Managed Heart Unravels

The story of Steven Slater might be little else than the silly season at its best and the face of a troubled, strained flight attendant will most probably fade into obscurity sooner than everyone thinks. But there is an undercurrent of deeper condition that ails western societies, especially the US and those heavily modelled on it, in his workplace rage onboard a passenger plane. It has to do with a rise in manufactured emotions in a host of service occupations, piling professional demands pretty much across disciplines, high levels of work anxiety and a confrontational culture promoted in politics, business and the media. The wave of sympathy towards the hapless guy speaks volumes of a mental state millions are in, bordering on a similar meltdown or sensing it in their immediate environment. Here and here are two good comments from HBR blogs.