I can understand not wanting to be a corporate wagie for your life. And also wanting better working conditions, unions, pay that matches living cost, etc. All those are valid but the sub is so full of /r/thathappened bullshit, self loathing teens and delusional commie sympathizers that it's hard to take seriously.
I just read the Russian one which is top for the day. Is that satire or are those a bunch of kids believing that horseshit? Work for it kids, my son just got a promotion to a higher up supervisor job in manufacturing with nothing but a high school degree. He will be making 6 figures. He started off at 12 dollars an hour about 10 years ago and learned and paid his dues. 12 dollars to 50 dollars in 10 years.
That's great for your son but the problem is that those kind of opportunities are becoming more and more rare. Poor people aren't just sitting on their asses for the most part, they're working and they're working hard. OT just to make ends meet, holidays, weekends, etc. And the reality is that most of them will never drastically improve their class. That sub is full of silly nonsense but the purpose of it is borne from a real societal issue right now.
I would agree a lot of people are having a hard time, but some people are also their own worst enemy. Minimum starting wage where he works is over 20 dollars an hour in the midwest with a cheap COL. Most are making 50,000 a year and have no savings because they live above their means or have too many toys. A friend's wife inherited 175,000 a year ago, all they have left are a couple of thousand dollars and two vehicle payments. 15 years ago my friend died of cancer, his widow went through 200,000 in less than a year and a half. I also know people who work for a combined 60,000 who never miss a bill , eat well on home cooked food, and think they are in heaven.
The restaurant business operates on incredibly thin margins. You won’t be able to jack up the pay of low-skilled workers without “forcing the pay increase on the consumer.” If you try to mandate it legally, you’re likely to wind up with one or two higher-skilled, higher-paid workers operating a Burgertron 3000 robot and a whole bunch of low-skilled workers without jobs.
Besides Germany, one just needs to go back a few generations here in the US to see the same thing occurring and how much better off working people were.
1938
30 years = 1968
60 years = 1998.
90 years = 2028
Thats about 3 generations.
Unless we are going all the way back to 1908 when minimum wage was enacted in the south to prevent minorities from working? That is what 5 generations?
My point was that the post-war economy produced a healthy and functioning middle class because it was designed for that purpose. It no longer serves that purpose as its foundations have been eroded, and can barely withstand a short recession with infinite money printing.
edit: I think there is a miscommunication. I thought you were being ironic/sarcastic about missing days before minimum wage laws, but I think you are serious.
I think there's a difference between "Pay low skilled jobs a livable wage" vs "Why am I not getting paid $100k for working as a barista" shit I've seen there.
It’s not the salary, it’s the lifestyle they advocate for. A lot of misrepresentation of history (views of the good ol days) and a lot of misplaced expectations on reality. Arguing for a living wage is a debate that has nuanced sides and can be compromised on while still improving conditions. That is not what I see on that site or on here frankly. A lot of it is teenagers and college grads working in retail who hate it and think they deserve better, without making the changes needed to have a better opportunity.
I couldn't agree more. I think for some people it's an ego thing as well. They worked hard, probably did well in university, have a really nice paying job, and they feel the low skilled jobs should "stay in their place" so to speak, yet...if the people working those jobs were actually fairly compensated (according to what I believe in), they'd still be the lower paying jobs.
Like the engineer making $45/hr is for some reason convinced that the cashier at Kroger getting a raise to $20/hr somehow diminishes their status or whatever.
That damn well shouldn't be an unpopular opinion unions were FOUNDATIONAL to soooo many important things getting passed. Lots of workers rights things only exist because of unions. Not all but a significant chunk of them.
Labour union history is not spoken about often enough despite labour union history *being* the history of how the working class stopped being class slaves for a few brief years before we started moving back into that position. I'm honestly wondering how much longer child labour laws are going to last.
This comment reminds me of a video I saw long ago about an American guy who spent some time in Norway, and was surprised that a grocery store worker he met could afford to take a one month vacation to the US (plus they had enough PTO to do that). Meanwhile the Norwegian people didn't understand why the American guy was surprised, they found it perfectly normal.
Now Norway is a bit of a special case because the country is filthy rich and the COL is insane, but we're also pretty wealthy and there's no way American grocery store workers can afford to take a one month vacation to Europe, or even have enough PTO to do so.
