31–40 of 84 posts
Once all jobs serve a visible, real purpose and those working said jobs can feel the satisfaction of being a part of the "cause", this problem will continue. 9-5 or not.
One example of this may be flipping burgers at McDonalds, versus stocking planes that ship food rations to war-torn nations. Funny how similar the jobs are, yet the purpose differs.
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I think his ego gets in the way of his argument. I was thinking about how melodramatic he sounded about all of this, and then I got to the picture of him standing cruciform under a spotlight, and all I could do was roll my eyes.
I doubt he chose the photo. While a great writer, Coupland is a bit shy & awkward as a speaker.
Regardless, I view speakers who make gestures like that with skepticism, since I associate the posture with grandiose self-interest.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Chained to a desk from 9-5 is inhuman if the work is not intrinsically motivating . From quality of life perspective I'm not sure if it's much better than generic hunter gathering. The fact that it's materialistically much better than scraping living by in some hellhole does not validate the concept. The fact that it's a safer and a healthier work environment than some other does not mean it could not be better. Sadl…
Employment doesn't exist to improve your quality of life, or even provide you with a living wage. Employment exists to allow you to provide value to a company, in exchange for whatever compensation the market deems fair, and under terms that benefit the company's bottom line. To expect most, or even many, jobs to be motivating or inspiring or even enjoyable is unrealistic. And to be fair, many people would love it if…
The privileged few on HN (myself included 100%) who find their work rewarding, fulfilling, and extremely lucrative, are a fraction of a fraction of a percent of what "work" is like in the real world.
What a load of shit. All the more clear as I'm traveling in a 3rd world country where people actually have to deal with difficult working conditions. I see people in their mid 70's doing long days of physical labor on a farm for dollars a day. Ask them how barbaric the 9-5 desk job is. As the other commenter mentioned, hyperbole like this only ever damages a cause. I think there are probably better ways to do work an…
No need for 3rd world country. Quite a few people (mostly older, but not only) in my whereabouts see stable 9-5 job as freedom and strive for it.
Looking into the future and seeing 9-5 as "a step in the right direction, but far from the last step" is not inconceivable.
We look upon slave and child labor as barbaric, whereas not even 200 years ago it was the accepted norm. What prevents that from changing in the next 100-200 years?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I doubt he chose the photo. While a great writer, Coupland is a bit shy & awkward as a speaker.
I understand that he didn't choose the photo, but the body language strikes me strange, what with the arms outstretched. I'm probably being a bit harsh, because it's not his event, and he didn't set up the stage, or the lighting. Regardless, I view speakers who make gestures like that with skepticism, since I associate the posture with grandiose self-interest.
Hyperbole like this makes it difficult to take his arguments seriously, even if he makes some good points about the changing nature of work. Really, barbaric? Having set work hours in a steady job with regular pay in a safe workplace with benefits usually included, including paid vacation? It's such a dramatic leap forward from the way most humans in history--and many still today--have had to scrimp for survival, wor…
Rather than going down the barbaric tone. When it comes to 9-5 jobs, I keep going back to city infrastructures. Where I live in Toronto, all the highways and subways get clogged as everyone needs to make it to the office for 9-5. Everyone then complains about poor infrastructure, but then all cities keep building for a short burst peak traffic. Infrastructure is overbuilt for other times. I can understand a lot of it…
I personally disagree with premise (though a few points I must agree with), I think the real problem is the lack of satisfaction in general. Because some capitalistic societies are obessed with growth, we've created problems for ourselves that are not only pointless, but exist in part, to employ drones of people, who due to their own life circumstances, cannot say "no." Once all jobs serve a visible, real purpose and…
Employment does not exist to fulfill your personal sense of self worth. You're providing a service to someone who is paying for it. In fact, most of those jobs that do fulfill your personal sense of self worth often pay less due in part to that.