James “Jim” Peterson, the owner of Jim’s Miniature New Zealand Flag Emporium on Hanover Street, has been slammed as a “sellout” after hiring a 20th employee last week, officially pushing his company over the line from “small, locally-owned business” to “Big Corporation”.
Protestors have called for a boycott of the Emporium, saying it will drive smaller competitors out of business. An “Occupy the Emporium” camp has been set up outside Peterson’s shop. One of the occupiers told Critic: “We used to love Jim’s flags, and I counted Jim as a personal friend, but this is a betrayal that just can’t be forgiven.”
Peterson appeared before the protestors on Friday and pleaded for a compromise, offering a public acknowledgement of “medium-sized business” status along with a formal meeting where protestors could share their concerns, but protestors say this is a typical Big Business technique known as “containment by co-optation”.
If the rumours that Peterson is in negotiations to supply an Australian retailer with his miniature flags are true, there will be no denying the Multi-National Corporation status that will accompany such a deal. Should this occur, the occupy protestors say Peterson will be “truly irredeemable.”
Critic spoke to a high school friend of Peterson’s, who said she was “shocked” to hear Peterson was now a Big Business owner. “That’s not the Jim I knew. He was always talking about starting a small business, but he never mentioned becoming a corporate shill.”
Peterson says that if he is unable to convince the protestors to accept his company’s Bigness he may embrace his new identity as a Big Business fat cat. He is tossing up between the titles “Mogul” and “Tycoon”, and plans to use the profits exploitatively obtained through the labour of the new employee to purchase a pinstriped suit and monocle.
Small, locally-owned business becomes Big Corporation