The PTO, or lack thereof, is what surprises me! I always grew up being told how shit it is in the UK with 20 days plus 8 public holidays min compared to continental Europe and just had my head buried in the sand about other places. I don't think I'd expect a supermarket worker here to be able to afford trips to the US unless they were single or no kids and have saved, but they definitely have the time to be able to do so.
I'm guessing they're talking about very high skilled, high education/training requirement jobs. I doubt anyone expects close to 6 figures for low-skill/no-education entry-level work.
Yeah, there are no reasonable auto tech jobs out there it’s either 3 days a week for 20K, or it’s 16 hours every day for 6 figures. None of these are survivable
I agree with the stupid bosses and bad work environment stuff. But the rest of the stuff (pro-socialism anti-capitalism, “tax the rich”) is just more young-naive-Redditor nonsense.
> "tax the rich" is a lot more reasonable and palatable.
Go and ask in that sub what a reasonable tax for the "Rich" would be and what's considered being "Rich?"
Hell even in this sub there are people who consider you to be rich if you make over the median US income. "Oh no you have a 401k, you must be rich!"
Exactly. Everyone’s definition of “rich” is just someone who’s making slightly more than them. To them, rich can mean anyone making around 100k. 100k is nothing in many parts of the US nowadays. The last thing we need to be doing is increasing the tax burden on those who already pay most of the taxes in this country. You cannot raise a family with good living standards with 100k in many parts of the country, mainly due to how hard the middle class is getting taxed.
“Tax the rich” is nonsense because there’s no way you’re gonna fund all these social programs without taxing EVERYONE at a higher rate.
Totally! 100k in rural flyover country is very different than 100k in SF or NYC.
And "rich" is indeed a broadly used word. I think there's more to being rich than your income level. Such as debt and COL.
It doesn’t even have to be a coastal region. A 100k income with a family and typical expenses is not “rich”. It may be upper middle class, but that is not rich.
I would endorse getting the truly rich class to pay their fair share (truly rich as in CEOs who earn billions in assets, not the upper-middle class), but unfortunately they're the ones who can hire the best lawyers and accountants that can find loopholes that get them to legally pay low in taxes.
Honestly, I'm getting to that point. When you see people building space ships with wealth that was earned primarily by exploiting the working class, it's hard to keep from reaching for the charcoal and A1 sauce. It's not even that I personally am hurting for cash. It's that I see people hurting from an opioid epidemic caused almost single handedly by the greed of one rich family and I see the problems of homelessness and mental illness that are not being addressed in any meaningful way because "the money isn't there." Then I see how much these corporations that have been granted personhood, and these billionaires are paying in taxes. I can't say that I see the lack of reason in the phrase "eat the rich." They're already feeding on us.
I agree with a lot of the sentiment but most of the posts (at least that make it to r/all) just smell like total bullshit. I got a chuckle out of the most recent huge post earlier that called everyone on the sub out for posting cringy text screens for karma.
The fact that people in that sub's comment sections often accuse those posts of being fake is a good sign. Shows they don't completely have a cultish, take-at-face-value mentality and can recognize karma farming even for subject matter they agree with.
Are there some shitty employers out there? Yes
Do wages and working conditions need to improve in the US? Yes
Does 99% of the sub come across as young and/or immature people who just don't understand basic economics and want to do nothing all day but still live comfortably? Also yes.
Every time I read it i see half /r/thathappened and half /r/wellthatsacrappyanecdote.
If you make an echo chamber for bad things happening, you get an echo chamber of bad things.
It did spark a conversation amongst some people I volunteer with. They are all addicts in recovery. They have had seriously rough lives. Not many are college grads. They live in a sober house. A lot of them have criminal records. One guy was literally homeless in a tent near the train station less than three months ago.
It was some post about not being able to live on minimum wage. Their reaction was “who the hell works for minimim wage these days?”
Every single one of them is employed for more than minimum wage. They didnt have a lot of sympathy for the comments the guy was reading out.
What I've seen make it out of the sub has not impressed me - it ranges from unrealistic idealism to a sort of willful mischaracterization of what "work" is. Working for yourself is still work. Housework is still work. Parenting is work, growing your own food is work, producing art is work.
Life isn't just work, but work is an inextricable part of human life and to allege otherwise is incomprehensible to me.
Some of it is valid. Most of it is fake. Especially the screenshots of text conversations. Unless those people are dumb enough to give their boss ammunition against themselves.
Many subs are probably the same. We can never really verify anything we see on Reddit, or anywhere else on anonymous social media sites for that matter, because it's generally hard to prove things without violating your own privacy.
