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Reddit ‘antiwork’ forum booms as millions of Americans quit jobs

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Re: Reddit ‘antiwork’ forum booms as millions of Americans quit jobs

#121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Though I'm not one to generally say this or that subreddit should be banned, reddit has destroyed many a thousand times less subversive ones than this in the past, like /r/whitebeautyart. So I don't see why this kind of nihilistic, apathetic, passive attitude should be encouraged. Yes, something like this actually deserves to be removed, especially when it reaches critical mass. Because it does more harm than good to…

What would it be like if the goals of that subreddit were accomplished? - Would it be that most people could choose not to work? (I.e under some kind of UBI program?) I’d like to not have to work ;) - Would it be that the benefits and pay for many jobs would be vastly improved? That also sounds pretty nice. - Maybe it’d be that companies have to compete harder to be actually nice places to work. Also a good thing. Wh…

"Would it be that most people could choose not to work?"

It means you are exploiting those who grow the food you eat and produce the services you consume for nothing material in return.

From the remaining workers point of view, since there is nothing material available, it would be better not to produce the surplus consumed by those choosing not to work and have Friday off instead.

Stuff doesn't make itself. Most of us work in solidarity with the farmers and the service workers that make our comfortable lives possible.

Re: Reddit ‘antiwork’ forum booms as millions of Americans quit jobs

#122

I wonder what would happen if private sector wage-based jobs were forbidden. If essentially your only option as an entrepreneur/company were to pay in equity/profit-sharing. The labor equivalent of, on the capital front, religions that forbid lending with interest but allow equity investing. I wonder if the complexity/transaction costs/uncertainty/governance problems would kill the economy or if it would be possible…

That would solve absolutely nothing.

Btw religions forbid interest for very good reasons.

Re: Reddit ‘antiwork’ forum booms as millions of Americans quit jobs

#123
What's with the hostility towards the subreddit? I am surprised by the HN reaction to it.

I think that unless you are working minimum wage you don't get to call the sub "nihilistic, apathetic or zoomer adhd" if anything most of the members were essential workers during covid and struggle to afford basic living otherwise they would not be angry.

I am very surprised by the comments in the thread to be honest, if you work in tech, your job is pretty much useless the code you write doesn't "advance humanity" I mean let's not kid ourselves tech jobs are pretty overblown in importance compared to essential workers.

Really hope we do some thinking before taking this hostile stance, if anything we should stand by workers who suffer from shitty working conditions.

EDIT:I worked minimum wage, no wage no health care.. I worked really different shitty jobs in risky setting and there was always an implicit solidarity in the workers group, when I moved to tech (very later on) I was surprised by the toxicity and grandeur some people show as if building to-do apps is all that's left from moving to the next level of civilization, some humility and acceptance would be good along the way especially since we're lucky to have the opportunity to work remotely, great salaries and benefits and the ability to spend time doing something we like.

Re: Reddit ‘antiwork’ forum booms as millions of Americans quit jobs

#124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have news for you. Your manager is just implementing his managers agenda, and so forth-- which almost always goes straight back to a VP or C level guy. Managers generally have very little latitude-- they're given X many resources to do a task in Y amount of time, and that has been chosen for them. I am not defending bad managers-- but, they are there precisely to deliver to you the bad work environment that the CEO…

The CEO isn't to blame either. He has to make his investors happy. This is because there are investment opportunities based on rent seeking that have an artificially high return on investment. The CEO must beat those unsustainable returns.

Agent: I can't help that. All I know is, I got my orders. They told me to tell you to get off, and that's what I'm tellin' ya.

Muley: You mean get off of my own land?

Agent: Now don't go to blamin' me! It ain't my fault.

Muley's son: Who's fault is it?

Agent: You know who owns the land. The Shawnee Land and Cattle Company.

Muley: And who's the Shawnee Land and Cattle Company?

Agent: It ain't nobody. It's a company.

Muley's son: They got a President, ain't they? They got somebody who knows what a shotgun's for, ain't they?

Agent: Oh son, it ain't his fault, because the bank tells him what to do.

Muley's son: All right, where's the bank?

