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You do realize the 5-day workweek is a relatively new invention even in the US, right? Let alone in my country, Romania, where six days was the rule until 1990

You do realize the 5-day workweek is a relatively new invention even in the US, right? Let alone in my country, Romania, where six days was the rule until 1990 or so.

vinceguidry 8y ago
Sure. The point is that the whole thing is a mirage, an illusion, a lie we tell ourselves. Only the very lucky get a 5 day workweek. Everyone else barely scrapes by with however long they're working. It just wasn't a fiction before the "5 day workweek."
jimmy1 8y ago
Also, once again this is the HN bubble rearing it's ugly head again. Suffice to say here most people have never worked in a customer facing job or manual labor job (food service, delivery, retail, sales, construction, landscaping). Most of my "off" days I spent worrying about whether or not my boss would call me to come in anyways because some lazy ass decided not to come in so they were short staffed -- and I needed the money so couldn't say no. My father before me worked 10-13 hours a day, every day, for years without having a day off. I'll take 8/9-5 with regular weekends, thank you, no complaints for me. What people need here is perspective, to realize just how good you have it. If you feel like it, I bet most people here could leave work right now with relatively no issue, and just make up the work later at some other location, say a coffee shop or something -- even that is a privilege.
- fjsolwmv 8y ago
  Having it better than our parents is no reason to stop improving workers' lives.
  - jimmy1 8y ago
    My larger point is, we already are, miles and away, a much bigger improvement than what most of our parents had. If we want to improve workers lives, let's start with the vast majority of workers, and not the top 5%. Isn't that the rhetoric around here these days? In essense, "we are the 1 percenters", metaphorically in this scenario. Restaurant workers, warehouse employees, factory workers, retail employees, delivery drivers, the vast majority of the US workforce doesn't even come close to the type of privilege and benefits we receive, we should probably start there if we really want to improve workers lives. While SF/NYC/Austin type firms complain that they can't bring their dog to work, the mother/father/brother/sister over there working as much as they can and just had their benefits cut (and their employer gives them some catchall excuse like "because Obamacare!") because their hours were reduced from 40 to 35, and anytime they even get remotely close to 40 hours, they get sent home, let's start with them.

You do realize the 5-day workweek is a relatively new invention even in the US, right? Let alone in my country, Romania, where six days was the rule until 1990 or so.

vinceguidry 8y ago

Sure. The point is that the whole thing is a mirage, an illusion, a lie we tell ourselves. Only the very lucky get a 5 day workweek. Everyone else barely scrapes by with however long they're working. It just wasn't a fiction before the "5 day workweek."

jimmy1 8y ago

Also, once again this is the HN bubble rearing it's ugly head again. Suffice to say here most people have never worked in a customer facing job or manual labor job (food service, delivery, retail, sales, construction, landscaping). Most of my "off" days I spent worrying about whether or not my boss would call me to come in anyways because some lazy ass decided not to come in so they were short staffed -- and I needed the money so couldn't say no. My father before me worked 10-13 hours a day, every day, for years without having a day off. I'll take 8/9-5 with regular weekends, thank you, no complaints for me. What people need here is perspective, to realize just how good you have it. If you feel like it, I bet most people here could leave work right now with relatively no issue, and just make up the work later at some other location, say a coffee shop or something -- even that is a privilege.

fjsolwmv 8y ago
Having it better than our parents is no reason to stop improving workers' lives.
- jimmy1 8y ago
  My larger point is, we already are, miles and away, a much bigger improvement than what most of our parents had. If we want to improve workers lives, let's start with the vast majority of workers, and not the top 5%. Isn't that the rhetoric around here these days? In essense, "we are the 1 percenters", metaphorically in this scenario. Restaurant workers, warehouse employees, factory workers, retail employees, delivery drivers, the vast majority of the US workforce doesn't even come close to the type of privilege and benefits we receive, we should probably start there if we really want to improve workers lives. While SF/NYC/Austin type firms complain that they can't bring their dog to work, the mother/father/brother/sister over there working as much as they can and just had their benefits cut (and their employer gives them some catchall excuse like "because Obamacare!") because their hours were reduced from 40 to 35, and anytime they even get remotely close to 40 hours, they get sent home, let's start with them.