That’s how democracy rolls
You voted for a Boss. I didn’t. But I don’t think you’re crazy at all.
I almost became a Boss when I was a student at Harvard Law School. Big law firms reserved whole restaurants and bars to recruit us to work for them. These were hip, swanky places that even rich people normally lined up to get into. We were ushered past the velvet ropes and given food and drink as we desired, practically at the snap of a finger. Because not waiting is how Bosses roll.
I did not join a big firm. I became a criminal defense lawyer for the poor. So instead of becoming a Boss, I remained what I’d always been — a Waiter. I waited to collect laundry from my apartment’s coin-operated machines. I waited in line to order a burrito. I waited at Customer Service in Wal-Mart for a refund on an oversized T-shirt. Because five bucks is five bucks.
Much of my existence in this world has been spent waiting. But it’s nothing compared to the waiting my clients have done. Some have waited whole lives for the decent wages their fathers and grandfathers once took as given. Some have waited whole lives for the kind of job their slave ancestors could never have envisioned for any descendant of color.
Some Waiters seek a path to American citizenship. They pay taxes while they wait. Some Waiters wait at government offices to apply for food stamps and health care. And some Waiters, refusing to take handouts, wait their turn at those electronic job kiosks you find at mega-retail stores. I see guys like them when I return my T-shirts.
Occasionally, I think about my former classmates and envy their Boss existence. On those days I go to the McDonald’s drive-through, order a coffee and fries. The food comes within minutes, fast and piping hot. I feel good for a little while.
So I think I can get why many who are sick of waiting have elected a Star Boss President. He looks like a man who gets things done, fast. I’ve seen him on TV interviewing job candidates. He says jump. Everyone asks how high. Because that’s how Bosses roll.
When our Boss President-elect promises steady work and the good life that comes with it, I want to believe he’ll kick butts to make it happen yesterday. When our Boss President-elect fills his Cabinet with Bosses be- cause Bosses take charge, I want to believe he won’t accept excuses from anyone or himself if folks don’t execute.
I want to believe these things. Because too many people I’ve met have been waiting forever for that dependable job, that sense of dignity, that good life. One more second of waiting is one second too long — but the new Boss has four years to make it happen. So we wait.
Meanwhile, I remind myself of something. The Boss wasn’t interviewing us for a job. We were interviewing him. I tell myself this, because there’s always a chance that promises turn out to be more easily made than kept. Will he accept — insist, even — that the buck stops with him? Or will he start pointing fingers, trying to turn Waiters into Haters?
I want to think our hire is a real Boss. But if he’s not, should we wait any longer to start interviewing for a new shot-caller — one with the character, skills, and smarts to work for each and every one of us?
No, we shouldn’t. Because that’s how democracy rolls.
Jesse Cheng, J.D., Ph.D. is an assistant professor of Social and Cultural Sciences at Marquette University.