Perhaps this is worth discussion. Are AirBnB, Uber and Homejoy examples of political anarchism (degenerate or otherwise)?
Are we seeing the ultimate in self responsibility (I would say self responsibility is a good thing)? How might we embrace such self responsibility, whilst also manifesting collective empathy/ shared 'responsibility' (perhaps there's a better term here)? Is Lauren Weinstein with his indenting style actually Juan in disguise? Or is it in actual fact the other way around? Z ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "PFIR (People For Internet Responsibility) Announcement List" <[email protected]> Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2015 09:48:40 -0800 Subject: [ PFIR ] The "Sharing Economy" Is the Problem To: [email protected] The "Sharing Economy" Is the Problem http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/33720-the-sharing-economy-is-the-problem It's unfortunate then that these companies and the misnamed "sharing economy" are really just fronts for millionaires and billionaires to opportunistically ride off the backs of everyday people, while also exacerbating many economic inequalities. Avi Asher-Schapiro explains the truth in Jacobin: The premise is seductive in its simplicity: people have skills, and customers want services. Silicon Valley plays matchmaker, churning out apps that pair workers with work. Now, anyone can rent out an apartment with AirBnB, become a cabbie through Uber, or clean houses using Homejoy. But under the guise of innovation and progress, companies are stripping away worker protections, pushing down wages, and flouting government regulations. At its core, the sharing economy is a scheme to shift risk from companies to workers, discourage labor organizing, and ensure that capitalists can reap huge profits with low fixed costs.
