4 ms·

"Labor in the top 1% is still labor" I have an issue with this. By some definition, of course. But there is still something very different about the kind of la

"Labor in the top 1% is still labor" I have an issue with this. By some definition, of course. But there is still something very different about the kind of labor which goes on there. Class, opportunity, connections, access to capital, and access to political influence further entrenching their position. It's almost like the nobility of yore. I find pointing to the 1% labor as some kind of redeeming quality of the system, is instead a distraction from capital vs labor. For the regular labor to have a chance to enter the top 1% of labor, is just as much of a pipe dream as them falling into Big Capital.

ericmay 6y ago
Is a family physician labor, or a capitalist? I think that’s kind of what the OP you responded to was getting at. I know professors at large state universities making $100,000+ in medium to low cost of living locations. Some make even more. They aren’t 1% but they might be top 10%. I guess what’s piqued my interest here is, at what point do we consider labor to be labor? If you get a nice UAW job for 30 years and plow money into the market, are you not a capitalist? Is a surgeon not labor since he or she may not own the hospital? Sure they may make $700,000/year, but... aren’t they working for a living? The Meritocracy Trap is a great book I’d recommend that’s related to this question/issue. Wealth and the bourgeoisie used to just hang out all day and go for walks in the park. Now they work 120 hours/week.
- andrewjl 6y ago
  These are great examples, here's another good read on the topic: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/the-free-time-paradox-in-america/499826/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/the-fre... A salient quote: 'Elite men in the U.S. are the world’s chief workaholics. They work longer hours than poorer men in the U.S. and rich men in other advanced countries. In the last generation, they have reduced their leisure time by more than any other demographic. As the economist Robert Frank wrote, “building wealth to them is a creative process, and the closest thing they have to fun.”'
andrewjl 6y ago
Re-reading this piece [1] (also see my reply to the sibling comment) should clarify what this trope hides, which is that there's a deep, structural differential in productivity in the current economy it cannot explain. Why do the rich choose to work so much? That flies in the face of all logic since they can just kick back and exploit their class, opportunity, etc. Yet they don't because the work is fun. Counter to that, why do the poor choose to work less even if there are clear avenues of advancement? In the article you'll find some interesting speculation. We need to fix our relationship with work, especially for the sake of those currently unable to do "fun" jobs that pay well. I don't think working less or a redistribution scheme via the government is an honest solution. Instead, a much higher minimum wage coupled with retraining and temporary economic assistance that can spur a mass automation of "drudgery"-type jobs is a better answer. This in turn would allow society to redesign work so that it is more humane and more valuable. I also don't buy the belief that only some are capable of creative work. [1] https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/the-free-time-paradox-in-america/499826/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/the-fre...

ericmay 6y ago

Is a family physician labor, or a capitalist? I think that’s kind of what the OP you responded to was getting at. I know professors at large state universities making $100,000+ in medium to low cost of living locations. Some make even more. They aren’t 1% but they might be top 10%. I guess what’s piqued my interest here is, at what point do we consider labor to be labor? If you get a nice UAW job for 30 years and plow money into the market, are you not a capitalist? Is a surgeon not labor since he or she may not own the hospital? Sure they may make $700,000/year, but... aren’t they working for a living? The Meritocracy Trap is a great book I’d recommend that’s related to this question/issue. Wealth and the bourgeoisie used to just hang out all day and go for walks in the park. Now they work 120 hours/week.

andrewjl 6y ago
These are great examples, here's another good read on the topic: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/the-free-time-paradox-in-america/499826/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/the-fre... A salient quote: 'Elite men in the U.S. are the world’s chief workaholics. They work longer hours than poorer men in the U.S. and rich men in other advanced countries. In the last generation, they have reduced their leisure time by more than any other demographic. As the economist Robert Frank wrote, “building wealth to them is a creative process, and the closest thing they have to fun.”'

andrewjl 6y ago

Re-reading this piece [1] (also see my reply to the sibling comment) should clarify what this trope hides, which is that there's a deep, structural differential in productivity in the current economy it cannot explain. Why do the rich choose to work so much? That flies in the face of all logic since they can just kick back and exploit their class, opportunity, etc. Yet they don't because the work is fun. Counter to that, why do the poor choose to work less even if there are clear avenues of advancement? In the article you'll find some interesting speculation. We need to fix our relationship with work, especially for the sake of those currently unable to do "fun" jobs that pay well. I don't think working less or a redistribution scheme via the government is an honest solution. Instead, a much higher minimum wage coupled with retraining and temporary economic assistance that can spur a mass automation of "drudgery"-type jobs is a better answer. This in turn would allow society to redesign work so that it is more humane and more valuable. I also don't buy the belief that only some are capable of creative work. [1] https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/the-free-time-paradox-in-america/499826/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/the-fre...