For the abolition of work. Yes really, abolish work! Not "reform work" but the destruction of work as a separate field of human activity.
To save the world, we're going to have to stop working! — David Graeber
A strange delusion possesses the working classes of the nations where capitalist civilization holds its sway. ...the love of work... Instead of opposing this mental aberration, the priests, the economists, and the moralists have cast a sacred halo over work. — Paul Lafargue
In communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticise after dinner, just as I have a mind, without ever becoming hunter, fisherman, herdsman or critic. — Karl Marx
In the glorification of 'work', in the unwearied talk of the 'blessing of work', I see the same covert idea as in the praise of useful impersonal actions: that of fear of everything individual. — Friedrich Nietzsche
If hard work were such a wonderful thing, surely the rich would have kept it all to themselves. — Lane Kirkland
The bottom line is simple: all of us deserve to make the most of our potential as we see fit, to be the masters of our own destinies. Being forced to sell these things away to survive is tragic and humiliating. We don’t have to live like this. ― CrimethInc
https://bsky.app/profile/brenthor.bsky.social/post/3krzc7fs77k2i
Best job i ever had was maintenance guy at a nursing home. Loved it. Rewarding. Fulfilling. Paid only $10.75/hr so i left it and 'developed my career' and now im 'successful' but at least once a week i have dreams where im back in the home hanging pictures, flirtin with the ol gals, being useful.
So when people ask 'who fixes toilets under communism?' my answer is a resounding 'me. I will fix the toilets.'
Happiest I've ever been at work has been fixing and cleaning things that needed it.
The thing that always stopped it was the inhumane work conditions and lack of respect. If you're happy to treat me as an equal, and make me a cup of tea when I take a break to stretch my back and knees I'll do the dirty shitty work for you.
If you want me to work to the point of damaging my body and then raise your voice at me if you see me taking a damn breather then we're gonna have a problem.
I’m damn near 40 in a great career and I still miss my old McDonald’s days that paid peanuts. It was a weird mix of monotony, spontaneity and genuine friendships.
Big mood.
Befriending my coworkers is more fun and genuine when dicking around in the kitchen when the manager is out on a smoke compared to sending sfw memes in slack.
Like, I’m great friends with one of my coworkers. I knew him for years before work, but talking with him on slack feels so much more sterile compared to when I see him in the office, which is much more sterile than when I’d grab dinner with him a few years back.
It’s kinda saddening knowing that the environment of a hybrid job will make it so much harder to have genuine friendships with coworkers.
Now, if I stay at my job for a few years and get promoted to leadership, it will be worse knowing that my hierarchy will taint whatever hope I have at forming genuine friendships.
Fuck work
And so you're asking me, who does the dishes after the revolution?
Well, I do my own dishes now, I'll do our own dishes then
You know it's always the ones who don't who ask that fucking question
Yes, there are people who enjoy doing a simple job well. Capitalism is what makes it miserable by making you poor for doing it (despite society needing it)
The job I have, I would do even if I was rich. Well, that's only partly true.
I work in aviation in the military, and my job previously consisted of being a flight mechanic doing Search and Rescue, maintaining aircraft, and fixing electronics/avionics on aircraft, and it was awesome, and I'd have done it for free if I could maintain my lifestyle without that paycheck.
The only reason I stopped that stuff and started supervising was because I got too old and broken to continue doing the job I loved, but if you had told me doing this job now (supervising people doing the fun work, occasionally helping them with my arthritis-ridden hands, etc) would be the cost of doing the job I did, I would have accepted it hands down (though in fairness I am looking longingly forward to retirement). And when I do retire, I'll have to find something else to do for work, because I'll probably just die of boredom if I don't.
All that to say, there are plenty of people who don't work just out of necessity. And like the person in the post, just feeling productive and appreciated does wonders to make it worth more than just the paycheck.
I used to work in programming, I hated being so mentally exhausted at the end of the day that I couldn't do anything more taxing than watching TV or playing a mindless videogame
Give me a simple physical job that I leave at work any day
God this is me. I've got deadline coming up so I've been tearing my guts out every day trying to finish up a project. I don't even play videogames, or watch shows anymore; just scratch out some notes in diary, then read in bed.
I wish I was like a letter carrier and got to clock out with a clear conscience. No waking up in the middle of the night thinking about nonsense programming problems for a bullshit domain that doesn't need to exist.
Mopping floors and peeling potatoes was less tiring than carrying a quota staring at these screens.
a clean floor and peeled potatoes ready to be cooked versus more TPS reports, higher KPIs, more semicolons …
Seems like a no brainer. This stupid fucking late stage capitalism money problem Thing...
not just money, but controlling our time – no time left to do anything for ourselves or too burnt out to do anything during those precious spare minutes …
Whoever is going to be using it. It's not fucking complicated. Under (actual) communism the populace is educated to take care of themselves, unlike in capitalism, which purposefully perpetuates the class divide through lack of education to preserve hierarchy.
