In Britain
as in America,
the object of training professionals in everything from banking to the media
is to produce a class of “managers” who instinctively muffle dissent
— even if no one tells them to do so.
.
One of the most original and provocative books of the past decade is Disciplined Minds by Jeff Schmidt (Rowman & Littlefield).
“A critical look at salaried professionals,”
says the cover,
“and the soul-battering system that shapes their lives.”
Its theme is postmodern America
but also applies to Britain,
where the corporate state has bred a new class of Americanised manager to run the private and public sectors:
the banks,
the main parties,
corporations,
the BBC.
Professionals are said to be meritorious and non-ideological.
Yet,
in spite of their education,
writes Schmidt,
they think less independently than non-professionals.
They use corporate jargon –
“model”,
“performance”,
“targets”,
“strategic oversight”.