Cartoon: Where Do Bosses Come From? – Industrial Worker

Editors note: This is the fourth issue in the “Pacey Pratt the Sabo Cat” series. In this installment we hear a philosophical and practical answer to the penultimate question: “Where do bosses come from?”

A 12-panel comic titled "Pacey Pratt the Sabo Cat" Page 1, Panel 1: Workers in aprons and collared shirts sit at a bar over drinks. "...And just when the working class celebrated victory over the old-time masters--kings and lords and overseers--a new pain appeared in our ass: The boss," says a worker in glasses. "So a boss is just a master in another language--I knew it!" A long-haired worker retorts. Below, a subtitle reads "Boss (noun): From the Dutch word "baas" meaning "a master." Page 1, Panel 2: Subtitle at the top of the panel reads "Some say the boss first appeared after a fateful meteor leaked mysterious meteor juice onto a case of tall boys." A couple of bartenders stand near the dumpster in the alley behind a bar where a meteor has struck and a few crates of beer sit soaked in its puddle of juice. Page 1, Panel 3: Two workers toss and turn in bed. "And that night, they slept fitfully, plagued by bad dreams," the subtitle says. Page 1, Panel 4: A boss that looks like a rat appears to claw at the worker in bed who looks wide awake and terrified. "Their nightmares suddenly crystalized and came to life in the form of bossus ratus, THE BOSS," the subtitle says. Page 1, Panel 5: "The boss replaced the OLD lords and masters by ORGANIZING the workplace to serve the capitalists," the heading says. The rat boss says "FASTER!" and looks on, hovering over workers being pushed through a meat grinder who yell "You're squeezing everything out of us!" as another worker cranks the meat grinder. "Now listen up as I tell you my personal philosophy of life--" The rat says. Page 1, Panel 6: The heading says "See, the boss is an ORGANIZER first and foremost and his goal is to prevent the workers from organizing OURSELVES to win demands." The rat seems to be trying to console one of the workers, who looks disgruntled and disbelieving. "That's why I depend on you, Daniela--You're not lazy like the rest of these Wobbly Scumbags. You've got a bright future here." The bottom of the page says "X423931" and "Page one of two."

Page 2, Panel 1: Heading reads "He might seem powerful, but the boss lives in constant fear." The rat boss walks by a gold statue of himself labeled "the boss" and a mural that says "we love the boss." Page 2, Panel 2: Heading reads "Protecting this image takes strategy." "'Round these parts, we're like a family, so my door is always open," the rat boss says to his workers from a stage above their workspaces. "Huh...would family exploit our labor?" One worker askes. "Well...it's complicated," a long-haired worker responds. Page 2, Panel 3: Heading reads "He cries poverty one day..." "The sad truth is, if I pay you all even one dollar more, this place will go out of business," The rat boss tells everyone, turning out his empty pockets. "It might even crumble into the sea..." A worker thinks. Page 2, Panel 4: Heading reads, "But tries to buy-off workers the next." "We don't need some union to come between us--I'm offering thirty-five cent raises and pizza Fridays!" The rat boss says, serving pizza to the employees. "Woo." One worker says unenthusiastically. "Party," another worker says. Page 2, Panel 5: Heading reads, "At night he tosses and turns, worried the workers will wise-up and rise-up." The rat boss says in his sleep, "No...do it off...the clock." A shadow appears over the bed. The bed bugs say "GASP! It's Pacey Pratt..." "--The sabo cat!" Page 2, Panel 6: Heading reads, "Until, from his labored imagination, the boss's nightmare comes to life--The Worker-Organizer! The rat boss wakes up, exclaiming "WHO woke me up?!?" Pacey Pratt the Sabo-Cat, a person in a black cat costume, lounges on the bed. "YOU woke me up." The end.

The bottom of the page says "X423931" and "Page two of two."

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