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“Side Hustle” as a Sign of the Apocalypse

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Re: “Side Hustle” as a Sign of the Apocalypse

#51

Post by wallacoloo »

anonred wrote: post #45
wallacoloo wrote: post #43

This is driving me up the wall: why do people use pull quotes in this manner? What does it accomplish, besides tricking me into thinking that I'm accidentally re-reading the paragraph I just read, and thereby interrupting the flow of the article? Pull quotes are a technique designed for print! You use them in magazines that have tens of articles and you want to grab the attention of somebody browsing the articles so…

My guess is that it's designed to provide visual landmarks for (most) people who skim articles.

I don't deny that stylizing text like this can be useful for people who skim. My proposal doesn't prevent that: only present those select bits of information in the big front-and-center style that grabs people's attention, and don't repeat them in the normal flow of text.

Re: “Side Hustle” as a Sign of the Apocalypse

#53

Post by ithinkinstereo »

whack wrote: post #44
bsder wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I like The point isn't preventing YOU , the consumer, from doing this. The point is that most people as the supplier aren't doing Uber, AirBnB, etc because they like it. They're doing it because they don't have any other good alternatives. Most of the people on the supply side of the serfdom economy are gaining very little benefit. This is a real problem.

> They're doing it because they don't have any other good alternatives. So champion proposals that would grow the economy, create more jobs, increase the median hourly wages, and/or improve the social safety net. I don't see how vilifying Uber or AirBNB is going to help accomplish any of the above. P.S. There is no way for you as an individual to be a supplier on the Seamless, but that still hasn't spared them the au…

> I don't see how vilifying Uber or AirBNB is going to help accomplish any of the above.

These companies are part of a greater force eroding the role and rights of labor. I think it's right to vilify the "sharing" company - especially with the type of "this is great for the world" propaganda that they spew out.

If we accept these conditions as the norm, they will only continue to slide. We have laws and regulations for a reason. Bypassing said laws with billions in 1%, connected money, should rightfully be called out. Conveniences for the noble class aside, this is just part of a larger scheme to transfer capital from the poor/middle class into the pockets of the existing wealthy. It's a bit tone-deaf of you not to see the other side of the picture. Next time you're in an Uber, talk to the driver. You'd be surprised how many are doing this full-time because they can't find employment elsewhere... and even more when you discover how many actually understand the underlying economics of their "side hustle" (aka side-scammed).

Re: “Side Hustle” as a Sign of the Apocalypse

#54

Post by wavefunction »

cstejerean wrote: post #36
toomuchtodo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd like to see a Gig Economy Union myself. This is called "labor law". I'm personally looking forward to the IRS reaping its pound of flesh from Uber for contractor misclassification and the hundreds of millions of dollars in employer payroll back taxes and penalties that will be due.

Why should Uber driver be considered employees but not taxi drivers driving for Yellow Cab? Pretty much all taxi drivers are independent contractors, and I don't see how they are different from Uber drivers.

It might just be due to the labor laws that define what a contractor and an employee are, and how taxi drivers and uber drivers are thus classified. You might check into those!

Re: “Side Hustle” as a Sign of the Apocalypse

#55

Post by jacobush »

kem wrote: post #32
jMyles wrote: post #27

I... don't really think this is a good read, for a few reasons. Let's look at (what I think is) the thesis: > Unfettered capitalism doesn’t give you time back or freedom or relaxation. It drills every orifice you have until a few more pennies drop out so the Q4 numbers look good for shareholders. The article then moves on to (albeit articulately) name "gig economy" companies as the vehicle for this exploitation. But…

I probably agree with the essay's argument that the gig economy (or maybe, more specifically, a particular set of dystopian ads for it) is a sign of the apocalypse. It's just that, as you say, I don't think the gig economy is causing it.

Well put this's what I meant in my other comment

Re: “Side Hustle” as a Sign of the Apocalypse

#56

Post by ithinkinstereo »

jacobush wrote: post #50
branchless wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yes, which is a hell of a lot more than people who work in tech, hence my point that these people don't choose this, it's thrust upon them by our flawed system which sees surplus value flow to the banks who create credit out of nothing to capture said surplus value.

