Danger! Charisma at Work!

Why do we fall so hard for the charismatic personality? Because he or she appears to offer us a way out of the daily grind. As Max Weber has written, "In contrast to any kind of bureaucratic organization of offices, the charismatic structure knows nothing of a form or of an ordered procedure of appointment or dismissal. It knows no regulated 'career,' 'advancement,' 'salary.' It knows no agency of control or appeal, no local bailiwicks or exclusive functional jurisdictions; nor does it embrace permanent institutions like our bureaucratic 'departments,' which are independent of persons and of purely personal charisma." While charisma may lie beyond the realm of criticism, its charms are deadly, and only appeal to those made so desperate by the depersonalization of the administered life that a regression towards semi-feudal relations of fealty for a big "personality" seems the only appealing alternative to the "peer review."

But now, the "free" market wants to corner the monopoly on charisma -- Free marketeers promote the idea that ONLY the market is dynamic and innovative, only the market can "act" in a sovereign manner. The market is actually imagined as the sole force that can disregard economic rationalization in order to project a more exciting relationship with money - the most important thing about the ethics of generalized entrepreneurialism is that in this fantasy, money is transformed from the dull and predictable creativity-killing weekly paycheck into BOOTY! Pirate's booty!