Alexander were male, he would have been confident and sure of himself, not angry.

Ehrenreich as Alexander also pretended to care about people and companies and industries to get a job. Her work reflects Durkheim's principle of anomie. She pretended to be a team player, a mover and a shaker. The fact that Ehrenreich needed to lie to expose the mistruth of the American Dream perfectly fits the cynical tone of Bait and Switch.

The American Dream baits many if not most Americans on a daily basis. The American Dream is one of the primary motivators in American society and is part of the core values of the culture. Material attainment and ruthless independence are woven into the fabric of the work world. Subsequently, American corporate culture is cutthroat and impersonal. Quality of life is devalued because workers are devalued. The idea that employees should enjoy time with their family, health care, and paid vacations is ludicrous to executives who go to almost any length to cut costs. Cutting jobs is considered par for the course, and Ehrenreich shares some of the sordid euphemisms for downsizing such as right-sizing. The research in Bait and Switch substantiates sociological concepts related to power structures and hierarchies including ascribed power. Ehrenreich's work reflects many concepts first expanded on by Karl Marx: theories of class conflict.

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In traditional marketing talk a "bait and switch" tactic advertises one product just to get customers in the door. When the customer shows up to buy the low-priced item, the manager kindly tells them they are all sold out but perhaps they might be interested in a similar model that only costs slightly more. The American Dream of freedom and prosperity is the bait and the switch takes place after the student graduates and enters the real world.

The bait and switch technique works, but its underlying ethics are questionable especially when extrapolated to the American Dream. The American Dream has become a myth deeply entrenched in American society. Because we are socialized to accept the American Dream as a reality, we continue to pursue the same paths to career and personal success. The fact that those methods fail suggests structural problems. Barbara Alexander did everything she could and everything she was supposed to do. She dressed, looked, and acted the part. She offered employers what they wanted to hear: someone who could help make their company strong. She networked and spend thousands of dollars on the job hunt. Her failure represents a failure in the system to accommodate Americans or help them reach their goals. American corporate culture reflects American culture in general. Both are rapacious: greedily clinging to materialistic goals and denigrating quality of life. If companies were willing to offer increased job security and job satisfaction, the entire job seeking process would be different. Ehrenreich teaches employers of the 21st century to value their human resources, just as they would oil. Human resources, when cultivated and cared for, can truly enrich the economy in a time when social values and economic prosperity are waning.

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