The Anti-Work Phenomenon: Can you explain it? (plus, a new perspective on Work)

Hi @hans, thanks for your comments. I think history has shown that exploitation seems to be as old as living in harmony with one another.

The issue is when forms of exploitation become the default mindset of a community or of a nation. I’m originally from the US and in that country it is normal to selfishly pursue money. In the US ethnicity money and material posessions considered most important. Not having money can get someone in terrible trouble as society doesn’t support people much and prices are very high or worse than very high. Now I believe that the problems with tech, the reason why tech industry is centered in the USA, could have to do with the money-focussed obsession of the country. People seek work which reflects the money mindset that they know, and will retain this selfish mentality for the system is harsh and virtually inescapable.

A couple of texts that might help you better understand some of the opposition to “work” (perhaps more accurately “jobs” or “wage-slavery”). ‘The Abolition of Work’ by Bob Black, 1985, about 6000 words. This was the classic anti-work text until the publication of ‘On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs: A Work Rant’, by David Graeber, 2013, about 12,000 words. The ideas sketched out in this initial essay was later expanded into a whole book on the subject, the last one Graeber had published before his very sad death this year. If you have a bit more time for reading, the full text of the book is permanently available at that link.

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