I've been pretty salty all day. People have been annoying me and pissing me off. Again, I really need to let go a little.
They were doing new pictures today at work for the new ID's we need for the new building. Here's the funny thing though, they wanted us to sign a photo release that read like a model contract. Not gonna happen.
One other guy on my team objected, but he let me go first. I got no resistance, and even if I did, they could take it up with HR. Given my media background, pretty much since the time I was 18, I know better than to sign something like that. Writing code does not entitle my employer to any rights or use of my likeness.
After me and the other guy didn't sign the release, suddenly everyone else wanted theirs back. That got me to thinking, why do people just blindly sign whatever they have put in front of them?
Sure, there are some cases where you don't really have a choice. I had to "sign" something to use my iPhone with AT&T, for example. But beyond that, people seem to be willing to sign anything, and most of the time they don't even bother reading it. That's troublesome.
Often times, particularly in an employment situation, the answer to your question is fear. They don't know what will happen to them if they refuse and even with the power of being right on their side, standing up against something when you are the only one can be scary.
Not to beat a dead horse with this topic, but again, look at what happened to the immigrant cleaners in the process of fighting back against something even when they were right.
The folks you work with were just lucky that you and the other guy had the courage to say no. That then made it feel safe enough for them to do so.
Spouses...children...mortgages...
There is simply too much risk in taking a stand in those issues. You can't feed your children with principle.