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A lot of people get satisfaction out of their work. I know I do. I don't see it as an exploitive relationship with my employer, although I'm fortunate enough to
by bko 5y ago
A lot of people get satisfaction out of their work. I know I do. I don't see it as an exploitive relationship with my employer, although I'm fortunate enough to have a job that requires cooperation and creativity. Maybe I'd feel different if I were an Uber driver, though, but maybe not. Even when I had menial jobs (e.g. lifeguard, pizza delivery driver), I got satisfaction from providing some kind of value (e.g. watching over children, delivering pizza). My least happy time was when I had a meaningless desk job doing essentially make work (e.g. creating reports that no one will read, tying out numbers that no one cares about, entering in data that one one notices).
People like Bezos similarly work long hours so its not like they're idle while expecting others to work on his behalf. I imagine Bezos continues to work because he gets great satisfaction from work. He would never be able to consume all his wealth in goods or services in his lifetime or the even his children's or grandchildren's lifetimes.
But look at people who don't work. Even if they have a safety net, their overall satisfaction is much lower than those that work. Mental health goes down as well as substance abuse and other destructive practices.
Of course the poor mental health and substance abuse may lead to unemployment, but I think there's something deeply unnatural about not engaging in meaningful work. Most people don't have outside creative outlets that give them meaning. Without a traditional
work relationship, these people are adrift. This may be out of fashion, but I would encourage my children to find work early on rather than waste away their time playing video games or watching TV.
- humbleMouse 5y agoThis isn’t about people getting satisfaction out of work or not. This is about insanely rich monopolists making tone deaf statements.
- ipaddr 5y agoHe could consume all of his wealth quite easily but purchasing one too many companies or too many properties. Money isn't endless even at his level. Work is good for the soul. Over working means a shorter lifespan for you. Employers will accept that trade-off. Bozo keeps working because he doesn't know how to stop and live. Steve Wozniak, Mark Cuban, Paul Allen, even Musk could teach Bozo a few things.
- LargoLasskhyfv 5y agoMaybe Bozo buzzes around the Blue Origin, now that he has some more time. Or goes bust, trying. I don't really care. Though I'd really like something like that to succeed, independently of any Bozo.
- ClumsyPilot 5y ago>"People like Bezos similarly work long hours so its not like they're idle while expecting others to work on his behalf." On one hand we have a blue-collar man working 60 hour week laying bricks, raising kids, looking after aging parents and doing house chores, cooking and repairs. Also he is not paid for overtime. In the other we have a millionaire who's work is 60% meetings, who has a chef, a nany, a secretary, driver, a cleaner, etc. And he gets to keep all fruits of his labour. Are they comparable?
- LargoLasskhyfv 5y agoThat satisfaction vs. being bored thing is a matter of mentality, or maybe lutheran/calvinist work ethics, deeply engrained by societal standards. There is so much wrong with that. Not the least because it IS boring! Besides that, do we know how he lives? How many personal assistants he has? Who is cleaning his hous(es)? Making his bed? Cooking? When did he ever prepare his own sandwich the last time? Been shopping groceries? Stood in line at some DMV, waiting to get a new license plate for a car? Does he even do that anymore? Do you think so? I don't. And because of that any demands of his workers to suck it in, while denying them that level of assistance is utter hybris. Same goes for all the other exploiters.