2 ms·

I think you're assuming work's only function is getting things done. Work also is a crowd control tool.

echoangle 1mo ago
Is it realistic to keep people working jobs that don’t get anything done in the long term? I know most people will say that’s already happening, but imagine a society where basically every job is just a bullshit job made to keep you occupied, do you think people will continue working in a society like that?
- madhatter999 1mo ago
  Like you foresaw, I'll say this is the reality for most people. I think that just like now, those who want to do meaningful work will seek opportunities to do so. If we had something like a Maslow’s hierarchy of needs but for work, I think meaningfulness would be the top of the pyramid. For most people in the world, not going hungry or affording housing are reasons enough to do work. Getting to do work you find meaningful is truly a privilege.
- globular-toast 1mo ago
  Yes, it's realistic. We're at least a couple of generations into this experiment now. Millions of people travel to and from an office to sit on a chair, doing nothing, all day, every day. This in turns keeps a whole bunch of people employed servicing their cars, preparing their food, sweeping the floor behind them etc. None of these people question whether their jobs are really necessary for the few things we really need: food, shelter, warmth, health etc. A couple of generations ago most women were employed in the least bullshit job of all: running a household. But now they're all wage slaves too. So yeah, it does work.
akoboldfrying 1mo ago
If work is needed for "crowd control", why aren't popular holiday destinations crime hotspots?
- Fizz43 1mo ago
  They are crime hotspots
  - akoboldfrying 1mo ago
    I asked Gemini to list the 10 most popular holiday destinations in the US, and the 10 places with the highest crime. There's only 1 place in the intersection: New Orleans. Highest violent crime rates: Memphis, Tennessee: ~2,400–2,500 per 100k St. Louis, Missouri: ~2,000–2,100 per 100k Detroit, Michigan: ~1,700–2,000 per 100k Little Rock, Arkansas: ~1,600–1,800 per 100k Baltimore, Maryland: ~1,600–1,700 per 100k Oakland, California: ~1,400–1,900 per 100k New Orleans, Louisiana: ~1,600–1,700 per 100k Birmingham, Alabama: ~1,600–1,700 per 100k Milwaukee, Wisconsin: ~1,100–1,600 per 100k Cleveland, Ohio: ~1,500–1,600 per 100k Most popular holiday destinations: New York City, New York Orlando, Florida Las Vegas, Nevada Maui, Hawaii Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona San Francisco, California Miami, Florida Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming New Orleans, Louisiana Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina/Tennessee
    - andy12_ 1mo ago
      That's a terrible metric, because people going on a vacation probably aren't going there purposefully to commit crimes. What you want to do is look for increases in crime in a given place during holidays https://coolidgelawfirmaz.com/crime-increase-over-the-holidays/ https://coolidgelawfirmaz.com/crime-increase-over-the-holida...
      - jann 1mo ago
        Is that alone really a better metric? At least in Europe a lot of people travel during holidays, so there's less risk breaking into city flats because they're empty.
    - danparsonson 28d ago
      Why violent crime? I would've guessed most holiday-adjacent crime was some variation of theft.

Is it realistic to keep people working jobs that don’t get anything done in the long term? I know most people will say that’s already happening, but imagine a society where basically every job is just a bullshit job made to keep you occupied, do you think people will continue working in a society like that?

madhatter999 1mo ago
Like you foresaw, I'll say this is the reality for most people. I think that just like now, those who want to do meaningful work will seek opportunities to do so. If we had something like a Maslow’s hierarchy of needs but for work, I think meaningfulness would be the top of the pyramid. For most people in the world, not going hungry or affording housing are reasons enough to do work. Getting to do work you find meaningful is truly a privilege.
globular-toast 1mo ago
Yes, it's realistic. We're at least a couple of generations into this experiment now. Millions of people travel to and from an office to sit on a chair, doing nothing, all day, every day. This in turns keeps a whole bunch of people employed servicing their cars, preparing their food, sweeping the floor behind them etc. None of these people question whether their jobs are really necessary for the few things we really need: food, shelter, warmth, health etc. A couple of generations ago most women were employed in the least bullshit job of all: running a household. But now they're all wage slaves too. So yeah, it does work.

akoboldfrying 1mo ago

If work is needed for "crowd control", why aren't popular holiday destinations crime hotspots?

Fizz43 1mo ago
They are crime hotspots
- akoboldfrying 1mo ago
  I asked Gemini to list the 10 most popular holiday destinations in the US, and the 10 places with the highest crime. There's only 1 place in the intersection: New Orleans. Highest violent crime rates: Memphis, Tennessee: ~2,400–2,500 per 100k St. Louis, Missouri: ~2,000–2,100 per 100k Detroit, Michigan: ~1,700–2,000 per 100k Little Rock, Arkansas: ~1,600–1,800 per 100k Baltimore, Maryland: ~1,600–1,700 per 100k Oakland, California: ~1,400–1,900 per 100k New Orleans, Louisiana: ~1,600–1,700 per 100k Birmingham, Alabama: ~1,600–1,700 per 100k Milwaukee, Wisconsin: ~1,100–1,600 per 100k Cleveland, Ohio: ~1,500–1,600 per 100k Most popular holiday destinations: New York City, New York Orlando, Florida Las Vegas, Nevada Maui, Hawaii Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona San Francisco, California Miami, Florida Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming New Orleans, Louisiana Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina/Tennessee
  - andy12_ 1mo ago
    That's a terrible metric, because people going on a vacation probably aren't going there purposefully to commit crimes. What you want to do is look for increases in crime in a given place during holidays https://coolidgelawfirmaz.com/crime-increase-over-the-holidays/ https://coolidgelawfirmaz.com/crime-increase-over-the-holida...
    - jann 1mo ago
      Is that alone really a better metric? At least in Europe a lot of people travel during holidays, so there's less risk breaking into city flats because they're empty.
  - danparsonson 28d ago
    Why violent crime? I would've guessed most holiday-adjacent crime was some variation of theft.