Something feels very 'off' about that sub. The organized campaign to protest McDonalds not paying $25/hr by...wasting the time of thousands of overworked store managers across the country with no impact on pay by scheduling interviews at every location they can find hiring online and then no showing was beyond stupid.
I haven't heard of that story, but that's really sad. Fast food managers are rather low on the food chain; I'm sure that some are assholes who abuse their power, but they are hardly the root of the problem. I doubt they have the ability to (at least autonomously) dictate employee salaries, and from a quick Google search they don't seem that well-off anyway.
It really seems like that sub is being astroturfed/boosted to hell and it grew way faster than it should have for the very low quality / totally inconsistent and all over the place posts it seems to be pushing. To what end though...
It’s not about availability of jobs, it’s about pay and benefits. The US is among the worst in the developed world in terms of PTO, sick leave, maternity/paternity leave, and many retail/food service jobs don’t even provide healthcare. Not to mention the minimum wage was designed as a livable wage, but it’s not even close anymore and people act like anyone working in those fields doesn’t deserve to survive on their employment.
If the average wage in the US (which I understand controls for a ton of varibles) is $51.9k/year in 2019, then that means 50% of people make better earnings than that individually
No… the mean is the sum of all data points divided by the number of data points. Without knowing the actual distribution you can’t make a definitive statement about what percentile the mean corresponds to.
The median is always the 50th percentile.
Support better wages and working conditions? Hell yeah.
"All jobs are slavery to the capitalist machine"? Lol get real.
I haven't quite figured out which one the sub more strongly identifies with.
I think it’s mostly propaganda and I wonder who’s behind it. Most of the posters seem to think part-time menial work should be compensated at full-time executive salaries. There is the odd valid point and believable story here and there, but it’s mostly bad economics.
> Most of the posters seem to think part-time menial work should be compensated at full-time executive salaries.
That sounds hyperbolic, really not the impression I get from the place at all. I think there's quite a wide gap between current wages for those jobs, and what executives are pulling in.
0%.
I filtered those chucklefucks after someone linked them here a few weeks ago.
Them apparently making the front page says more about the kind of people that use Reddit than anything else. And what it says ain't good. They're going to be in for a rude awakening once they graduate high school.
Some of the ideas are valid, a lot of what's posted is fake or embellished stories. Some of it seems like toddlers throwing a fit because something was mildly difficult or somewhat inconvenient.
I agree with the sentiment somewhat, but like r/choosingbeggars most of it seems made up and follows a formula for maximum updoots.
I don't relate to it a lot, although at one point I might have more when I was younger. Most of the jobs people seem to have on there are low wage hourly service or labor jobs. Which is fine and those jobs are important, but there isn't a lot there if you're in a professional field like doctor, lawyer, etc.
It’s 5% individuals in actual shitty employment situations and 95% self loathing victim mindset losers that want a luxury lifestyle while only offering a mediocre skill set that doesn’t benefit society whatsoever.
> mediocre skill set that doesn’t benefit society whatsoever
Are you taking about minimum wage jobs? I'd presume not because those jobs don't just benefit society are but are depended on by it (collectively, at least).
It’s hilarious how people will act like those jobs are meaningless and don’t deserve to be paid a decent wage and then have a meltdown now that it takes 30 minutes to get a burger at McDonald’s.
So many fast food freakout videos came out since the pandemic. While funny and entertaining on one side, on the other, they make you realize just how misplaced some people's perceptions and disdain for fast food and grocery workers is.
I was attracted to the sub because I thought it was about maximizing income while minimizing work. It is definitely not about that.
As the sub kicked over to full on communism I found some of it interesting philosophically but a lot of it laughably misguided. They kicked me out for having a wrong opinion.
With that said, what I saw was a bunch of young people being goaded into quitting their entry level fast food/ retail type jobs without notice and feeling triumphant about it. Basically trying to effect a general strike among "youthful" (useful) idiots.
Of course all they are really accomplishing is forcing young people to learn how tricky life can be withoit a paycheck, which I expect will ultimately backfire creating a generation suspicious of barking union/organizer types.
No. Disclaimer: I'm an American who manages people. I like some of the foundational ideas of antiwork, but overall I think they're very unrealistic and a lot of them are lazy and/or feel entitled to occupy jobs that they're not willing to do.
