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The Gig Economy Celebrates Working To Excess

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Re: The Gig Economy Celebrates Working To Excess

#41

Post by [deleted] »

cbanek wrote: post #9
NTDF9 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> Seems like in America it's hard to win. Either get paid not nearly enough and struggle to make ends meet, or get a high paid high stress job, still work all day and all night. A consequence of worshipping money. Even a human is valued by the amount of money they make or what they can afford. Other societies have agreed that there are some fundamental things that they will all share the burden for collectively and…

I'd agree with all of that. The differences between Europe and the US in terms of maternity leave / time off / healthcare are fairly stark. And now we're presently dismantling healthcare as a right in the US. Really hitting at least one disaster in your life seems almost inevitable, and the system is waiting there to profit from you. I'm definitely of the more socialist bent, in that I know that if people around me a…

[deleted]

Re: The Gig Economy Celebrates Working To Excess

#42

Post by CodeWriter23 »

Kiro wrote: post #27

How does this work with the minimum wage? It seems like whenever you get paid per item instead of hour the minimum wage can be disregarded.

In America, minimum wage is for employees only. Once you're an independent contractor, you can accept less than minimum wage for your work. This is indicative that our asset-based economic recovery from the crash of '07 hasn't done much for those who don't have hard assets. Namely the former paycheck-to-paycheck members of the middle class, who walk past homeless encampments wondering if the people living in tents and RVs are their future friends, those who lost their homes after getting fooled into a subprime loan, and the poor. Ironically, Uber will set you up with a subprime auto loan or lease through their partners, payments taken from your weekly take, before you ever see it of course.

Re: The Gig Economy Celebrates Working To Excess

#43

Post by JumpCrisscross »

SwellJoe wrote: post #3
cbanek wrote: post #2

Seems like in America it's hard to win. Either get paid not nearly enough and struggle to make ends meet, or get a high paid high stress job, still work all day and all night. Maybe we just have too much of that protestant work ethic?

Some might say "too much capitalism". I don't know many protestants.

> Some might say "too much capitalism"

Competition is good. Aristocracies are not [1] [2].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socio-economic_mobility_in_the...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jena–Auerstedt

Re: The Gig Economy Celebrates Working To Excess

#44

Post by supremesaboteur »

trome wrote: post #30
cbanek wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd agree with all of that. The differences between Europe and the US in terms of maternity leave / time off / healthcare are fairly stark. And now we're presently dismantling healthcare as a right in the US. Really hitting at least one disaster in your life seems almost inevitable, and the system is waiting there to profit from you. I'm definitely of the more socialist bent, in that I know that if people around me a…

58% of Americans would prefer a federally funded healthcare system[0], akin to healthcare in Canada. We only feel alone because both parties are bought and owned by multi-nationals, and don't give a shit about what most people want. First Past the Post ensures a 3rd party will cause carnage if it ever did rise, splitting the vote and not electing the candidate most voters would prefer. Look at Wolf PAC in Connecticut…

Doesn't federally funded healthcare system have problems like lower quality of healthcare, increased government spending, increased chances of corruption and creating a moral hazard of not working to earn what is consumed ?

Re: The Gig Economy Celebrates Working To Excess

#45

Post by nostrademons »

cbanek wrote: post #2

Seems like in America it's hard to win. Either get paid not nearly enough and struggle to make ends meet, or get a high paid high stress job, still work all day and all night. Maybe we just have too much of that protestant work ethic?

Anyone who is successfully bilking the system so they can make large amounts of money doing a job they enjoy is not going to crow about it on social media. (Well, except for brokenmasonjars, who is currently downvoted to oblivion here.)

You get a very skewed perception of reality reading human-interest pieces, because nobody wants to read an article about someone who is doing better than them in every way, having more fun too, and is going to act like a douche and crow about it to the news media. And if you have half a brain, you don't want that article to be written about you.

Re: The Gig Economy Celebrates Working To Excess

#47

Post by willdotphipps »

...you see even IF Uber prohibit drivers from using their own app between rides, if they all just agree, they can just go fuck it, we've had enough. anyone here ever spoken to a happy Uber driver?

Me neither. Wife...family..kids meanwhile Kalanick gets his $6bn...NICE.

Re: The Gig Economy Celebrates Working To Excess

#48

Post by saiya-jin »

danmaz74 wrote: post #18
SwellJoe wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some might say "too much capitalism". I don't know many protestants.

If you mean "too much capitalism" as in "too little taxes for the rich, almost complete destruction of unions, too much power for lobbyists", then I think you're right. "Free market", democracy, government spending and unions are all imperfect, but they are IMHO all necessary counterbalances to the sheer power of money for a capitalist system that benefits most of the population. Instead, for too long the ideology th…

when somebody from left mentions taxes it's always to increase them, which makes most people turn their back immediately (me too).

what US needs is to be smarter with taxes for the citizens, not more of them (because army/intelligence/state will happily take and consume any amount).

don't wage super expensive useless wars that do pure evil in the world for generations to come is a good starter. tax megacorps like apple which laugh in your US face while you worship their products (and super rich if it makes sense too) appropriately. bureaucracy can always be leaner. and so on, we all know the drill

Re: The Gig Economy Celebrates Working To Excess

#50

Post by throw2016 »

The biggest irony is all the well meaning starts ups from SV desperately trying 'improve the world' when they can't even improve the city they live in. Not because of failure from trying but because they can't be bothered.

Without a moral compass the only thing they can deliver is a dry soulless unfeeling dystopia stripped of any hint of humanity. Those who don't want present day SV to be replicated in their regions should be wary of the ideological underpinnings of SV startup culture and American capitalism.

The lack of a properly defined moral compass from those from non privileged backgrounds struggling through life guided perhaps by upbringing or religion but with no time to ponder or reflect can perhaps be understood but for a privileged well educated elite to display this level of apathy towards humanism is a truly shocking state of affairs.

Ultimately its our humanity, our relationships, our capacity for feeling and emotion that enriches our existence, not money.

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