Wow you got voted down

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!" - Upton Sinclair

Re: “Side Hustle” as a Sign of the Apocalypse

#57

Post by ComradeTaco »

jly wrote: post #6

This article is spot on, in my view. More technology in our current economic system only reduces the overall number of 'good' jobs available, creating more inequality and increasing the divide of the haves and have-nots. Technology may not be inherently a bad thing, but when you combine it with an open global economic model built on unchecked capitalism, it will eventually create a distressing situation for many.

I personally enjoy uber and use it frequently.

However, after reviewing my Uber receipts, I realized how awful the drivers side of the deal was. Take gas, car milage, Ubers cut and then you have literally a fraction of minimum wage with no health insurance or 401k.

Then I start to think, well heck, if this kind of gig economy displaces traditional employment, a lot of people will be one crisis from poverty.

The future is really exciting, but unless we proceed carefully, we could end actually making things worse for the working class than they were decades ago.

Re: “Side Hustle” as a Sign of the Apocalypse

#58

Post by jMyles »

kem wrote: post #32
jMyles wrote: post #27

I... don't really think this is a good read, for a few reasons. Let's look at (what I think is) the thesis: > Unfettered capitalism doesn’t give you time back or freedom or relaxation. It drills every orifice you have until a few more pennies drop out so the Q4 numbers look good for shareholders. The article then moves on to (albeit articulately) name "gig economy" companies as the vehicle for this exploitation. But…

I probably agree with the essay's argument that the gig economy (or maybe, more specifically, a particular set of dystopian ads for it) is a sign of the apocalypse. It's just that, as you say, I don't think the gig economy is causing it.

I'm disputing more. I'm saying:

1) There is no apocalypse (and if there were, it'd be climate change or antibiotic-resistant bacteria, not side hustles)

2) "Unfettered capitalism" is not a sufficiently broad or complex boogeyman to blame what ills we do have in society

3) The gig economy is probably not a particularly accurate sign of #1 or #2, and if it were, it's more a sign that things are going in a better direction.

Re: “Side Hustle” as a Sign of the Apocalypse

#59

Post by x0x0 »

bsder wrote: post #40
whack wrote: post #11

Call me a crank, but personally, I'm getting annoyed by people who love to blame tech companies for everything. "This unending hamster wheel of capitalism and technology is driving us all to the brink of insanity" Maybe that's true, but instead of blaming tech companies and brogrammers, maybe try taking a look in the mirror. You want to escape the rat race? Pack up your bags, move to bumfuck nowhere, and spend all yo…

> I like The point isn't preventing YOU , the consumer, from doing this. The point is that most people as the supplier aren't doing Uber, AirBnB, etc because they like it. They're doing it because they don't have any other good alternatives. Most of the people on the supply side of the serfdom economy are gaining very little benefit. This is a real problem.

Right, but to bring it back to the article, how is that a complaint against eg Seamless? All those restaurants in nyc delivered 10 years ago (well, Seamless was there then too) but you just called, dealt with the terrible English of whomever answered the phone at your various local ethnic food places, and played a bit of food bingo. The value of Seamless is discovery, ie not having to troll through the phone book, and an easier ability to order w/o language issues.

And Uber is a taxi that comes. You just have to have experienced SF -- admittedly run by idiots playing city, badly -- pre Uber to understand why people love it. I mean, it's fair to criticize how Uber treats drivers, and I try to have cash to tip, but it's not exactly like taxi drivers were being treated particularly well before Uber. And they treated their customers like absolute shit.

Re: “Side Hustle” as a Sign of the Apocalypse

#60

Post by alphonsegaston »

ComradeTaco wrote: post #57
jly wrote: post #6

This article is spot on, in my view. More technology in our current economic system only reduces the overall number of 'good' jobs available, creating more inequality and increasing the divide of the haves and have-nots. Technology may not be inherently a bad thing, but when you combine it with an open global economic model built on unchecked capitalism, it will eventually create a distressing situation for many.

I personally enjoy uber and use it frequently. However, after reviewing my Uber receipts, I realized how awful the drivers side of the deal was. Take gas, car milage, Ubers cut and then you have literally a fraction of minimum wage with no health insurance or 401k. Then I start to think, well heck, if this kind of gig economy displaces traditional employment, a lot of people will be one crisis from poverty. The futur…

It's already the case that things are far worse for the working class. The precipice we're on is creating a "nothing to lose" permanent underclass, with all the instability and desperation that entails.
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