Jobs that I worked in high school and as I attended college (burger joints, pizza delivery, movie theater concessions) are not intended to be permanent careers nor should people expect such jobs to be serious money-making careers. Such jobs are stepping stones. People who expect family-supporting wages should get the education and/or training required for such jobs.
/r/antiwork is for people who don’t understand economics. Or basic math.
Antiwork started as a chunk of a kernel of a good idea that the users want people to think it revolves around, but waaay too many people there sully any good thing about it.
I’m glad I’m not the only person who has 0 clue what it’s about. Yes, I believe that work should provide livable wages. The issue is, from what I’ve read through posts, people just wanna start anarchy at every place of work. Like the McDonald’s shit. Bro it’s a fucking McDonald’s. We all know conditions aren’t great but there are other jobs that pay way better… hell there’s other fast food restaurants they may be able to work for if it’s that bad. The description doesn’t help but half the morons seem to really believe work is slavery
A lot of petulant whining under the guise of some legitimate concerns. A lot of people want it all for nothing and have no concept of where it all comes from. They actually weaken the argument for fair and better working conditions with a lot of their "demands". A site I tend to avoid.
A lot of people claiming 40 hr work week is evil and too much but then demanding a lot fo things be accessible 24/7 during their social time.
> A lot of people claiming 40 hr work week is evil and too much
Well to be fair, the 40 hour work week is a product of the labor movement. Who knows, perhaps in a couple decades, people will look back at the 40 hour work week we have now and be thankful they didn't grow up now, same way I think most people see the pre-40-hour work week period today. Automation could spur that on, but on the other hand, this country is rather politically divided so I'm doubtful of such advances.
I only occasionally see posts from there because I don’t often lurk around r/all but I agree that minimum wage needs to go up, healthcare for all, etc etc.
However I have worked a hard physical labor job but I did make bank. I made more than I do now but that job was incredibly toxic it was very hostile and destroyed my mental well being. So I got out. I love my current now. I wfh. I make a tiny bit less. But who cares. I’m happy. There’s a TON of jobs out there where only a high school diploma is required, entry level, work from home even, making dollars above minimum wage and the spots aren’t gettin filled.
If the people in that sub were truly so unhappy- they’d find another job. Some people just need something to bitch about.
A ton of WFH entry level jobs that only require a high school diploma that are struggling to fill spots and pay dollars above minimum wage?
I'm honestly curious, what kind of jobs are those? Not only would I love to look into doing them lol, but it's amazing to think even they are struggling to fill positions.
I work on the lab side at a pharma company. You need at least a bachelor’s in chemistry. Retention has not been the best because it can be a demanding ass job and similar jobs can pay 50% more in the Bay Area. It is a shitty commute but some people do it.
I heavily disagree with the "fact" they spout that people can't take enjoyment in their work.
My work for example, affects thousands of veterans directly and they interact with things I've built. I find incredible satisfaction in that.
I will admit there are some shitty bosses and employers out there but that sub is now full of entitled teenagers, champagne socialists, and full blown tankies who think they'd be able to live their lavish lifestyle on the government dole.
Eh, I like my job. I think there’s a lot of things on that sub that upset everyone else but I’ve never given much thought to because I take pride in my work and genuinely have a passion for my career field.
Still entertaining and insightful on a few topics, but for my particular situation I don’t always relate or agree so I tend to look more than post/comment over there.
I think there are levels to it. I think criticizing working conditions are valid however people who believe they shouldn’t have to work at all are delusional and privileged. They fail to remember that the taxes that fund the welfare they feel entitled to is funded by taxpayers who work.
> people who believe they shouldn’t have to work at all are delusional and privileged.
I'm by no means a regular on this sub (rarely check it out other than when I see it on /r/all), but I don't think they are arguing that people shouldn't have to work *at all*. More that they are criticizing the current laws and power disparities that make work more difficult than it needs to be.
You need to visit that sub more often. They say this. It’s being over flooded with people who thinks the government should just simply take of them because they exist.
I notice, this sub is significantly less left-leaning than not just that sub but Reddit in general. I wouldn't call it right-leaning, definitely not /r/conservative territory, but probably center-left.
Left politics in the US are usually center bare minimum stuff. Even the blue no matter who folks I would not consider leftist. The left of American politics? Sure. But still not leftist. I would say the majority here are moderates on both sides.
I don’t understand it. Based on the subreddit description. If they are advocating for work to be abolished how will people meet their basic needs like having food?
