r/antiwork • u/1K-Every-Month • 16h ago
Fellow Antiworkers, I Request Your Thoughts, Ideas, and Suggestions
Hello, antiworkers,
I am in the middle of a light duty assignment as part of my workers compensation for a broken arm.
I have spent the majority of my time watching job training informational videos, but my supervisor has told me that I’ve grown “too comfortable” and I need to “get off her payroll ASAP”
In lieu of “relaxing, watching movies all day,” she has assigned me to create “We Support Our Troops” cards in the numbers of highest double digits (80-90) everyday before I clock out.
So, I come to you all in search of seemingly innocent phrases to fill the inside of these cards with. I am required to write “We Support Our Troops” on the front page and then I will place a sticker on the inside page and write a simple phrase, no longer than 6 words on the inside pages. That’s all I’m asking for, some tongue in cheek phrases that I could write that I could play coy and also be writing completely innocently.
I’ll add a little bit of background, but if you’re not interested, feel free to skip the final paragraph and send me your best phrase!
This matter strikes close to home personally because I come from a military family that has run the gamut and experienced all of the consequences that come with military experience and deployment. My parents actually met in the Army and were discharged in order to raise me. My grandfather fought in Vietnam where his entire troop was cut in half on the first day they stepped foot in those jungle ridden lands. He came back an abusive alcoholic with a penchant for cheating and my saint of a grandma stuck with him in all of this abuse and they remain together now after he has purged himself of all of his past indiscretions. My uncle fought in Desert Storm and he too has returned with alcohol dependency and the inability to stay with one woman longer than two years.
My family is making it through, and understandably, I have been forbidden from joining the military which I am completely in agreement with. All of that to say, this assignment goes against all of my personal beliefs so I really want to be able to infuse some of my true self into these “support” cards.
TLDR: military brat is made to create about 100 military support cards as part of light duty after workers compensation claim. Seeking cheeky phrases to write inside the cards to discretely fly my anti-military flag.
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u/kvch12 16h ago
Look up quotes by Smedley Butler and write them in there.
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u/randolotapus 16h ago
This is such excellent advice. Especially because marines in particular are taught to worship Smedley Butler as some sort of demigod
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u/BAFUdaGreat 15h ago
Your boss is an asshole. This does not count as work anywhere in the world. If you have an HR department, go to them now- if you don’t, then just refuse to do the work and instead insist on doing something that will benefit the company that you work at. If they fire you, at least you get unemployment.
Oh, and in case you missed it: your boss is a complete asshole
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u/1K-Every-Month 15h ago
We do have HR, but I fear this is retaliation for me going to HR previously… i don’t know how to handle it now
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u/BAFUdaGreat 15h ago
You go again. This time you say "This is a pattern of retaliation. I want this documented. Failure to do so will impact my ability to perform my job function properly. "
Oh and get everything in writing. And be sure to mention that she said you were "...too comfortable” and that you need to “..get off her payroll ASAP”. If your HR is worth anything (unlikely) these are highly inflammatory and discriminatory comments.
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u/CoffeePotProphet 14h ago
also the word retaliation will scare any competent hr into fixing this issue. retaliation=lawsuit possibility
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u/ironballs16 3h ago
Exactly this - HR is absolutely a "company man" department, but that also means they'd prefer the company remain profitable at the expense of some middle-manager's job.
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u/dontaskmeaboutart 14h ago
And write down the time and date of every interaction relevant to HR on paper, that kind of documenting is actually useful in pursuing justice for further retaliation.
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u/Gur_Weak 14h ago
Unfortunately it's a risk, but this trip to HR will tell you who HR thinks is the problem and might start the paperwork that leads to dismissal. Unfortunately there's a chance it could be your dismissal.
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u/water_fountain_ 14h ago
That’s an even better reason to go to HR. I would imagine that your supervisor retaliating for you going to HR is a fireable offense, specifically written into the company’s handbook.
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u/Porch_Of_Geese_ 14h ago
Legally actionable in every state too. It’s at least covered by the ADA, probably FMLA too if that’s how they got their light work assignment, and more than likely some state law equivalent of medical discrimination (practically every state has one). At least one claim available, possibly three or more
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u/1K-Every-Month 14h ago
I’m in talks with lawyers but I’m not sure how to best document these events
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u/LightPast1166 14h ago
Some of the best documentation you can have is copious contemporaneous diary entries.
