Much of this work is entirely pointless. Whole industries (think telemarketers, corporate law, private equity) whole lines of work (middle management, brand strategists, high-level hospital or school administrators, editors of in-house corporate magazines) exist primarily to convince us there is some reason for their existence. Useless work crowds out useful (think of teachers and administrators overwhelmed with paperwork); it’s also almost invariably better compensated. As we’ve seen in lockdown, the more obviously your work benefits other people, the less they pay you. The system makes no sense. It’s also destroying the planet. If we don’t break ourselves of this addiction quickly we will leave our children and grandchildren to face catastrophes on a scale which will make the current pandemic seem trivial.
David Graeber
Our society is addicted to work. If there’s anything left and right both seem to agree on, it’s that jobs are good. Everyone should have a job. Work is our badge of moral citizenship. We seem to have convinced ourselves as a society that anyone who isn’t working harder than they would like to be working, at something they don’t enjoy, is a bad, unworthy person. As a result, work comes to absorb ever greater proportions of our energy and time.
Much of this work is entirely pointless. Whole industries (think telemarketers, corporate law, private equity) whole lines of work (middle management, brand strategists, high-level hospital or school administrators, editors of in-house corporate magazines) exist primarily to convince us there is some reason for their existence. Useless work crowds out useful (think of teachers and administrators overwhelmed with paperwork); it’s also almost invariably better compensated. As we’ve seen…
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The Most Revolutionary Act 
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Native scholar Vine DeLoria said people in offices push papers from one desk to the next. I don’t want that life ever again.
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The European culture Caucasians have imposed on the world has a lot to answer for, Trace.
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I’ve heard that the French work to live, but the US Americans live to work. I don’t know if it’s true, but I grok the idea. Vive la France!
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I’ve heard the same, Katherine. I think a lot relates on the ability of working people to preserve their sense of community in the face of capitalist exploitation.
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I wonder if individuals develop a sense of community though common ideals that may not be immediate or personal. I’m particularly sensitive to the current use of the word “capitalism,” because it is derived from the Latin word, “caput,” which means “head.” My interpretation is that it refers to the wealth between one’s ears and the capacity for generating wealth through using one’s noggin.
According to my definition, then, the true “capitalist” is an individual who has the reasoning ability to think for herself.
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