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What's the old joke? The boss who comes in with a new Porsche and tells his employees, "if you work really hard, then next year I can buy a new one of these".
by hotpotamus 3y ago
What's the old joke? The boss who comes in with a new Porsche and tells his employees, "if you work really hard, then next year I can buy a new one of these".
Given that middle class real wages haven't increased much in about half a century while housing and education have, it's hard to conclude that hard work is going to deliver much in the way of reward (I've noticed that people who say that hard work is in itself a reward don't seem to be into cleaning their own toilets). I've personally seen it affect nearly everyone in my life from my Boomer parents who used to have an unbreakable work ethic now turned to cynicism after enough time working for private equity owned companies to colleagues who are beginning to grasp just how steep the wealth pyramid they seek to scale is.
It's a system designed to generate misery for all but those at the very top, and even they seem pretty unhappy with the situation. I think only the psychopaths are really content (if that's what they're capable of feeling; I'm unsure of their internal lives having known a few).
- syndicatedjelly 3y agoThe system is working by design. A rational person who understands what you just said will either a) give up b) try to rise above the chaff Giving up in a country with very few social nets is bad for one’s health…
- hotpotamus 3y agoOne's health will eventually fail no matter the safety net, but I suspect time spent focused on your own wellbeing (rather than your boss's) will pay great dividends; use some of that time away from work to hit the gym and cook healthy meals for yourself/friends/family. I'd say the problem with b is that there are lots of ways to rise above the chaff - you can sell NFTs or some other MLM/scam or resort to more outright crimes; without any morals you can extract as much value from society as you wish and it seems like no one will stop you; see my above comment regarding private equity. It seems you've missed at least one option and that is the so called "quiet quitting" that the article is about, though I suppose you could file that under giving up, I see it more as playing the game just enough to get by.
- syndicatedjelly 3y agoWhat’s the saying in America? “If you’re not getting ahead, you’re falling behind”
- hotpotamus 3y agoI haven't heard that, but I do think of the words of the Red Queen in Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll - "it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place".