this post was submitted on 09 May 2024
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Antiwork
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For the abolition of work. Yes really, abolish work! Not "reform work" but the destruction of work as a separate field of human activity.
To save the world, we're going to have to stop working! — David Graeber
A strange delusion possesses the working classes of the nations where capitalist civilization holds its sway. ...the love of work... Instead of opposing this mental aberration, the priests, the economists, and the moralists have cast a sacred halo over work. — Paul Lafargue
In communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticise after dinner, just as I have a mind, without ever becoming hunter, fisherman, herdsman or critic. — Karl Marx
In the glorification of 'work', in the unwearied talk of the 'blessing of work', I see the same covert idea as in the praise of useful impersonal actions: that of fear of everything individual. — Friedrich Nietzsche
If hard work were such a wonderful thing, surely the rich would have kept it all to themselves. — Lane Kirkland
The bottom line is simple: all of us deserve to make the most of our potential as we see fit, to be the masters of our own destinies. Being forced to sell these things away to survive is tragic and humiliating. We don’t have to live like this. ― CrimethInc
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"Under communism you fix your own damn toilet" is a bit of a hard sale I'd say
This is already the case if you're poor under capitalism. I have to fix literally everything if it's broken.
Not much of a difference there then
It's also terribly inefficient. We could do what we already know works better which is train some people who then help others. That way people can become a specialist at a skill they're suited for.
I disagree. First of all, a trained craftsment for sanitary and heating installations has to think about stuff like where to put pipes, which angles to observe, which diameters are necessary... All of this does not matter for fixing an existing installation.
And second, when people learn the basic principles of it, they also learn how to better maintain things so they need less fixing in the first place. Also if there is no profit incentive, there is no incentive to provide overengineered but easily breaking systems but rather straightforward and reliable ones. For instance the hardest part of fixing my washing machine by myself was finding what the god damn error code meant.
I dunno I mean a toilet's pretty uncomplicated and I don't see that changing too much. Just get the bean counters to run the numbers on making an idiot proof toilet that's made so like at least 1 in 3 people can repair it without formal training or instructions, against the expense of having a bunch of guys, maybe real plumbers, running around fixing all the toilets.
I mean, it’s not that difficult. It really is not. And, under communism, they typically tried to have local support groups for people. And, as for toilets, if you just ask someone down the street. I work in healthcare, but I’ve helped several neighbors with toilet issues. The house plumbing kind. You just help out your neighbors. Mutual aid, yo.
Mind you, large scale communism never works because, well, humans …
Yeah I'm not saying communities shouldn't be self sufficient where possible, but division of labor and specialized professions have proven to be far superior. People can't be good at everything, a learned plumber with years of experience is 100% more qualified than a random person with a YouTube tutorial like me.
Not to mention that in certain areas being a layman can be outright dangerous, imagine if your upstairs alcoholic neighbor would try to fix his plumbing or electrical wiring. Chances are it will be your problem as well within a week, if the house doesn't immediately flood with sewage or burn down from faulty wiring.
Lastly, I am sure that many people don't want to amateurishly fuck around with their plumbing, they would rather pay someone qualified to do it.
Oh, anything beyond fixture maintenance and replacement is plain difficult at best and extremely hazardous at worst. But we were talking about toilets, I thought.
I’m a big fan of division of labor, as no one person can be even adequate at all things DIY.
We are talking about toilets, yes. I only extended to electricity for the example, my bad
But we do seem to agree anyway ✊
As someone with 4 degrees, a high IQ, and the availability of YouTube, I would still never touch anything more complicated than changing out an outlet, and even some of those are a bit risky, depending on the situation.
I yield the floor to the sparkies.
In every realm, those who think they know things out of their field of expertise, just because they have a field of expertise, are typically both wrong and unsafe.
You don't need a degree to handle a toilet pump, and of course a sane person won't ask an alcoholic for serious help.
The point was that even a wholly unqualified person who is likely to do more harm than good in the attempt would be expected to do so, not that you would ask them for help.
Why not ask a person who has spent years learning about plumbing, materials, health requirements, for help instead? They usually come with practical experience in the installation and maintenance and also know the most cost efficient way to do all this. In exchange you could provide them monetary compensation for their superior knowledge, skill and experience on the subject.
Last three times my toilet needed fixing I was the one that did it.
Well it sold me. I'd much rather be able to fix it than not.