Actually, democracy dies in H.R.
New research on authoritarian regimes suggests that “mediocre” mid‑ and low‑level employees, motivated by stalled careers and basic job insecurity, often become the most reliable enforcers of repressive policies. Commenters connect this to Hannah Arendt’s “banality of evil,” corporate HR practices, weak labor protections, and broader incentive structures in modern bureaucracies, arguing that systems which threaten people with marginalization or ruin for underperformance create fertile ground for abuse. Several point to unions, worker cooperatives, social safety nets, and independent institutions (like courts and civil services) as critical counterweights that can blunt both corporate and political authoritarian tendencies.
HR, Unions, and Workplace Power
- Several comments unpack “HR” as the internal apparatus that protects the company first, employees second; “HR is not your friend” is a recurring motif.
- Many argue unions historically protected workers far better than HR, though some share experiences of corrupt, gatekeeping unions.
- One camp sees worker cooperatives as the real solution: eliminate the owner/worker split and align incentives, even handling downturns via shared wage cuts instead of layoffs.
- Others push back that hard-to-fire environments reduce hiring, hurt competitiveness, and can entrench low performers.
Layoffs, Innovation, and Labor Protections
- One side: layoffs are necessary to correct over‑hiring, enable pivots, and sustain innovation; high performers welcome removal of “coasters.”
- Opposing side: layoffs destroy morale, push out high performers first, and squander organizational knowledge; strong protections do not preclude innovation and may actually support risk‑taking.
- Disagreement over whether the U.S. is an “innovation outlier” and whether recent tech (e.g., AI) counts as meaningful innovation.
Mediocre Careerists, Authoritarianism, and “Banality of Evil”
- Many connect the article’s findings to the idea that ordinary, often mediocre, careerists will do “dirty work” for promotions or job security.
- Long subthread debates whether a famous case study of a Nazi official was a true example of a banal bureaucrat or an ideologue play‑acting as one.
- Some note that similar career pressures can also push people into coups or resistance, not just collaboration.
Human Self‑Interest and Behavior
- Extended argument over whether humans “act in their self‑interest.”
- One view: people act on what they believe is in their interest, even when it’s objectively harmful (smoking, gambling, voting against material benefit).
- Critics say this framing is so broad it becomes meaningless; values, time horizons, and beliefs differ too much for a simple rule.
Democracy, Institutions, and “Losers” in Competitive Systems
- Several comments emphasize that businesses and many state bureaucracies operate as authoritarian hierarchies; this parallels how mediocre actors enable authoritarian regimes.
- Some highlight that professionalism/meritocracy alone don’t safeguard democracy; how systems treat the “losers” of competition matters.
- Others note that modern politics in many countries features incompetent or pliant legislators who simply follow party leadership, concentrating real power in unelected elites.