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Someone is stealing your life (1990)

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11–20 of 165 posts

Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)

#11

> On the other hand - or so they say - you're free, and if you don't like your job you can pursue happiness by starting a business of your very own, by becoming an "independent" entrepreneur. But you're only as independent as your credit rating. And to compete in the business community, you'll find yourself having to treat others - your employees - as much like slaves as you can get away with. The whole piece is like…

Yes. It takes effort, and it also takes balls (for lack of a more gender-neutral and appropriate word).

If you want to get out of the drudgery and soul-hemorrage of the rat race, then you need to be prepared for the risk. Most people aren't. They do the mental math, figure that they need the salary or the stability or the medical coverage too much to risk it, and they take the blue pill. They resign themselves to their fates. And that's fine. It's a respectable and probably smart choice for most people, but it's a choice nonetheless. People shouldn't lose sight of that fact.

Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)

#12
It sucks to have nothing to offer an employer except fungible labor that they could get from a million other people. The author should work on that. There are 6 billion people in this world and not enough wealth to let everyone live like a king just for breathing (yet).

Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)

#13
He paints the boss/owner as such a stress free and secure position.

The reason an owner is entitled to higher pay is that they are also entitled to no pay or negative pay.

My father in law is a partner in a law firm. For the past year he has made less money than his non-partner associates, working on half salary to compensate for a lack of revenue. The working drone is much more protected against speed bumps. A bad month generally won't result in a pay cut or layoffs for the bottom of the food chain. It does directly affect the business owners. That's the risk/reward payoff.

Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)

#16
This was a work of art, man. Dig it. Yeah, mannnn. The MAN is stealing our MOJO, mannnn. Oppressing our SOULS. You gotta fight the man, man. The establishment. Big Daddy Warbucks and Uncle Sam, they're in cahoots. Fucking vampires is what they are, man. Gonna suck out our spirits through our paychecks. You dig?

Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)

#18
How about redirecting the argument to state:

"You are giving your life away"

If you change it that way, then I agree 100%.

This line:

"Do you expect us to be forever passive while you get rich stealing our lives?"

Really bothered me. There's nothing wrong with getting rich, and there's nothing wrong with paying people what they're willing to work for. Instead of placing the blame on someone else, perhaps people like this should look inward.

Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)

#19
post #2

It's easy to be indignant when you wilfully misunderstand and/or ignore the fundamental principles of human society.

> It's easy to be indignant when you wilfully misunderstand and/or ignore the fundamental principles of human society.

Which, I guess, is exploitation :)

Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)

#20
post #2

It's easy to be indignant when you wilfully misunderstand and/or ignore the fundamental principles of human society.

foljs comment shouldn't have been flagged. some libertarian probably took offense at the mention of scandinavia:

1 point by foljs 43 minutes ago | link [dead]

It's also easy to believe that what goes on in your small part of the world is according to the "fundamental principles of human society".

Most of the shit you take from your employers wouldn't fly on advanced Western European (inc. Scandinavian) countries.

To quote G. Bernard Shaw, "he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature."

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