Antiwork

I saw a station at $3.99 per unleaded gallon today—considered ludicrous just a couple months ago—and I started pondering this question. I drove DoorDash for a solid couple of years, starting late 2018. This was out in Columbia SC, which actually had some decent spots to “Dash” out on the eastern side of town (I tested Lexington twice and quickly realized that crap wasn’t worth it); but anyway. Gas for most of my 2019 driving was in the mid $2s-low $2.80s. Margins were reasonable, not amazing. Mind you, I drive a 2004 Honda Accord coupe, and for that kind of drive there literally is no better car. I still have that car. 2019 Valentine’s Day was my one-day record; $220 from nonstop delivering. That was a solid day’s worth, 10am to midnight. New Year’s 2019 was also one hell of a time. The pandemic hit and I decided to stop…

This is turning into therapy for me haha. But this one isn't about me so much. if you didn't read a previous installment of my saga. My ex-boss bought the company I worked at in June and ran it into the ground but also treated us like crap while doing it. So… My last day at work was January 11th. I never got my pay stub for Jan 1st so I requested it for unemployment reasons. By doing that he somehow sent all of the other employee's paystubs through the store's email. Well, another one of my co-workers never got theirs so they went to print it out. That's when they found out (should have known way sooner if you ask me but whatever) that their pay had been cut from 18 to 16.5. So my last day was fun. I got to watch him stutter explaining to her that…

We don't have to have all the perfect answers about how the new system will be. We just have to try different things. All we know for sure is that capitalism has failed humanity, and it's time to stop forcing something that can't work for us.

Back in December, after we had returned to WFH due to variants, our company sent out a heartfelt letter from HR that our CEO wanted us to work wherever felt right, and that our happiness, well being and security were his biggest priority. It finished with that there'd be advanced notice if they opted to return to a hybrid model. My boss was once my peer, and we've been transparent about our mental health. Mine is GREATLY improved by WFH as I have a very limited social battery and prefer to spend it outside of work. She's the opposite, and has struggled with endless days at her bedroom desk. She said she suspected this is life now and we may never go back in. Less than a week later, she started going in twice a week, but said it wasn't mandatory, however it'd be nice to see me. Things escalated…

You only get one life. You only get one life. Dude, really, you only have one life… That’s why it’s so important to fight for your right to live, because this is the only chance you have… There are absolutely enough resources to live, not only in health, but in pleasure. Wanting to live a simply wonderful and peaceful life is not the problem…it’s possible…400 individual Americans owning over 50% of the collective wealth is the problem… Fuck Oligarchy. Fuck Plutocracy.

When they asked my coworker to cover for my upcoming shifts, he took the opportunity to put his notice in as well. I was standing next to the manager while they were having that conversation and was laughing under my mask the whole time.