Having and Being Had
The self-exploitation that characterises the experience of contemporary capitalist work is not just a source of individual misery but a means of guaranteeing profit.
Amelia Horgan • Lost in Work: Escaping Capitalism (Outspoken by Pluto)
With the possibilities for long-term, secure, permanent and well-paid work decreasing, work creeps in several directions. We work harder at work. We work longer hours. At work, we are expected to use our emotions and personalities for the benefit of our employers. Outside of our official working hours, we are called upon to excavate more of our soc
... See moreAmelia Horgan • Lost in Work: Escaping Capitalism (Outspoken by Pluto)
Today’s rich Americans can afford vastly more leisure than ever before, but as Thompson points out, they’re using their wealth “to buy the strangest of prizes: more work”. This trend only starts to make sense against the backdrop of the waning of the commons. In a world absent God or meaning, work is evolving from a means of material production to
... See moreRichard Meadows • Optionality: How to Survive and Thrive in a Volatile World
As our economy grows steadily more unequal and unforgiving, many of us have doubled down on our fantasies, hoping that in ceaseless toil, we will find whatever it is we are looking for, become whoever we yearn to become. This, Malesic says, is a false promise.