In a world run by large corporations, it is not uncommon to find yourself in a position of very little control, even over your own life. This feeling caused by lack of power and other pains of life sometimes causes a feeling of apathy towards things that do not concern or concern oneself directly. These life factors come up frequently in Daniel Orozco's “Orientation,” a cynical but witty story that illustrates the rules and circumstances to which office workers are subject that reflect the company's values and the way people they face dissatisfaction. Orozco's social commentary addresses the apathy with which people view events and actions that do not concern them, as well as the lack of control they truly have over their own lives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In “Orientation,” the text presents the pressing sense that, within the office, there is a complete lack of control over employees' lives. workers. From the beginning of the narrator's instructions to the last punctuation mark, the new employee he addresses seems to have his basic rights as a human being increasingly curtailed. The first illustration of this is the narrator's instructions on the use of the telephone: each booth contains a telephone, with which employees cannot make personal calls. While this restriction is not uncommon in workplaces, what follows is much more ridiculous: “If you need to make an emergency phone call, ask your supervisor first… [otherwise], you may be let go” (Orozco, 506). So, in this office, if for example one needed immediate medical attention, an employee's safety could depend on this rule. Since it would be necessary to research and explain the situation to a supervisor, the time required to do so may make it too late to address such an emergency. The company appears to emphasize the importance of worker hierarchy and job security over the safety of its employees, thus depriving them of any control over their situation. It is also suggested that an employee's time at the company largely consists of being surrounded by privileges that are forever out of reach. The narrator makes a point of informing the new employee of the many utilities available in the office but which he may not have access to. The narrator explains the coffee situation, then adds that “You are allowed to join the pool of the coffee house of your choice, but you are not allowed to touch Mr. Coffee” (507). The narrator also points to the janitor's closet and promptly adds that "You have no business [there]" (508), and informs that there is a telephone in every cubicle but it is never to be answered. The narrator, through the company's demeaning rules, illustrates the employees' total lack of power by highlighting the average privileges they are not afforded. There is a sense of apathy among the employees of this workplace that seems cultivated by their personal demons. The text suggests that what happens in the workplace is of the utmost importance; what happens outside workers' cubicles is irrelevant. The workers are apathetic to Barry Hacker's tendency to steal food from the refrigerator because "his petty theft is an outlet for his grief" (508), and they are willing to look the other way when John LaFountaine "foreays into forbidden territory of the women's restroom [because it is] simply a benign thrill, a faint blip in the boring flat line of her life” (506) Employees are also apathetic to more serious matters: There are multiple occasions in “Orientation” where they come described.
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