Agent: Tulsa. What's the use of pickin' on him? He ain't nothin' but the manager. And he's half-crazy hisself tryin' to keep up with his orders from the East.

Muley: Then who do we shoot?

Agent: Brother, I don't know. If I did, I'd tell ya. I just don't know who's to blame.

https://youtu.be/xkUGd1TQuD8

Re: Reddit ‘antiwork’ forum booms as millions of Americans quit jobs

#125
post #6

That sub has changed so much in the last year. Used to be more light-hearted, rallying around crappy bosses and laughing at the gall of an employer. Now it’s been taken over by more radical takes, going from “screw my boss”, “we should get more vacation time” to straightforward Marxist talking points and desires to abolish work. There’s a place for those discussions and they’re interesting to have, but it’s ruined th…

The thing that marxists do not understand is that the company is being opressed as well.

Re: Reddit ‘antiwork’ forum booms as millions of Americans quit jobs

#126
post #13
post #6

That sub has changed so much in the last year. Used to be more light-hearted, rallying around crappy bosses and laughing at the gall of an employer. Now it’s been taken over by more radical takes, going from “screw my boss”, “we should get more vacation time” to straightforward Marxist talking points and desires to abolish work. There’s a place for those discussions and they’re interesting to have, but it’s ruined th…

I can't really blame them, I think after a while folks realized they all had the same experiences. Long hours, promised promotions, and eventually they have all cracked a bit. The generation after millenials has seen how the millenial hard work essentially ruined their health (some of us got out lucky, like myself), with 0 reward besides deference to some boomers. So I think we're going to see quite a revolution in o…

Capitalism and crony capitalism has always been the same thing.

I would argue that capitalism is just modernized/liberal feudalism. Money and land and other legal monopoloes are still driving forces of power and they are being abused in the same way.

Honestly, let them all be damned. In capitalism everyone wants to become the rentier, including me. What's my motivation? I want to protect myself from all the other rentiers.

Re: Reddit ‘antiwork’ forum booms as millions of Americans quit jobs

#127
The meme that this sub is a hive of bot activity is interesting- I wonder who came up with those allegations first, and if they have similar conspiracy theories towards other popular subs such as r/WallStreetBets, or other toxic subs like r/CSCareerQuestions

Re: Reddit ‘antiwork’ forum booms as millions of Americans quit jobs

#128

The meme that this sub is a hive of bot activity is interesting- I wonder who came up with those allegations first, and if they have similar conspiracy theories towards other popular subs such as r/WallStreetBets, or other toxic subs like r/CSCareerQuestions

The whole “foreign intelligence psyop” theory seems dumb, but is par for the course on HN at this point

I wouldn’t be surprised though, if there’s a lot of karma farming, some of it even automated.

Re: Reddit ‘antiwork’ forum booms as millions of Americans quit jobs

#129

The meme that this sub is a hive of bot activity is interesting- I wonder who came up with those allegations first, and if they have similar conspiracy theories towards other popular subs such as r/WallStreetBets, or other toxic subs like r/CSCareerQuestions

I've seen some minimum wage discussions on general topic forums (e.g. news) where the top 40-50 comments were vehemently against raising it.

I suspect these were driven by bot votes.

Any "funny" picture with a well known brand obviously placed in it? Definitely.

By contrast thes (the current top 2 posts) seem pretty organic to me though:

https://www.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/s07qh6/presented_...

https://www.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/s07uk4/i_work_at_...

Re: Reddit ‘antiwork’ forum booms as millions of Americans quit jobs

#130

The meme that this sub is a hive of bot activity is interesting- I wonder who came up with those allegations first, and if they have similar conspiracy theories towards other popular subs such as r/WallStreetBets, or other toxic subs like r/CSCareerQuestions

The whole “foreign intelligence psyop” theory seems dumb, but is par for the course on HN at this point I wouldn’t be surprised though, if there’s a lot of karma farming, some of it even automated.

It just feels like the allegations speak more of the character of the allegers than the alleged. Why pick on disgruntled workers? This has a faintly quaint air to it, a real Sacco and Vanzetti vibe. I wonder what the accusers think of Dilbert or Office Space. Or more pertinently, of Occupy Wall Street, which was but ten years ago.
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