Like most things on the internet, I feel like work culture has devolved into a 2 party system. Theres this unsung understanding that your either an anarchist/socialist hippie who just wants a welfare check, or a slaving, mindless boot/grunt who is convinced they wont die before payout or being fired.
The reality is neither.
I dont know of a single person who doesnt want to do something with their life. Some sort of task, goal, mission, they want to do things. They are told they can make a difference, that they are the next generation in a long line of innovators, and that they can have a good life if they try hard.
But then you get out into the world and realize thats not true: unless you are propped up via old money, nepotism or some other extraordinary means (the LEAST likely being that you are actually gifted above the other 99%) you are not going to do a damn thing.
My buddy was hyped to get into a trade union. He was excited to work for a new company doing a big contract. This is in a town with a housing crisis. 2 weeks later he was laid off, and unemployment is behind, so hes struggling again.
Another buddy went to STEM. He was excited to make advancements and change the world. Instead hes banging his head against ChatGPT, trying to craft a love letter out of his resume. He takes calls for a corporation in the mean time, where his entire job can be summarized as “no we cant help you, no I dont have access to that, no my manager isnt available, thats the price, its only going up, and were an effective monopoly who owns all the competitors, so pay up or fuck off.”
Then theres me. I tried both. I knew I wasnt strong enough for trades, but I went anyway cause it was what I could afford. No jobs without moving state or country at the time of graduation, which, of course, I couldn't afford without the non-existent job I just went into debt to get educated for. I went into food/call centers/retail, and none could give me enough to save for another degree. But thats what I had. So i sat and typed and talked and got weaker, and stood and flipped and wiped over, and over again, same thing every day until I lost it and quit for some other pointless, meaningless task for some corporation who doesnt give a damn about anything but the bottom line.
It is soul destroying to shovel 20 different vegetables that cant even grow in your country into a sandwich at Subway™ when people are starving. You eat a banana for lunch which has no business being in your hemisphere because you cant afford the very sandwiches you make for others, before throwing out enough food stuff to fill a homeless shelters pantry that you cant take yourself or even give away legally. And its not just food: if you examine most jobs under a microscope youll come to the painful realization that “oh shit, this doesnt make any sense, does it?”
It feels nonsensical and immoral. Its like society is procrastinating. Its forcing us to make life or death decisions at 18 and shoehorning us into repetitive lifestyles more fit for machines, that only benefit machines like the stock market. And when we say “I am not a robot” we are told we are the ones who are morally reprehensible.
If we need houses built, why are big strong people sitting at home waiting for contracts? If we need to solve problems, why are skinny, smart people fighting for a chance to lie to people? If we really give a damn why are we stalling? And in my opinion, if all someone can do is art, or small tasks, or even just home making and activism and volunteering, or hell, even nothing at all, I dont see why thats a problem. Culture is important just as much as science, infrastructure, agriculture, or other “real jobs”. Just give them a UBI and KoFi account and let them live ffs.
Because the corporations dont want your Brave New World. They want a chicken coop full of fat, brainless meat they can profit from. LET OUR PEOPLE FLY.