article on how concept of work needs to change

[pinkytoe]

I found this interesting as it reminded me why I originally went to part time work and became interested in simplicity:
http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-keynes-2014-7
It seems like we have created a world where people feel they have no value unless they are working, striving and buying stuff thus all the endless babble about not enough jobs.

[oldhat]

One of the commenters on this article took the words out of my mouth: cringe-inducing.

It's remarkable how a smart guy can be so glaringly out of touch with the realities of life for most workers. Maybe Larry can provide everything his family needs quite nicely on 1% of his income, but for the rest of us, it's a little more complicated than that. That's not to say it's not possible for people to get by, and even thrive, on less than the consumerist propaganda machine tells them they need. But tell a man (or woman) that he can provide for his family, including the ever-rising costs of housing, food, clothing, medical care and education, on part of his current income and he'll either laugh in your face or punch you in the nose.

See this recent New Yorker piece for an interesting take on the Keynes' essay (http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2014/05/26/140526crbo_books_kolbert?currentPage=all) mentioned in the article. A big part of the reason Keynes' prediction about a vastly reduced work week turned out to be so wrong is because of the grossly unequal distribution of the benefits of the tremendous productivity gains we've seen in recent decades. Until this society comes to grips with that problem, Larry Page and uber-rich moguls like him can go on with their self-indulgent fantasizing about how technology is improving ordinary people's lives, and how we're all just a few years away from lounging around drinking mai tais while our Google-powered robots do all the work.

Technology alone isn't enough. We need social change that guarantees every person living in this wealthy country the basics of life--food, shelter and medical care--before we start talking about a 20-hour work week.

[ApatheticNoMore]

It's remarkable how a smart guy can be so glaringly out of touch with the realities of life for most workers. Maybe Larry can provide everything his family needs quite nicely on 1% of his income, but for the rest of us, it's a little more complicated than that. That's not to say it's not possible for people to get by, and even thrive, on less than the consumerist propaganda machine tells them they need. But tell a man (or woman) that he can provide for his family, including the ever-rising costs of housing, food, clothing, medical care and education, on part of his current income and he'll either laugh in your face or punch you in the nose.

I don't think that's exactly reality for everyone either. When I worked part-time, you would be surprised how many people say they wish the company would let them work part time and I know at least one that even asked and was rebuked (I just asked early I guess), even though I took a direct proportionate paycut for it. Yes these were decently paid workers, we're not talking part-time on Micky D wages, that's simply not possible.

You probably don't hear people say that they'd prefer to work part-time for less money because it's not "OK" to say that in this society, it's very strictly taboo. People only ever confided to me because I had chosen it, so I must have felt "safe" somehow. For a desire for part-time work to be a MASS movement wages would have to be higher, I think that's definitely true. But I suspect a lot more people would take it today if they only could, paycut and all.

So why am I not still working part-time? It is sure AS HECK NOT because I want the extra income. My money seems to mostly buy me little but misery (and I use a lot of it in futile attempts to self-medicate how unhappy full-time work makes me) as I loath my job, the commute, the chronic daily feelings of profound exhaustion, the lack of time for anything I value. It's not the same job as was part-time at, see I was very much punished for working part-time, companies do not like it, at all.