Steam room politics

One thing I look forward to after a good training session, is a relaxing moment in the steam room. I do alternate the sauna and the steam room, but I have to admit the steam room is my favourite. At least it was until recently. Apparently some people complained that the steam room was too hot, that it was too steamy (well duh!). So the management changed the steam machine settings, and now the steam room is, well, less steamy. A lot less. Which, somehow, makes it a lot less satisfying. The whole point of a steam room, is to be, well, steamy, right? Some people complained, and now my post training treat has disappeared. And apparently I'm not the only one, because I've noticed the steam room is now empty most of the time, whereas it was constantly in use before the change.

What am I to do? I'm a customer after all. Of course the first thing would be to point to the empty steam room, and suggest that maybe changing the settings was not such a good idea after all. Which is what I did. No dice. The management washes their hands off the issue. I can understand their point, It starts like this, and then the people who originally complained would do so again... And that's the start of a never ending loop. So they're going to leave it like that. Empty. Unused. That's a blow to my post training treat. But I don't give up that easily. I am a customer, and damn you I want my steam room relaxation time! So I asked. How many people complained? Two. Yes, you read that right. A vocal minority robbed me of my treat. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for minorities being able to express themselves, and to be heard. But just because these two complained, they not only got their wish, there is now no way back. The complainers won because they were the first to do so. Us steam room users perfectly happy with the previous settings never said a thing. Well, we didn't have to, did we? Shall we remind the management every day that we're happy with the way things are going? Don't change a thing, it's all fine! 

Or maybe they just complained repeatedly? Were they lobbying? Was there a powerful, if small, lobby behind the decision to make the steam room benefit the minority rather than the majority? Some dark forces at work?

As you may have noticed, I'm not a fan of lobbying. It is a necessary evil. As a principle, it's not a bad idea, it's probably better to have knowledgeable people defend the interest of a specific group by having a direct relation with the government. It slightly goes against the idea of politicians defending the interests of their citizens and voters by giving more importance to these specific groups. My biggest problem with it though, is that it is money driven. Lobbying costs, so no prize for guessing who the lobbyists defend. The wealthy minority, the corporations, and certainly not the public interest. There is, in my opinion, a very fine line between lobbying and corruption, one which is too easy to cross.

Have you ever wondered why the nutrition information labeling system is so confusing in the UK? The food and drink industry has been lobbying the government for years to avoid making it too clear... It would go against the interests of quite a few large companies making a lot of profit selling unhealthy foods. There is also lobbying in the other direction, so law is changing now, but until I see it in action, I will remain dubious (my natural state). How about those new nuclear power stations? Yup, the nuclear power lobbyists worked very hard on that. In fact, right now, and despite the Fukushima disaster, lobbyists in the UK and France are working even harder to water down the safety checks... Makes sense, right? And definitely in the interest of the majority. (If you want more information on lobbying in the UK, this is the site to visit)

I'm not foolish enough to believe that lobbying will disappear anytime soon (that would be like believing that banks will be regulated soon! Comedy, right?). In fact I am increasingly a believer in the power of businesses over government. Lobbying is just one evidence of it. And I also believe that this involves all businesses, not just the big corporations. And even though in the last few years we have seen the limits of an abused economical system, I do not believe that capitalism is in itself a threat. Just as guns don't kill people, capitalism does not create inequality or greed. People do. 

Of course, it would be very dishonest of me to pretend I'm anti-capitalist. After all, I work in technology, both a consumer, and generator, of large amounts of capital. I have had my own business (though it turned me into a pauper rather than a capitalist) and will certainly do so again. I enjoy working for small, growing businesses when generating revenue becomes the priority. It doesn't make me any less of a man of convictions. Let's say my convictions are, well, slightly leaning on the left. These two parts of me do not have to be antithetic.

Capitalism, and as a natural extension, businesses, do get a lot of bad press. Fat cats, golden parachutes, bonuses, tax avoidance, I will not pretend that these are in any way acceptable. It does not have to be that way. We can have a responsible capitalism. The sole pursuit of profit is a stale system, one that needs to be kicked and shaken into the 21st century. One that benefits both businesses and the general interest, the community. 

Point in case : education. At the moment, high tech businesses struggle to find enough employees. Experienced developers are extremely expensive and in short supply. Graduates are very rarely up to date with the latest technologies, so the businesses have to finish their education at a large cost, while the students get into debt studying for out of touch degrees. How about these businesses fund their education? Part time university, part time on the job training?

Here's a change businesses can do RIGHT NOW. Divert some of the large pile of money you spend on marketing, and use that money to benefit the community. Fund a local school, a charity, train some down and out kids, start a food bank, the possibilities are endless. I guarantee that people will be talking about your company. You'll get the same results, if not better than with marketing, and you'll have good karma. Something in short supplies these days.  

I know what you're thinking. I've gone off the rails again. Gone completely loopy. All this is impossible. It's your opinion. Getting a seemingly impossible result does require supernatural amounts of dedication and conviction, and a certain amount of insanity. Enough insanity to doubt the established order, to question the current status-quo. In dreams begins responsibilities is more than a short story. I could also quote Einstein "If the idea is not at first absurd, then there is no hope for it". I dare to dream of absurd ideas. Frankly, it beats standing alone in an empty, steam free steam room. 

Post-scriptum : The people have prevailed, the steam room is nearly back to its best and I can now again enjoy getting sweaty after, well, getting sweaty.