I am not a great fan of Bette Midler, but one of her songs sticks in the mind. It's not that I particularly like From a Distance as a piece of music, although it is refreshing for once not to be addressed by Ms Midler via a foghorn, and it is intriguing to be reminded of an era when the synthesizer reigned supreme. No, what concerns me here is or are the lyrics.
Bette is saying that from a distance we all look much the same, we are all condemned to live on this planet for a limited period of time, so why can't we, like, make a go of it? The answer of course is that we don't live life from a distance. We may all subscribe to the idea of endless peace and love, but that doesn't stop us hating our neighbour as soon as we get out of church, assuming we go in there in the first place. The fact of the matter is that we are an aggressive and avaricious lot. Where avarice is concerned, one is bound to ask whether enough is ever enough. Does the BP chairman, Bob Dudley, really need an annual salary of £14 million to summon the courage to go to the office every day? In writing these words, I am acutely aware that envy is no better than greed; it is just that I truly believe that society cannot long survive in the face of such blatant inequality, and we are in fact already seeing the first manifestations of a reaction in the shape of such an unlikely and wholly mischievous standard-bearer as Donald Trump.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the first task of an incoming CEO will be to negotiate the terms of his or her severance package. Marissa Mayer has shown a deft touch here.
Finally, we note aghast that the word "compensation" is now often preferred to the more mundane "pay". Marissa Meyer was "awarded" nearly $36 million in "total compensation" for 2015. Compensation used to be paid "to someone in recognition of loss, suffering, or injury." In this case, we may say that Yahoo's loss is Marissa's gain.
Sorry, I have drifted some way from Bette Midler!
Bette is saying that from a distance we all look much the same, we are all condemned to live on this planet for a limited period of time, so why can't we, like, make a go of it? The answer of course is that we don't live life from a distance. We may all subscribe to the idea of endless peace and love, but that doesn't stop us hating our neighbour as soon as we get out of church, assuming we go in there in the first place. The fact of the matter is that we are an aggressive and avaricious lot. Where avarice is concerned, one is bound to ask whether enough is ever enough. Does the BP chairman, Bob Dudley, really need an annual salary of £14 million to summon the courage to go to the office every day? In writing these words, I am acutely aware that envy is no better than greed; it is just that I truly believe that society cannot long survive in the face of such blatant inequality, and we are in fact already seeing the first manifestations of a reaction in the shape of such an unlikely and wholly mischievous standard-bearer as Donald Trump.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the first task of an incoming CEO will be to negotiate the terms of his or her severance package. Marissa Mayer has shown a deft touch here.
Finally, we note aghast that the word "compensation" is now often preferred to the more mundane "pay". Marissa Meyer was "awarded" nearly $36 million in "total compensation" for 2015. Compensation used to be paid "to someone in recognition of loss, suffering, or injury." In this case, we may say that Yahoo's loss is Marissa's gain.
Sorry, I have drifted some way from Bette Midler!
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