cross-posted from: https://lazysoci.al/post/14891969
ANTI-CAPITALIST AFFIRMATIONS
- i am allowed to spend my time creating things, even if they are not beautiful.
- there is no such thing as a “real Job”. all forms of work are real and vlid.
- there is nothing that i need to accomplish to be worthy. i am already worthy.
- doing nothing ls good for my soul.
- i am not deflined by what I produce.
- my worth cannot be measured by my paycheck, my job title, or a list of professional or academic achievements.
- i də not need to monetize my hobbles, It is enough to spend time doing something i love.
- | will not let society decide what success looks like. I can define what successful life looks like for me.
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Why are these considered anti-capitalist?
A lot of people feel guilty for being lazy instead of productive. The post is making the (in my opinion, fair) claim that in a society where we weren’t forced to work ourselves to the bone that we wouldn’t have these internalized guilts about pursuing things purely for enjoyment without monetary gain. That we might not feel the urge to work even when we could be enjoying a day off. That these things are the result of capitalist propaganda.
- I am allowed to spend my time creating things, even if they are not
beautifulprofitable.
- I am allowed to spend my time creating things, even if they are not
All valid points, however the ‘real job’ one has a caveat in my book. Someone may perfectly well be happy making pretty things for their own enjoyment, but it won’t by default pay the bills. Basic services such as food, housing, and medical could well be supplied by society, but nobody should expect that entitles them to luxury and extravagances by extension.
nobody should expect that entitles them to luxury and extravagances by extension.
They’re not? I don’t know where you got that from. It has nothing to do with the point you claim to be addressing.
There is a segment that would argue the doctor and the florist should have equal accomodations in society, despite the massive disparity in training and skill required. I don’t ascribe to that logic is what I’m pointing to.
Then are you really anti-capitalists? We’re talking basic human rights, and yes that does mean money and time to have hobbies. Are you just saying that they shouldn’t be paid the same? I think that’s the difference between an anti-capitalist and a socialist.
I would argue against the functional enslavement of anyone, whether the basic laborer forced to work multiple jobs just to survive, or in taking from the accomplished skilled professional who used their time and dedication to become exceptionally skilled by not compensating them for their efforts.
Nobody should have to struggle excessively to live, but they should have the ability to excell if they choose. So you can make what you will of that for a title.
What is excelling to you? They get paid more, okay, but where do we draw the line? How much compensation is too much? And who gets to determine which jobs qualify for high compensation? Some of the worst, hardest jobs I’ve ever worked were unskilled labor, my body ached after, and the pay was awful. I now have a job that requires a BA, and I don’t go home aching every day, and they pay is much better, but only because I had the money and time to devote to getting an education. I guarantee most of the people I worked with in those unskilled labor jobs do not, and they will work until their bodies break with not a retirement savings in sight.
Let me ask you this: if you had a PhD and all the money you need to live happily, would you be angry if someone who doesn’t have a PhD was making the same amount as you?
Are you not paying for my PHD, the time and efforts put in to obtain it, and then demanding I use those skills obtained for your benefit at what price you decide appropriate? If so you are just taking of my efforts without concern for me and my well being. It’s just coerced labor of the intellectual and skilled then as much as it is to demand heavy labor without due compense. Without the expert’s guidance the laborer has nothing to labor for and so those distinctions need to be recognized. There is some reasonable cap and it falls well short of the billionaire sitting on a horde of wealth, but to demand of the accomplished while giving freely to the idle punishes innovation, ambition, and leadership.
Why do you care if you have enough money to be happy? Why look at someone else and decide you deserve more than them?
All forms of work a valid? Even CEOs? What about landlords?
Being a landlord isn’t work, that’s being a parasite.
You put it more succinctly than I could haha.
I would go further and say that anything that people point to as a positive thing that an individual landlord might do like (like, ohh but they go around to this old widow’s house to check on her and fix things around the house) are good work, but have nothing to do with extracting rents. You could do that and just let people live on their patches unmolested.
PS Damn it I did it again. I just went on and on … I’m going to my partner’s family reunion tonight and I’m really nervous about it. Apparently they’re kind of bullies, I’m going to get eaten alive lol
You’re going to be fine. I believe in you. Remember that your partner loves you and so their family will love you too. Just be yourself and everything will fall into place.
Thanks again for this. And it actually was fine. Everyone was perfectly lovely and made me feel included.
Yay, I’m glad.
Question: my landlord ethically renovated and rented out a historical building. There are a lot of nuances with the upkeep that none of the tenants would necessarily be qualified to handle on their own. The landlord has educated themselves on the historical and legal needs of the building, sourced period accurate replacement parts for repairs, renovated and continually upkeeps an antique elevator, organizes cleanings and inspections for our antique windows, and a whole lot more. At times that tenants have experienced financial hardship (pandemic), they have even adjusted rent to match financial ability.
How is that not a job?
No doubt that some (maybe even most) landlords out there exploit their position to get money for nothing, but there are also those out there who are doing the job properly as a caretaker for the property.
The parts that are work are the job, but extracting rents for owning something is not work. I realise it’s not a clean break, but the idea is landlords usually get a lot more value than they put in.
Whereas most of us work jobs that take more value from our labour than they’d ever actually pay us for.
Not contributing to society yet using what others have worked for. What would you call that?
I disagree with the “doing nothing is good for the soul” one only for UBI experiments bearing out that even in a vacuum of satisfied needs people will still tend to make project work for themselves just to have something to do to not be bored.
Being able to relax at one’s own discretion and necessity is healthy, but having something to say you do for yourself is evidently somewhere in that hierarchy of needs.
It is definitely healthy to be able to take time and actually do nothing though. Like having a cup of tea in the morning, and just sitting and waking up slowly. That’s good for the soul
I hate that this feels so “you shouldn’t live/act conventionally” instead of “you don’t need to live/act conventionally”. Like, I don’t sell things I make because I want the money, I sell things I make because I love things I make being out and about in the world. It helps give me a reason to make them, because I struggle to make things for myself. Doing nothing absolutely kills me, and that’s ok. Making things is one of the only things I truly like about myself, of course I’m going to heavily identify with that.
Hm, maybe that is your own insecurity with the subject speaking? Because the affirmations clearly state that “you don’t need to” and not that you shouldn’t. Obviously it is fine to capitalize on your passion. But often when you are really interested in any topic or good at something, you get told by all sorts of people that you should make money out of it. So there is a certain societal pressure based on capitalism to do so. And these affirmations just state that you don’t need to. But it is with stay at home moms maybe. You sure can stay at home and do the household and care for the kids etc. But you definitely don’t need to and it is important to get the message out that these expectations are highly problematic. Same goes for the expectation to capitalize on your interests.
