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The Shut-In Economy

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Re: The Shut-In Economy

#51

Post by krschultz »

IkmoIkmo wrote: post #29
mooreds wrote: post #21

How is this different than me hiring a handyman to put up the shelves bought 2 months ago that I never found the time to put up? Is it different in scale or in kind?

In kind... probably not. Perhaps if you'd have said 'fix some electric work that I couldn't do', in that case it'd be different as this article describes work that anyone could do. e.g. they'll talk about expensive $5.000 a month apartments having awesome functional kitchens installed, yet everyone orders food. In scale... well the handyman is a one time thing. But it seems a lot of new tech workers making $100k a ye…

Plenty of non tech workers order food every night for dinner. Plenty of non tech workers have cleaning services. That has existed for 40+ years. Changing it from phone ordering to online ordering doesn't change it that much.

Grocery delivery and some of the other things are a bit newer, but they are also more niche.

What has changed is the employment relationship between the people doing the work and the companies. You used to hire a cleaning company and they had employees that came out, now you hire an independent contractor via Handy. To me it seems all supply side and not really demand side. This article is all about the demand side.

Re: The Shut-In Economy

#53

Post by unclesaamm »

hoboon wrote: post #24

This is how I feel. I don't watch TV for hours like I did as a child. What I do now is worse; stay in doors programming, browsing the web aimlessly, or staring at the ceiling. I don't blame my internet lifestyle for this really, but I literally don't know what else to do and the internet is so accommodating to me being a shut-in. I know I'm wasting my life but I don't know how to stop. San Francisco is a beautiful ci…

This sounds like what the Japanese call Hikikomori (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori).

I saw a wonderful anime about a Hikikomori character recently, called Welcome to the NHK. It's on Netflix, and I recommend it to everyone since it's topical but also because it was oddly (and sometimes not so oddly) moving.

Re: The Shut-In Economy

#54

Post by campers »

jsprogrammer wrote: post #37
percept wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on your postscript this may not help, but how about giving yourself the mission of getting outside the house and doing something at least once each day, with a sense of purpose? "I really don't feel like it, but I am going to walk to the park/bridge/waterfront and back. I am going to get a beer/coffee/tea at this place I've heard about. I will walk to the store and pick up groceries. It doesn't have to be anyth…

>with a sense of purpose? >"I really don't feel like it, but I am going to walk to the park/bridge/waterfront and back. I am going to get a beer/coffee/tea at this place I've heard about. I will walk to the store and pick up groceries. It doesn't have to be anything miraculous or life changing and I don't have to meet or talk to anybody--I just have to try, because it will be worse if I don't." Where is the purpose t…

I think a better idea would be to accept there is no particular purpose, more about doing something random, that perhaps you think you'll feel better for after, and seeing what happens. Embrace the chaos!

Re: The Shut-In Economy

#55

Post by gordjw »

jsprogrammer wrote: post #37
percept wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on your postscript this may not help, but how about giving yourself the mission of getting outside the house and doing something at least once each day, with a sense of purpose? "I really don't feel like it, but I am going to walk to the park/bridge/waterfront and back. I am going to get a beer/coffee/tea at this place I've heard about. I will walk to the store and pick up groceries. It doesn't have to be anyth…

>with a sense of purpose? >"I really don't feel like it, but I am going to walk to the park/bridge/waterfront and back. I am going to get a beer/coffee/tea at this place I've heard about. I will walk to the store and pick up groceries. It doesn't have to be anything miraculous or life changing and I don't have to meet or talk to anybody--I just have to try, because it will be worse if I don't." Where is the purpose t…

The purpose is the getting of the thing, or the being at the place.

The point is that not everything you do needs to have a _higher_ purpose.

Re: The Shut-In Economy

#56

Post by cubano »

zkhalique wrote: post #42

Think about all this specialization. This is what a "good economy" looks like. Parents who work long hours so they can afford to rent some great apartment and buy stuff for their family. They outsource a lot of the childcare to professional nannies or whoever. They outsource a lot of the elder care to nursing homes etc. People are getting married later in life so they can focus on their career. Individualism, kids mo…

> We are materially richer, but what about the social connections?

Well...Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn of course.

Re: The Shut-In Economy

#57

Post by Smoofer »

jsprogrammer wrote: post #37
percept wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on your postscript this may not help, but how about giving yourself the mission of getting outside the house and doing something at least once each day, with a sense of purpose? "I really don't feel like it, but I am going to walk to the park/bridge/waterfront and back. I am going to get a beer/coffee/tea at this place I've heard about. I will walk to the store and pick up groceries. It doesn't have to be anyth…

>with a sense of purpose? >"I really don't feel like it, but I am going to walk to the park/bridge/waterfront and back. I am going to get a beer/coffee/tea at this place I've heard about. I will walk to the store and pick up groceries. It doesn't have to be anything miraculous or life changing and I don't have to meet or talk to anybody--I just have to try, because it will be worse if I don't." Where is the purpose t…

I think he means with a purpose in your activity.

As in - go to the grocery store to get groceries

Go to beer place to get beer.

Small tasks with a small errand-like purpose to build up to bigger activities

Re: The Shut-In Economy

#58

Post by toomuchtodo »

krschultz wrote: post #50
timepiece wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now you make $50/hour, wait till commoditization hit your profession and see your wage dwindle before your own eyes.

If that day comes, who will be better prepared, those that cleaned their own toilets, or those that used that time for something more productive?

Bits can move anywhere in the world. Our jobs could be done from anywhere labor is stupid cheap, as long as the workers have the knowledge.

Someone has to come in person to clean your toilet, and can't be outsourced to the cheapest locale.

Re: The Shut-In Economy

#59

Post by michaelchisari »

krschultz wrote: post #50
timepiece wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now you make $50/hour, wait till commoditization hit your profession and see your wage dwindle before your own eyes.

If that day comes, who will be better prepared, those that cleaned their own toilets, or those that used that time for something more productive?

Don't underestimate the value in a multitude of skills. When Argentina's economy collapsed in 2001, I'd prefer to know how to write code, do laundry, and wash toilets than only knowing how to write code.

Re: The Shut-In Economy

#60

Post by campers »

The most 'jarring' part in the article was "But when the Homejoy app maid shows up at her apartment, she feels uncomfortable. The class implications of someone cleaning her toilet are jarring."

Income inequality will always exist in capitalistic society and to a certain level that's ok. Whats not so cool it to feel as if they are inferior just because thats how they're making the best of their life circumstances. As one of the workers said “This is a job I need, but I actually love,” Some of them come from tougher times and appreciate the work they have. Being polite to them and treating them equally as another human goes a long way.

When our cleaner is over we always have a good little chat to her. She moved from Colombia to Australia by herself, is studying English. Respect to her drive to move to a foreign country and work hard to get ahead. She wasn't born in a middle-upper class first world country like I was.

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