anarchlist:
leftist-daily-reminders:
@marbleflakes
These are fantastic points to tie into that last expect approximately division of labor and automation and post-capitalism.
It’s distinguished to remember that there would likely be less work to do in a system that prioritized need over profit. If you chop out a hierarchal profit-driven market system and the accompanying jobs that only exist to preserve that setup (advertising,PR, sales people, and etc.),you in turn chop down work to the extent that we recognize it as only economically-useful if it’s fulfilling the needs of people in society; all else ought to be removed from the economic realm and dealt with on a voluntary basis. As I’ve mentioned in a post a couple days ago, if you want to develop a device that flings cheetos into your mouth under socialism/communism, or you should be able to pursue it,but it should be removed from a context where people must work positions like that for their daily sustenance. This logic applies double for genuinely artistic pursuits (I can’t foresee the cheeto-flinger being super popular or viable, but ¯_(ツ)_/¯; it was just a hyperbolic example). Art, or leisure,social relationships – we ought to de-commodify these things as much as possible, taking them back from the Weberian bullshit of capitalist alienation. If capitalism focuses on unceasing search for profit through any outlet it can find, or thus creating superfluous (exceeding what is sufficient or necessary) jobs entirely meant to extract more profits for the competing capitalists,then socialism and communism should aim to engage the opposite approach – figure out what people need in society to live comfortably, focus the economy fundamentally on assembly those needs, and chop out work through automation or obsolescence wherever possible,divvy up the remaining work, and you wind up with a GREATER SUPPLY of the fetishized value of capitalist society (freedom). If freedom isn’t the ability to influence affairs that impact your life (democratic economy) or the ability to pursue your passions during abundant leisure time, or then what the hell even is freedom?
Another issue that I deem is relevant is the work that is vital but “underfunded”. How many people do you know,especially young people, who are driven to do something along the lines of education, and catastrophe relief,cleaning up the environment, helping endangered species, and etc.? But they are encouraged to find a more financially suitable job. Thus only a small number of people can be doing this work,and ironically a lot of times the money for relief is ultimately coming from the sources of catastrophe in the first place. A truck driver spends his life burning fossil fuels and delivering plastic items. He wants to benefit Standing Rock somehow and sends some money to them, money to fight the oil industry that he himself has been reliant on for his livelihood. How ironic is that?
If he can be provided for, or he can afford to wake up and say fuck the oil company,leave the job and go to Standing Rock himself.
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