Lauren Weathers Broadcast Management MWF 11am

Myths and Realities of Achievement

Society is full of myths. They whisper in our ears telling us what it means to succeed, telling us about the morality of our choices, and telling us about the significance of our work. In The Remains of the Day, by Kazou Ishigro, we meet Mr. Stevens, a butler to a prominent English household who, like me, struggles with life's myths. He wrestles with how to be the ideal manager, with how to measure success and significance, with morality, with action and with inaction, and, most of all, he wrestles with achieving and embodying dignity in his work. Many concurrent themes run between the character of Stevens and the characteristics a young professional must adopt. As I stand on the brink of graduation, I too am wrestling with these myths of success and with what priorities each of these should take as I enter the work force. The ethical choices of Stevens relate to the ethical choices of today's corporate broadcast environment in three specific ways: through myths of corporate achievement, through standards of success, and through measures of significance. Darlington House, Stevens' workplace, is a large estate requiring a detailed staff plan and an even more detail- oriented, yet flexible, butler. Through a corporate lens, Darlington House is viewed as an individual enterprise with Stevens serving as its CEO. In modern society, we measure success by the kind of car one drives, the money one makes, the freedom one has to make ones own rules, and by what one's name plate reads. To Stevens, success is measured by the attainment of one thing: dignity, and more specifically, dignity in keeping with one's position. He says, "No applicant will satisfy requirements, whether his level of accomplishments otherwise, if seen to fall short in this respect Dignity has to do crucially with a butler's ability not to abandon the professional being he inhabits The great butlers are great by virtue of their ability to inhabit their professional role and inhabit it to the utmost" (Ishigro 33-43). Professionalism is a suit which cannot be separated from the man under any circumstances, and it is this suit that embodies dignity (43). Even when his father is dying, even when the love of his life is within his grasp, Stevens wears his suit. For most of the book, his permanent suit is his corner office; it is his fancy car and his realization of achievement. He goes through life mimicking his boss's wishes without question; he gives up true happiness to achieve the corporate myth of success, but is this really success? The CEO who does not have time for his family yet makes two million dollars seems eerily similar to the butler who lives his life for others, dignity or no dignity. Most workplaces have a

well- defined hierarchy which fosters a "tunnel vision" attitude. Employees are only concerned with advancing towards a title, towards a BMW. In this way, they wear the suit, not out of concern for dignity, but out of concern for material satisfaction. Some neglect their families, because they are seen as subordinate to a corner office. Some believe that money will be enough bring comfort, to fill a void, even better than living in the present could. To me, granted I have not yet been jaded by the corporate world, success means security in relationships, not in material items, and it means making decisions for me which fulfill my emotional and physical needs, not always the lifeless decisions Stevens sense of "dignity" will bring. On page 34, Stevens goes on to explain how the requirements of a dignified butler have evolved over time; for example, having a good accent, a command of language, and the ability to conduct witty banter are all qualities preferred in a modern butler which were not considered proper in his father's time as a butler. Corporate management also has to adjust to change, whether it is globalization oriented or having to do with the advent of social media. Stevens argues that the myth of success in dealing with change is satisfied by adapting and presenting oneself with dignity. The discussion of polishing silver on page 133 is a perfect example of a small change which completely revolutionized the priorities of an entire profession. Something so seemingly insignificant as silver or twitter can grow into a the main priority of a household or an organization. Adapt or fade out. He recounts a time when his then elderly father dropped a tray in front Lord Darlington's guests. Afterwards, Stevens' father retraced his steps over and over, trying to account for his mistakes (67). Later, they both come to grips with change stemming from his father's incapacity to continue work. Because of his dignity, his pride, Stevens serves Lord Darlington and brushes his father under the rug. When the Germans visit and his father passes, he continues his duties as a butler and neglects the duties of a son (106). Managers worry about the bottom line and are slaves to their job, carrying out even unfavorable tasks. These instances reflect the myth of corporate achievement, which often severely undercuts the success and meaning of an individual, human being, outside of a corporation. Every choice Stevens makes seems to be so far outside of himslef, making him almost robotic. Stevens describes setting "sail" away from Darlington on his journey, and the sense of unease he feels. It is almost like he is venturing away from safety, where the dignified course is clear, into the wilderness, where anything is possible (24). In college, I have been able to forge my own path, to get involved in what I wanted, and to create a persona rooted in my beliefs. Stevens' persona, his achievements, lies in those of his master. At one of Darlington's most infamous dinner parties Mr. Lewis, an American, rises to his feet to insult Lord Darlington's character and motivations (102). Darlington confuses patriotic benefaction with the dark motives of the Nazi party, as he only wants to improve a war- torn world. Stevens follows and assists his master without question. In the same sense, Ms. Kenton and her unwillingness to fire the Jewish workers, her desire to draw attention to the elder Stevens, and her passion for her manager, are threats to stability, to unquestionable loyalty.

On page 199, he discusses a butler's duty, which is to serve his master, not to question his actions ("to meddle in the grate affairs of the nation"). He goes on to say, "Those of us who wish to make their mark must realize that we best do so by concentrating on what is within (our) realm: that is to say, by devoting our attention to providing the best possible service to those great gentlemen in whose hands the destiny of civilization truly lies." This reminds me of the recent News Corp phone- hacking scandal which involved publications such as The Times, The Sun, The Guardian, The Financial Times, and several other reputable news ventures. The chief executive officer Rupert Murdoch, his top executive, and thousands of employees claimed to be oblivious to the illicit activity but were they? Were they so loyal to their jobs and the myths of corporate achievement that they lost sign of right and wrong, of their own identities? Did they believe that News Corp, an expansive, and, at the time, reputable company knew best, and so, like Stevens, blindly put their hopes of success in its hands? Page 179 beautifully describes Stevens' thoughts towards the end of his life: "Naturally, when one looks back to such instances today, they may indeed take the appearance of being crucial, precious moments in one's life; but of course, at the time, this is not the impression one had. Rather, it was as though one had available a never-ending number of days, months, years an infinite number of further opportunities in which to remedy the effect of this or that misunderstanding. There was surely nothing to indicate at the time that such evidently small incidents would render whole dreams forever irredeemable." After this beautiful statement, he punishes himself for becoming "unduly introspective," for being himself and stepping outside of his master, for taking off the suit. I hope in my future that I will allow myself to feel, every step of the way: to feel pain, love, stress and conflict. I hope to allow myself more ethical, personal choices, than those of Stevens, disregarding societys myths of corporate achievement and only acknowledging my own truths. When Stevens' comes across Dr. Carlisle towards the end of his trip, Dr. Carlisle remarks that dignity comes down to "not removing one's clothes in public" (210). With this statement, he makes light of Stevens' empty life and laughingly mocks the decisions he has made for himself. Carlisle's life is significant, because he acted for himself, making him a foil for Stevens. The character of corporate management serves to complement that of Stevens' in myths of corporate achievement, in standards of success and in measures of significance. Sadly, Stevens did not realize these myths, yet hopefully, I will learn to work with purpose and to create my own idea of achievement, success and significance.

Works Cited Ishiguro, Kazuo. The Remains of the Day. New York: Random House Inc., 1988. Print. Knickerbocker, Brad. " Rupert Murdoch phone-hacking scandal: US connections grow." The Christian Science Moniter 16 July 2011 <http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0716/Rupert-Murdoch-phone-hackingscandal-US-connections-grow>.