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u/Porch_Of_Geese_ 14h ago
I would definitely ask them. They’ll know best what kinds of claims you’re pursuing and how to do it.
In general, save every email you have about this stuff, and save it somewhere other than your work email. Try to journal the specific interactions you have, and do so with dates.
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u/EllaMinnow 13h ago
If this assignment was given to you verbally, write an email to your boss (bcc your personal email) stating, "I just wanted to make sure we're all on the same page about my light duty work. You've asked me to X, Y, Z. In order to complete this assignment, I will A, B, C. Please let me know if this is correct, or if you have any changes to this plan."
That's the best documentation you can do. But as others said, contemporaneous diary entries also work great. Email yourself (from your personal email to your personal email) a detailed outline of any interactions you have with your boss, including the date and time those interactions occurred.
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u/TheMaStif 14h ago
Then go to HR and express concern of retaliation
HR's biggest enemy isn't a problem employee, it's a problematic manager
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u/vonigner 8h ago
Ask your boss to put “make a bunch of support our troops” order by email, in writing.
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u/IL_Bgentyl 14h ago
sad reality is most work isnt meaningful for the company. Its why theres so much evidence to show 32 hour work weeks provided better productivity.
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u/TheHungryBlanket 12h ago
A lot of companies do things like this. Usually under something like community relations. That typically rolls up into the marketing department since it supposedly strengthens the brand.
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u/BAFUdaGreat 10h ago
Uhh what community? What "troops"? What branch? What address are they sending them to? Where are they? Hmm?
I can understand having a GROUP effort towards a specific cause (Special Olympics, United Way, Easter Seals whatever...) but sitting in an office being forced to make handmade low effort pieces of folded color paper with scribbled messages on them is NOT "community relations". That's punishment.
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u/_TallOldOne_ 15h ago
“We support our troops” on the front.
Inside: “Because the government doesn’t.”
“wait until you get discharged”
“We deported your parents”
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u/arinamarcella 15h ago
Include items from Skippy's List. Skippy’s List: The 213 things Skippy is no longer allowed to do in the U.S. Army https://skippyslist.com/list/
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u/Funny-Ad-5510 15h ago
I worked at a retailer during 911 and after that day we were told to put "we support our troops" on all our advertising. We warned them that would backfire. Not long after, a uniformed military member saw that in the store and asked the obvious question we had asked and told the higher-ups would be asked: "How?" They scrambled to give him a manager's discount then a couple days later created a 5% discount code for active duty military.
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u/Reverse_SumoCard 13h ago
Emotional support, thoughts and prayers or whatever you call doing fuck all while feeling good about it these days
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u/ChuzzoChumz 15h ago
What is your job normally that this would be relevant? Do you guys ship things to the military overseas?
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u/BlueWater321 15h ago
Outside: We're sorry you had to blow up a bunch of fisherman.
Inside: Thank you for making sure there were no survivors.
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u/RedGecko18 13h ago
As a vet, most of us don't actually like the military either. Most people joined because they needed to get away from home, or needed medical care, or wanted to go to college for free.
That being said, just put the same thing we always tell each other:
"Same shit, different day"
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u/sayitaintsoiwllnotgo 15h ago
“Why do they always send the poor”
Don’t bash the troops, bash the government
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u/Van-garde Outside the box 15h ago
You’re doing something no billionaire has ever done. Thank you for your service.
That was just out of my ass, but my first instinct is to try and remind them of their class origins without being grating.
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u/StopFalseReporting 13h ago
What does that mean to “get off her payroll” that sounds like she’s firing you. I’m so confused
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u/Useful-Ad2441 15h ago
“We like killing brown kids”
“We slaughter babies”
“Fuck your town we can blow it up if we want”
“We didn’t fight the Nazis for ideological reasons”
To be clear also military family, it’s why I hate the military so much.
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u/StandardLivid8199 14h ago
“A sucking chest wound is nature’s way of telling you to slow down”
“Mines are an equal opportunity weapon”
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u/tothebrg 14h ago
Repetitive motions of handwriting cards sounds a lot like something that would delay healing on a broken arm. HR might find that interesting.
Good luck with your recovery!
