https://www.ktvu.com/news/millions-of-capable-workers-are-choosing-not-to-participate-in-the-labor-force

  • GreenTeaRedFlag [any]
    ·
    3 years ago

    that's how 90% of people are under capitalism are though. They don't care about what they're doing, they were okay at it in high school or college and are just waiting for a pay-check.

    • 6bicycles [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Which is fine, possibly good even, but that doesn't make you an expert

      • GreenTeaRedFlag [any]
        ·
        3 years ago

        I don't think it's fine or good at all. There's the obvious problem that expertise is dying. Past that, everyone should at least care somewhat about what it is they do for a career. Obviously not everyone can like every job, but the majority of people should find some fulfillment and pride in their work. sewage workers should be respected and be proud their work makes it possible for people to live in cities and be healthy, people that work at restaurants or in retails should be able to feel like facilitators to the public so people can get what they want or need. Janitors or other cleaners should be able to be happy they make our complex living and working spaces possible. And of course they should be able to learn many interesting things through their work, developing into respected experts at their crafts. But instead it's just a grind so they can afford rent and food, and these vital workers get looked down on.

        • 6bicycles [he/him]
          ·
          3 years ago

          I agree with you completely, but the grind is out there and if you work hard, you're just gonna make your boss richer.

          This is an ideal for a world after capitalism. But right now it's capitalism, so fuck it. You're not gonna overcome it by being really into your job. I mean some exceptions might apply for the public sector or w/e but even then why work above and beyond if it's not gonna get you anything

        • JuneFall [none/use name]
          ·
          3 years ago

          expertise is dying

          Assumes there was expertise in the first time and a "better old age in which rational things reigned".

          • GreenTeaRedFlag [any]
            ·
            3 years ago

            Due to being expected to only order the bare minimum, storekeepers no longer actually plan ahead for busier times and just make the same or slightly different orders all the time. People who try to order more are not selected to be promoted and will be reprimanded. Every place is a gig rather than a career, so people don't get to learn the optimum way to do their job. Lots of machines can only be fixed by the company that makes them, so it's harder to develop expertise on different machines and most end up just following the manual they were given. big box book stores killed of a lot of heavily read bookstore keepers and staff. I'm not saying it was all perfectly rational and amazing, but knowledge of the job has been intentionally killed as part of the growing disdain for any work that's not for the wealthy, mostly so it can be said that this work is low education.

        • charly4994 [she/her, comrade/them]
          ·
          3 years ago

          Working as a substitute custodian for a school district I was able to find pride in the work I did even if it wasn't particularly pleasant because I was helping facilitate learning. It also was a very low stress job compared to nursing so I could just turn on a podcast or some music, chill while I cleaned up after everyone left and not worry too much.

        • zifnab25 [he/him, any]
          ·
          edit-2
          3 years ago

          There’s the obvious problem that expertise is dying

          Meh. Mainstream Local Journalism is dying. If you want to get answers to these questions, they're available. You need to start parsing Bureau of Labor and Statistics data or observing the patterns of population movement and other ambient business activities or actually rolling up your sleeves and actively sampling the unemployed.

          There are organizations and firms that still do this work. There are professionals that do this research. But they aren't in touch with writers, because giving people useful information isn't the business model for modern media. Certainly not some local FOX News affiliate.