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You're leaving out that he mentioned that a lot of his friends weren't really into their work and used shopping as a way to alleviate that form of suffering, at

You're leaving out that he mentioned that a lot of his friends weren't really into their work and used shopping as a way to alleviate that form of suffering, at least that's what he seems to believe. Maybe I read too much into that part, I've certainly seen it with some of my friends. Some of my friends hate their job, other friends of mine are okay with their job. In any case, it isn't hard to imagine a big group of his friends being unhappy with their job. After having read this, I kind of come to the realization that some serious research needs to be done to the psychological state of people in general and working. The results are all over the place [1]. For example, Pew Research Center seems to claim that Americans as a whole are pretty satisfied with their jobs [2], whereas an article about a Gallup poll claims that 85% isn't [3]. [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=statistics+us+people+unhappy+with+job&oq=statistics+us+people+unhappy+with+job&aqs=chrome..69i57.5296j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=statistics+us+people+unhappy... [2] https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2016/10/06/3-how-americans-view-their-jobs/ https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2016/10/06/3-how-a... [3] https://www.staffsquared.com/blog/why-85-of-people-hate-their-jobs/#:~:text=A%20global%20poll%20conducted%20by,are%20unhappy%20in%20their%20jobs https://www.staffsquared.com/blog/why-85-of-people-hate-thei....

glangdale 6y ago
The question of whether people say they like their jobs is, frankly, moot. As the Hungarian economist used to say, when asked "how are you?", "compared to what"? More important to this discussion is whether they would be happier if they could instantly retire, and whether this happiness would last. People like to complain about their jobs, but a lot of retirees subsequently complain about being bored.
glangdale 6y ago
Also, I wouldn't read too much into his commentary about other people. By a strange coincidence, he seemed surrounded by cardboard cutouts, designed to prove him right about things. If you were ever curious about the opinions of a Holden Caulfield who didn't really grow up, but worked in tech for 18 years, you could find a lot of answers on his blog. His blog is morbidly fascinating. His previous post is a long, very detailed assessment of the prospect of Trump ending Obamacare - couched 100% in terms of what it means for him and people exactly like him. Then there was a huge post doing amateur psychoanalysis of his ex, with a heaping helping of Myers-Briggs types and (I kind you not) the Houses from Harry Potter. That's as far as I got. Would love to hear his ex's version of all this... One can only wonder what the literary world has lost, given that he abandoned the project of being a writer.

glangdale 6y ago

The question of whether people say they like their jobs is, frankly, moot. As the Hungarian economist used to say, when asked "how are you?", "compared to what"? More important to this discussion is whether they would be happier if they could instantly retire, and whether this happiness would last. People like to complain about their jobs, but a lot of retirees subsequently complain about being bored.

glangdale 6y ago

Also, I wouldn't read too much into his commentary about other people. By a strange coincidence, he seemed surrounded by cardboard cutouts, designed to prove him right about things. If you were ever curious about the opinions of a Holden Caulfield who didn't really grow up, but worked in tech for 18 years, you could find a lot of answers on his blog. His blog is morbidly fascinating. His previous post is a long, very detailed assessment of the prospect of Trump ending Obamacare - couched 100% in terms of what it means for him and people exactly like him. Then there was a huge post doing amateur psychoanalysis of his ex, with a heaping helping of Myers-Briggs types and (I kind you not) the Houses from Harry Potter. That's as far as I got. Would love to hear his ex's version of all this... One can only wonder what the literary world has lost, given that he abandoned the project of being a writer.