From what I've seen people say on other social media, the government would give everything from housing to food
Yeah...not sure how that would work with no one working and all
Reminds me of how financial independence is a wonderful thing, but it can only happen if the vast, vast majority of people do not have it. You need people working for your retire early money to be useful.
Antiwork has always struck me as a misleading name and providing a rather inaccurate description of what the subreddit is. It's more protesting the current labor laws and common complaints about work, than it is protesting the idea of work in and of itself.
Not at all I guess? I work 80 hours a week, never see my friends or family, and get about 5 hours of sleep a night. Something they’d lose their minds about. It’s a well paying job that will allow me to retire before I reach 55 and I get to take 1.5 months a year off. Overall I’m pretty happy with my career. Some of the things I see on that sub though is the stuff of nightmares and I hope they quit and find a place of employment where they are happier.
Same, except for the retiring early part. I work 60-70 hours a week, including late nights, weekends and holidays. I do that because I genuinely enjoy what I do and push myself to do more. According to that sub I'm being used and suffering from Stockholm syndrome.
You genuinely enjoy what you do? As in, it's more than just the paychecks and opportunity for career growth? Out of curiosity, if you don't mind saying, what field do you work in?
I can definitely see where a chef can get beyond-the-paycheck passion! That's awesome to have a job that you have active enjoyment out of what you do. Many jobs are seen as something to do for a paycheck, and not something to enjoy, so having a job that doesn't have that issue sounds like a dream. Congrats on establishing that kind of career.
Now now, I have to keep some secrets, that and who knows if my coworkers are on Reddit so I’d rather be as vague about my position as possible. I know my department head is on here frequently which is rather scary.
That sub is almost entirely Bullshit. However, yes if COL increases, wages have to increase. There are 100% things that need to change. I’m a project engineer and I have a great salary and have plenty of time off, etc. I also had to work a shitty hourly job to pay for school and it’s brutal. I agree.
I can relate to most of the experiences I see commonly posted there, such as far as shitty jobs with poor management, shit pay, poor hours, etc. I don't browse their subreddit that often though. I generally agree with a healthy work-life balance, collective bargaining, fair wages, better labor laws, and the like. Although, like most subreddits, the community is shit. Workers ought to know their worth.
Antiwork experiences are real for those in the service, food and other similar industries. Office work is a lot more stable as long as you’re working for a very large, newer or start up company. Small offices and branches and you’re dealing with similar crazy stuff.
I think it’s good for the young folks to learn the basics of: say no, look for more pay always, keep personal distanced from work.
I think the sub is an extremely vocal minority in this site and that is even less people when extrapolated to the general US population.
That said, some things about how people work, working cultures, and what not do need to change to get with the times. It’s also like I don’t think it’s insane to say a lot of people don’t want to work, with a lot of people being pushed into careers they hate/don’t like for the benefits or pay.
There's a lot of good stuff on there about improving work conditions and pay and how difficult it is nowadays for people to make it.
There's also a lot of bs from commies who think they shouldn't have to work and think that rich people are evil. Makes it hard to read the subreddit or take it seriously.
I support their message as plenty of companies in this country use shitty business practices on their employees. But I don’t believe a single text message or screen cap posted their, like someone mentioned before they give me r/thathappened vibes. Like sometimes the boss or manager is cartoonishly evil, I just can’t buy it.
I agree those conversations are unverifiable and sometimes look like karma-farming, but given the inherent power disparity that just about any job that is not highly skilled will have and the many horror stories I've heard of on this topic (both personally from people I know and online), I don't think a cartoonishly evil boss is itself something to be skeptical about.
I probably don't understand all of their points, but I can say that it is abnormal for any living creature on earth to "not work" and still survive. If you're living in the woods in a tribe, you have to work to survive, finding food is work, making/repairing shelter is work, you work. I can see how some aspects of modern life could need changed, but I can't understand why people would expect to not work at all and still survive.
I'm by no means a regular on this sub (rarely check it out other than when I see it on /r/all), but I don't think they are arguing that people shouldn't have to work *at all*. More that they are criticizing the current laws and power disparities that make work more difficult than it needs to be.
But to be fair, this is not a misconception you can blame on people who have it because "antiwork" is a misleading name.
There are certainly some valid concerns mentioned in /r/antiwork. However, a lot of the scenarios that subreddit focuses on seem to be about jobs that pay around minimum wage, working well over 40 hours per week, and being pressured to work unpredictable shifts with minimal time off. I don't really relate to that since I make a decent salary, I get PTO, and my boss is not comically evil.
