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> Van: Christoph Reuss <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Aan: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> CC: S. Lerner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Onderwerp: an empirical observation Re: the end of 'wage slavery'
> Datum: maandag 8 februari 1999 20:26
>
> Yeah, we creative types really dream of the end of 'wage slavery' !
> I could spend years and years only with creative hobbies, NGO
volunteering
> and the Net, but alas, the 'job' work gets in the way most of the time.
> However, in a part of the NGO work I got to know a different kind of
> persons: When I created a social programme for unemployed people, I
naively
> thought they could be put to a (low-level, low-intensity) task and simply
do
> the work all day, or even find own ideas to work something useful.
Wrong.
> 90% of them did nothing (except reading the newspaper, chatting/arguing,
> and other nonsense), unless someone advised them "every move" all the
time.
> I offered them a variety of opportunities, even a computer system to work
> with, and individual courses on it. But they ended up with playing
computer
> games. They didn't ask me for new projects, but for new games after they
> got bored of the old ones. You may say: "See, you're not a social
worker..".
> But the 'managers' of other similar programmes confirmed the attitude of
> the participants. Note: The official purpose of those programmes is to
> give the unemployed a structure to increase their chances to get back
into
> the working mill err process.
>
> Now, I don't put the blame on those individuals. Rather, I think it was
> "the system" that made them like that. Actually, at least in 'lower'
> positions, corporations don't seem to want employees with "own brains",
but
> they want "wage slaves". It will take huge educational and psycho-social
> efforts to prepare these people for the Basic Income society, or they
will
> end up in even more boredom, despair and drugs.
>
> Greetings,
> Chris
>
Even more boredom, despair and drugs... So they will have to be educated to
handle not having to work ? Hm, maybe, most probably the people who worked
with you didn't really do that completely out of 'free will'. In any case,
from your description, they were already bored... so why bother, how much
more bored can you get?. There will always be people who will not be able
to handle the freedom of not having to toil any longer (as if this would be
the 'natural' condition of man, it isn't), just like there are and probably
always will be those who don't know how to handle drugs (but is that a
reason to outlaw them, so that still others, much worse, can reap enormous
profits?).
And so what if it would take efforts. Are you for or against the idea,
that's what I would like to know.
You don't sound like it. But then you will have to come with better
arguments against it, Chris.
Regards,
Jan Matthieu
Flemish Greens
