Modern Times and the lack of control

The scenes from Modern Times highlight the issues presented by Braverman. Braverman argues that the workplace for blue collar employees exemplifies a lack of freedom because of the division of labor that exists in the factories. Various employees are treated differently and the idea presented in the scenes shows that those who do the most are treated the worst. The manager basically has no real value to the company because they seem to waste time while alienating the ‘lesser’ workers. These scenes also relate to Greenbaum with the idea that work is deskilled. The factory worker is shown performing the same repetitive task over and over again and their job requires action without thinking. The human capital element of the worker is deskilled because there is no use for thought in their job. They do not have the room for growth within this occupation for these reasons and thus they are not truly free in this occupation. The concept of employee monitoring is also present and seemingly exaggerated in this video. The manager exists to monitor the employees and that seems to be it. He has a large television screen where he has access to everyone in what appears to be every possible location, and that is too much. The employee cannot go anywhere in the factory without the manager having access to them and although that may improve productivity, it ruins moral and creates resentment in the factory. The idea that connects all of these readings with the movie is the lack of freedom within the workplace and it exists so that a company can be profitable, but the lines are often crossed and the employees suffer as a result.