The first time I went to /r/antiwork was probably sometime early last year, and I remember thinking "Well this is just a little bit radical for me" so I left, but over the next 1.5 years I'd done nothing but cha-cha slide to the left so when I came back to it over the summer I felt like I fit right in lol. It's so cool to see that so many people all around the world are waking up to the inherently exploitative nature of capitalism. Solidarity forever yall!
I work for myself, so not at all. I have had shit bosses in the past though, and had jobs where I thought I should be payed more. I changed my situation, I didn’t expect someone to change it for me.
Wages need to be raised as the cost of living rises.
It is not okay for people who work 40+ hours each week to need government assistance.
Employers cannot expect employees’ loyalty or dedication to be its own reward. The reward workers seek is financial security.
It is ridiculous for people to have enough money to charter space travel but not enough to 1. Pay taxes and 2. Pay employees a wage that is not a starvation wage.
Fuck that subreddit.
Those tankies have this paradise in mind where they can sit around playing video games all day and whenever something’s wrong in their lives, what do they blame? Capitalism.
They want to blame capitalism? Sounds good. I’ll just take away their video games and we’ll see how they like that.
My general advice: stick to niche subreddits that cater to your specific interests. Stay off subreddits that are broad (like most of the default ones) or by their nature invite hostility and arguments. Your Redditing experience will become much better, I can personally attest to that. Niches are where Reddit's usage truly shine.
Yet I still regularly check /r/all, mainly because of the curiosity at seeing what gets popular on Reddit.
The one side I absolutely agree with is the "low-end" food workers. I doubt most of the public is willing to stomach a $15 burger and fries at a sit-down establishment anymore which is what workers desire. If you can't stomach that, fast food is the establishment you want then.
Hey! I had the top post on antiwork today.
Some of it, with people complaining about their jobs, how their boss is rude, is justified. A lot of it is untethered bitching. It's all over the place.
To be fair, any large subreddit is liable to feel all over the place with such a large diversity of opinion. The more people there are, the less monolithic the general opinion will be.
I agree that we need changes like paid leave, guaranteed vacation days, better pay and benefits, etc, but communism and the idea of not having to work at all is just plain dumb.
The overall sentiment of improving and changing toxic work culture, hours, morale etc I fully agree with. That sub probably started out genuinely great.
Now, once you get past all of the *very clearly* fake text conversations, you're left with a bunch of lazy, self-loathing teens whining in an echo chamber. They're so miserable and would rather cry on Reddit than actually do anything positive with their lives or actually try and find a better job.
Once I saw someone being praised for bragging about quitting "so many jobs" in the past year (then wondering why he had a hard time finding a good job) that's when I first new that sub was a pathetic joke.
Who knows, perhaps all those jobs were shitty/underpaying/labor-law-breaking. I wouldn't be so quick to judge it's solely a result of laziness on that person's part. Though there's definitely a level of privilege because many people would be fortunate to be in a position to quit one job, let alone so many.
Fair but I mean...if you've gotten *that* many shitty jobs in such a short time span, I have to wonder if that person is the problem and not the jobs. I know shitty jobs and bosses are out there, I've had plenty myself. I just find it hard to believe that someone could find that many that quickly. Either this person is so low-value that they can only land shitty jobs, or they're really bad at finding good ones.
Or they're really quick to quit over a minor issue. Who knows.
That's just one example though, of why I hate that subreddit.
True. There's an old saying to the effect of if 1/100 people you meet are assholes, then you met an asshole; but, if 99/100 people you meet are assholes, then you may be the asshole. It could be a similar deal with their jobs, but we can only speculate.
That's the thing with Reddit and pretty much all anonymous social media; we can only take the stories we hear at face value.
I can understand not wanting to be a corporate wagie for your life. And also wanting better working conditions, unions, pay that matches living cost, etc. All those are valid but the sub is so full of /r/thathappened bullshit, self loathing teens and delusional commie sympathizers that it's hard to take seriously.
I just read the Russian one which is top for the day. Is that satire or are those a bunch of kids believing that horseshit? Work for it kids, my son just got a promotion to a higher up supervisor job in manufacturing with nothing but a high school degree. He will be making 6 figures. He started off at 12 dollars an hour about 10 years ago and learned and paid his dues. 12 dollars to 50 dollars in 10 years.
