I have no mercy for people who work hard and pretend they deserve more because they're not unemployed. I'm unemployed, but I'm not living comfortably, and I honestly cannot fathom the idea of obeying someone because I should "contribute" because that's righteous. I live in france, there's a lot of welfare there, unemployment is at 10% (the U3 stat), workers are treated nicely, but there's a lot of hypocrisy about it.
I don't think most people cannot "antiwork". Work is not mandatory, work is consented. People can negotiate their salary. If nobody does, I'd agree to blame the entire society and its citizens for not standing up to higher standards. Slavery has been abolished, but slave wages show that people now consent to be treated like shit, so to me, people are responsible of their own situations.
In my opinion, if people agree to be treated like slaves, let them be treated like so, and let the other laze away. We live in the 21th century, people should not give up so easily on their life.
I'm tired of people arguing that capitalism and free market are virtuous, while a large majority of people are being paid at the minimum wage. Minimum wage doesn't feel like freedom, it feels everybody is treated the same no matter the contribution. It's not free market anymore, it sounds more like an exploitative society that can't lift individuals out of their poverty.
You are quite lucky to live in a time and place where humans are treated well and without the shackling notion of productivity. But it has less to do with your personal agency and more to do with your luck. People can be made responsible for their situation only so much. Individuals are powerless before the collective idea of normalcy of the society they live in.
Steve Bruce puts its nicely in his book "Sociology: A Very Short Introduction" - None of us personally created the social institutions that shape our lives; we were born into them. The roles that structure our behaviour and encapsulate the expectations that others will have of us preceded our arrival and will endure (no doubt slightly modified) after we depart. Reality may be socially constructed, but, taken in its totality, it is not the work of any nameable individual and it certainly has little or nothing to do with any one of us.
> You are quite lucky to live in a time and place where humans are treated well and without the shackling notion of productivity.
You say that, but when you're poor and society talks you down by arguing that you only get what you deserves, it feels like you're cheating and behaving like a stubborn thug.
At the end of the day, I put so much pressure on me, I ended up believing I was mentally ill, and it enabled all sort of self confidence issues and distorted views on society.
> Reality may be socially constructed, but, taken in its totality, it is not the work of any nameable individual and it certainly has little or nothing to do with any one of us.
I still have trouble projecting my lonely self in that big scheme that is human society. This whole civilization seems scary and often too full of things I'm scared of.
Don't underestimate network effects. If most people consent to being treated like shit for a lousy pay, those who don't will be singled out. Which makes it even harder to stand up for yourself… well you get the idea.
Demand better terms by yourself, and you will simply be dismissed as entitled, arrogant, or not knowing your place. Have everyone demand better terms, and you will all get them.
I really think it's a vile effect. Consensus is the worst thing about democracy, it should not repress minorities or people who don't subscribe to groups. That's what the silent majority is all about. I really believe we should protect individuals, not society or groups of people, who often get taken over by bullies.
Consent is a slippery notion. If the choice is between a shitty job and homelessness, did you really consent to the shitty job? It's a tragedy of the commons, people do what's best for them individually while making society as a whole worse.
So, do you feel guilty ?
I have no mercy for people who work hard and pretend they deserve more because they're not unemployed. I'm unemployed, but I'm not living comfortably, and I honestly cannot fathom the idea of obeying someone because I should "contribute" because that's righteous. I live in france, there's a lot of welfare there, unemployment is at 10% (the U3 stat), workers are treated nicely, but there's a lot of hypocrisy about it.
I don't think most people cannot "antiwork". Work is not mandatory, work is consented. People can negotiate their salary. If nobody does, I'd agree to blame the entire society and its citizens for not standing up to higher standards. Slavery has been abolished, but slave wages show that people now consent to be treated like shit, so to me, people are responsible of their own situations.
In my opinion, if people agree to be treated like slaves, let them be treated like so, and let the other laze away. We live in the 21th century, people should not give up so easily on their life.
I'm tired of people arguing that capitalism and free market are virtuous, while a large majority of people are being paid at the minimum wage. Minimum wage doesn't feel like freedom, it feels everybody is treated the same no matter the contribution. It's not free market anymore, it sounds more like an exploitative society that can't lift individuals out of their poverty.