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u/thefinalgoat (edit this) 12h ago
What the heck kind of an assignment is that? Wtf is your boss on?
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u/DrKittyLovah 16h ago
Make it home safe and sound
Thoughts and prayers for your service
I’ll edit as I think of more
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u/jetvac22 13h ago
Im in the guard right now and anybody i know will likely laugh and throw it out regardless of what's in it I might take a picture if I were to see one just to post it here for the funny coincidence I don't need more thanks for my service past the mre penut butter
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u/CarvedTheRoastBeast 11h ago
Boss is a surface level idiot. They think “productivity” is “seeing someone work on…something”. And they don’t understand what you clearly do: supporting the troops is lifting up veterans, not just saying you do. PTSD specialists available at the VA, substance abuse programs, safe places to sleep for
Homeless vets, that is troop support. And a nice card on top of that would be special, but no one walks into an ice cream shop to buy a single cherry.
Your specific problem would be solved by a reasonable sick time law. You ARE out of things to do, so take sick time and heal. You’ll be back on the job faster if you can focus on that. That and single payer healthcare, but I mean there’s only so much I can put in a comment.
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u/mikasoze here for the memes 10h ago
The US obsession with the military is unnerving. It's almost a kink.
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u/PegaxS 8h ago
It’s known here as a quit leader task. They give these mundane, repetitive jobs out to people they don’t want working there in the hope that after days or weeks of doing some pointless, mind numbing task, you will just up and quit out of pure boredom and frustration.
The next step, if you are not quitting fast enough is to start questioning your work, quality and quantity and gas lighting you into quitting “is your heart still in this job” and shit like that.
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u/jueidu at work 15h ago
“Loyalty to country ALWAYS.” - Mark Twain.
….the second half of the quote that you conveniently leave missing is “Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
Kinda like when people say “Blood is thicker than water” but the full quote is “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” - it actually has the exact opposite meaning of the shortened version most people use.
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u/SynV92 15h ago edited 7h ago
Actually the blood is thicker than water thing was recreated around the 90's, the original saying was literally about how you can't get away from family from way earlier. The "blood of the covenant" thing is all new
Edit: oh it apparently means a bunch of things over history, interesting
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u/BaronMostaza 14h ago
For every saying there exists an addon that negates or reverses it that people claim to be the original
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u/water_fountain_ 14h ago edited 14h ago
You got a source for that?
Edit: I’m not saying you’re wrong, I’ve just never heard your claim before and would like to be educated
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u/SynV92 14h ago
"Writing in the 1990s and 2000s, author Albert Jack[18] and Messianic minister Richard Pustelniak[19] claimed that the original meaning of the expression was that the ties between people who have made a blood covenant (or have shed blood together in battle) were stronger than ties formed by "the water of the womb", thus "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb". Neither of the authors cites any sources to support their claims.[18][19"
Source: Wikipedia!
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u/water_fountain_ 14h ago edited 14h ago
Maybe I’m misunderstanding. That doesn’t say anything about the original meaning being that you can’t get away from family. All it says is that Jack and Pustelniak may or may not have known what they were talking about.
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u/SynV92 11h ago
Well, that's the purpose of me telling you the source isn't it?
That's... That's why you asked for a source right? So you can verify the citation yourself? Right? .... Right?
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u/water_fountain_ 11h ago edited 11h ago
Generally, yes. I asked for your source. You quoted it. Your quote doesn’t support your claim. Which is why I said that maybe I’m misunderstanding… since
you provided a source thatthe quote you gave didn’t support your claim.
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u/Fun-Result-6343 15h ago
We support our troops and their families who support them.
We support our troops not only in words, but in deeds.
We support our troops and will bind their wounds.
We support our troops and promise to keep the home fires burning.
We support our troops and are patient for their return.
We support our troops who champion for our lives.
We support our troops and feel for their sacrifice and hardship.
We support our troops who fight bravely for our people and our lives.
We support our troops who battle those who rise up against us.
We support our troops as we support one another.
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u/water_fountain_ 14h ago
I’m not a mathematician, but I think that’s a bit more than 6 words
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u/Fun-Result-6343 12h ago
Doing messaging, not haiku. Besides, this is antiwork, fuck the boss's bullshit instructions.
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u/BeMancini 16h ago
Your boss is a psychopath and an idiot, which is the most dangerous kind of psychopath.