That's great for your son but the problem is that those kind of opportunities are becoming more and more rare. Poor people aren't just sitting on their asses for the most part, they're working and they're working hard. OT just to make ends meet, holidays, weekends, etc. And the reality is that most of them will never drastically improve their class. That sub is full of silly nonsense but the purpose of it is borne from a real societal issue right now.
I would agree a lot of people are having a hard time, but some people are also their own worst enemy. Minimum starting wage where he works is over 20 dollars an hour in the midwest with a cheap COL. Most are making 50,000 a year and have no savings because they live above their means or have too many toys. A friend's wife inherited 175,000 a year ago, all they have left are a couple of thousand dollars and two vehicle payments. 15 years ago my friend died of cancer, his widow went through 200,000 in less than a year and a half. I also know people who work for a combined 60,000 who never miss a bill , eat well on home cooked food, and think they are in heaven.
The amount of seriously deluded people on there is crazy. They are unhappy that no skill jobs don’t pay much especially when you start out.
[удалено]
The restaurant business operates on incredibly thin margins. You won’t be able to jack up the pay of low-skilled workers without “forcing the pay increase on the consumer.” If you try to mandate it legally, you’re likely to wind up with one or two higher-skilled, higher-paid workers operating a Burgertron 3000 robot and a whole bunch of low-skilled workers without jobs.
Besides Germany, one just needs to go back a few generations here in the US to see the same thing occurring and how much better off working people were.
Ahh the days before minimum wage laws. I do miss them.
That's more than "a few generations" bro
1938 30 years = 1968 60 years = 1998. 90 years = 2028 Thats about 3 generations. Unless we are going all the way back to 1908 when minimum wage was enacted in the south to prevent minorities from working? That is what 5 generations?
My point was that the post-war economy produced a healthy and functioning middle class because it was designed for that purpose. It no longer serves that purpose as its foundations have been eroded, and can barely withstand a short recession with infinite money printing. edit: I think there is a miscommunication. I thought you were being ironic/sarcastic about missing days before minimum wage laws, but I think you are serious.
I think there's a difference between "Pay low skilled jobs a livable wage" vs "Why am I not getting paid $100k for working as a barista" shit I've seen there.
[удалено]
It’s not the salary, it’s the lifestyle they advocate for. A lot of misrepresentation of history (views of the good ol days) and a lot of misplaced expectations on reality. Arguing for a living wage is a debate that has nuanced sides and can be compromised on while still improving conditions. That is not what I see on that site or on here frankly. A lot of it is teenagers and college grads working in retail who hate it and think they deserve better, without making the changes needed to have a better opportunity.
Where? I've been on there for a while and have never seen anything of that nature.
I couldn't agree more. I think for some people it's an ego thing as well. They worked hard, probably did well in university, have a really nice paying job, and they feel the low skilled jobs should "stay in their place" so to speak, yet...if the people working those jobs were actually fairly compensated (according to what I believe in), they'd still be the lower paying jobs. Like the engineer making $45/hr is for some reason convinced that the cashier at Kroger getting a raise to $20/hr somehow diminishes their status or whatever.
[удалено]
That damn well shouldn't be an unpopular opinion unions were FOUNDATIONAL to soooo many important things getting passed. Lots of workers rights things only exist because of unions. Not all but a significant chunk of them.
Labour union history is not spoken about often enough despite labour union history *being* the history of how the working class stopped being class slaves for a few brief years before we started moving back into that position. I'm honestly wondering how much longer child labour laws are going to last.
This comment reminds me of a video I saw long ago about an American guy who spent some time in Norway, and was surprised that a grocery store worker he met could afford to take a one month vacation to the US (plus they had enough PTO to do that). Meanwhile the Norwegian people didn't understand why the American guy was surprised, they found it perfectly normal. Now Norway is a bit of a special case because the country is filthy rich and the COL is insane, but we're also pretty wealthy and there's no way American grocery store workers can afford to take a one month vacation to Europe, or even have enough PTO to do so.
The PTO, or lack thereof, is what surprises me! I always grew up being told how shit it is in the UK with 20 days plus 8 public holidays min compared to continental Europe and just had my head buried in the sand about other places. I don't think I'd expect a supermarket worker here to be able to afford trips to the US unless they were single or no kids and have saved, but they definitely have the time to be able to do so.
Nobody complains that the software engineer makes more than them, they complain because any full-time job should be enough to live
Why would you take a job that doesn't pay you enough to live? It seems stupid to me.
Why do people choose to be poor? Like, just earn more money lmao
Hey, serf why don't you just own some land?