"Under communism you fix your own damn toilet" is a bit of a hard sale I'd say
This is already the case if you're poor under capitalism. I have to fix literally everything if it's broken.
It's also terribly inefficient. We could do what we already know works better which is train some people who then help others. That way people can become a specialist at a skill they're suited for.
I mean, it’s not that difficult. It really is not. And, under communism, they typically tried to have local support groups for people. And, as for toilets, if you just ask someone down the street. I work in healthcare, but I’ve helped several neighbors with toilet issues. The house plumbing kind. You just help out your neighbors. Mutual aid, yo.
Mind you, large scale communism never works because, well, humans …
Yeah I'm not saying communities shouldn't be self sufficient where possible, but division of labor and specialized professions have proven to be far superior. People can't be good at everything, a learned plumber with years of experience is 100% more qualified than a random person with a YouTube tutorial like me.
Not to mention that in certain areas being a layman can be outright dangerous, imagine if your upstairs alcoholic neighbor would try to fix his plumbing or electrical wiring. Chances are it will be your problem as well within a week, if the house doesn't immediately flood with sewage or burn down from faulty wiring.
Lastly, I am sure that many people don't want to amateurishly fuck around with their plumbing, they would rather pay someone qualified to do it.
Oh, anything beyond fixture maintenance and replacement is plain difficult at best and extremely hazardous at worst. But we were talking about toilets, I thought.
I’m a big fan of division of labor, as no one person can be even adequate at all things DIY.
That works for stuff like "how do I connect two pipes", but not so much for more complex matters like planning out a bathroom, or wiring a house. Or worse, things that actually require practice, like plastering a wall or bricklaying.
So skilled workers? You're afraid people will stop learning trades?
No, I'm saying that's smarter than doing everything yourself
I like handling bureaucracy so I can handle that. Currently trying to get a public office job. I'm bringing it up because I'm aware most people don't.
Many "undesirable" jobs are undesirable because they're below living wage and/or may be long-term unsustainable physically (or mentally) with the 40(+)h/week standard.
My job involves handling dangerous materials. Given how much some of my coworkers stress me the fuck out by being walking safety hazards, I often and happily volunteer to shift the more dangerous tasks to myself.
I'd be snagging post-revolution hazmat volunteer shifts like a fiend just trying to keep less careful people from getting them...
remind coworkers: “Safety regulations are written in blood.”
Obviously the blood of morons who didn't know what they're doing. I know what I'm doing, so I'll be fine.
(Until they get an unforgettable live demonstration on optimism bias and cumulative probability)
I have a similar experience but I was driving a cargo van around delivering boxes of office paper. Didn't even have a cellphone in those days, just a big list of deliveries and a map. I delivered to all kinds of cool places and learned a ton about the city.
I imagine that job is totally fucked up now. Twice as many deliveries on half the time, eye tracking cameras, and the driver is responsible for paying for gas and maintenance. But man, for that one summer in 2001 it was glorious.
I just got a job driving hang gliders up a mountain on a bumpy dirt road all day. Only make 80 bucks a day but I'm happy.
Yeah, I think that's something worth expanding on - lots of people actually like work. Nobody likes working 40+ hours a week and still not being able to pay the bills.
I really enjoyed the actual work I did at Subway. The only things I didn't like about it were the rude-ass customers, the fact that I was getting paid shit.50 an hour and the manager was a creep and a prick who was constantly late with checks. Two of those things go away if everyone's paid enough to live no matter what they do.
I miss being on the fire crew, running a chainsaw or a drip torch
So when people ask ‘who fixes toilets under communism?’ my answer is a resounding ‘me. I will fix the toilets.’
It's true, it took ages for the plumber to come so you were the one who had to fix it.
Reminds me from my own history: the most satisfying job I ever had was cleaning floors and bathrooms at grocery stores at nights.
It didn't even pay minimum wage, so it was under the table. If I didn't have to earn 6 figures just to survive I would for sure be in cleaning: I love tidying up dirty areas and then fussing over them, keeping them spic and span.
If I had a job that was cleaning a circuit of 5 grocery stores in my area, and I could survive on that, I would be so happy.
Sounds like you need to start a company
Then I'd be competing against the other cleaning companies, and no grocery stores would hire us if I insisted on paying me and the other workers a fair wage.
And given how grocery store owners have been caught profiteering and price fixing, I doubt the leadership would make the right choice for the good of the some workers that they don't even control.
Capitalism make the good choice the wrong one.
Whoever's G.O.A.T. test comes back as "plumber".