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I Hate The Elite Concept of Professionalism
It’s an idea meant to defend class and stratification
The idea of professionalism is bullshit. As a teacher, people often call me a very professional employee. I show up to work every day and on time. I dress well to work. I get all my reports and deliverables in on time. I do my job and do it, in every sense of the word, professionally.
My problem with professionalism isn’t quite what it demands from the American workforce. My problem is the implication. At its core, professionalism is an elitist concept. To be a “professional” puts you in a class above those who aren’t professional, to gloat in your status as someone higher than the average person. Just because I show up on time doesn’t necessarily make me better at my job than someone who doesn’t.
The problem with professionalism, beyond its implication, is it doesn’t leave much room for human connection or vulnerability. It requires a certain guardedness at work. I know many people who have no desire to fraternize with co-workers and keep a strong social distance (metaphorically) between their personal and professional lives.
I respect those decisions, but I’m an advocate for my workplace, at the very least, to be less professional in the sense that not everyone has to put on a show and act like they have…
