It’s funny, because you can argue that a rising tide carries all the ships. If we all pull together we will achieve a quality of life that our ancestors considered beyond luxurious. That was the appeal of the industrial revolution and then the computational/miniaturization revolution that followed.
At the same time, the idea of an egalitarian prosperous working class has been whittled away by bigotry, ageism, and regional resentments. We don’t work for the betterment of our community as a whole. Everyone’s a mercenary, pillaging for their own team or tribe.
Hard work in a socialist economy means working for everyone so we all get to enjoy the fruits of our labors. A collaborative game where we all work towards a high score.
Hard work in a capitalist economy means knee-capping your opposition to get to the top of an increasingly steep and treacherous pile. A hyper-competitive game where you’re endlessly aiming to leapfrog the person ahead of you and dodge the knife from the one behind.
Just work harder and you can be one of the five richest men.
“jUst wOrK hARdEr aNd yOU wiLL sTOp beING depRESsED!” -my parents every time I mention my depression
I mean, in fairness, hitting the gym or going for a bike ride significantly improves my mood. But I’m not getting paid for that shit.
If we work hard we can all be in the 1%.
It’s funny, because you can argue that a rising tide carries all the ships. If we all pull together we will achieve a quality of life that our ancestors considered beyond luxurious. That was the appeal of the industrial revolution and then the computational/miniaturization revolution that followed.
At the same time, the idea of an egalitarian prosperous working class has been whittled away by bigotry, ageism, and regional resentments. We don’t work for the betterment of our community as a whole. Everyone’s a mercenary, pillaging for their own team or tribe.
Hard work in a socialist economy means working for everyone so we all get to enjoy the fruits of our labors. A collaborative game where we all work towards a high score.
Hard work in a capitalist economy means knee-capping your opposition to get to the top of an increasingly steep and treacherous pile. A hyper-competitive game where you’re endlessly aiming to leapfrog the person ahead of you and dodge the knife from the one behind.