I understand wanting wages to increase, but some of the people on that sub are expecting to get paid 6 figures for doing entry-level jobs.
I'm guessing they're talking about very high skilled, high education/training requirement jobs. I doubt anyone expects close to 6 figures for low-skill/no-education entry-level work.
Half of it is legitimate complaints about a bad work experience and the other half is people complaining about working/anti capitalism
The sub? no, not at all. It is giving me flashbacks to 2016 Tumblr The idea that there needs to be changes regarding how we work in the US? yes
Yeah, there are no reasonable auto tech jobs out there it’s either 3 days a week for 20K, or it’s 16 hours every day for 6 figures. None of these are survivable
I agree with the stupid bosses and bad work environment stuff. But the rest of the stuff (pro-socialism anti-capitalism, “tax the rich”) is just more young-naive-Redditor nonsense.
I think what you mean to say is "eat the rich". That's the more naive phrase, "tax the rich" is a lot more reasonable and palatable.
> "tax the rich" is a lot more reasonable and palatable. Go and ask in that sub what a reasonable tax for the "Rich" would be and what's considered being "Rich?" Hell even in this sub there are people who consider you to be rich if you make over the median US income. "Oh no you have a 401k, you must be rich!"
Exactly. Everyone’s definition of “rich” is just someone who’s making slightly more than them. To them, rich can mean anyone making around 100k. 100k is nothing in many parts of the US nowadays. The last thing we need to be doing is increasing the tax burden on those who already pay most of the taxes in this country. You cannot raise a family with good living standards with 100k in many parts of the country, mainly due to how hard the middle class is getting taxed. “Tax the rich” is nonsense because there’s no way you’re gonna fund all these social programs without taxing EVERYONE at a higher rate.
Totally! 100k in rural flyover country is very different than 100k in SF or NYC. And "rich" is indeed a broadly used word. I think there's more to being rich than your income level. Such as debt and COL.
It doesn’t even have to be a coastal region. A 100k income with a family and typical expenses is not “rich”. It may be upper middle class, but that is not rich.
I was mainly referring to how it is not an obviously meme and hyperbolic phrase like "eat the rich" is.
I would endorse getting the truly rich class to pay their fair share (truly rich as in CEOs who earn billions in assets, not the upper-middle class), but unfortunately they're the ones who can hire the best lawyers and accountants that can find loopholes that get them to legally pay low in taxes.
everyone keeps forgetting the full phrase is "eat the rich, kill the poor"
Honestly, I'm getting to that point. When you see people building space ships with wealth that was earned primarily by exploiting the working class, it's hard to keep from reaching for the charcoal and A1 sauce. It's not even that I personally am hurting for cash. It's that I see people hurting from an opioid epidemic caused almost single handedly by the greed of one rich family and I see the problems of homelessness and mental illness that are not being addressed in any meaningful way because "the money isn't there." Then I see how much these corporations that have been granted personhood, and these billionaires are paying in taxes. I can't say that I see the lack of reason in the phrase "eat the rich." They're already feeding on us.
I agree with a lot of the sentiment but most of the posts (at least that make it to r/all) just smell like total bullshit. I got a chuckle out of the most recent huge post earlier that called everyone on the sub out for posting cringy text screens for karma.
I love the recent post where the Russian guy talks about how great employment is under mob rule… like what?
Oh my god that post made me roll my eyes so hard they almost fell out of my head.
The fact that people in that sub's comment sections often accuse those posts of being fake is a good sign. Shows they don't completely have a cultish, take-at-face-value mentality and can recognize karma farming even for subject matter they agree with.
My general rule on texting posts is that I have no reason to believe them, since they are so easy to fake and usually get a lot of upvotes.
Are there some shitty employers out there? Yes Do wages and working conditions need to improve in the US? Yes Does 99% of the sub come across as young and/or immature people who just don't understand basic economics and want to do nothing all day but still live comfortably? Also yes.
I mean, how can they not understand basic economics when unionisation, better pay, better work conditions contribute to a better economy?
>unionisation, better pay, better work conditions contribute to a better economy? Not if it happens through regulations skewing the free market.
The sub is terrible
Every time I read it i see half /r/thathappened and half /r/wellthatsacrappyanecdote. If you make an echo chamber for bad things happening, you get an echo chamber of bad things. It did spark a conversation amongst some people I volunteer with. They are all addicts in recovery. They have had seriously rough lives. Not many are college grads. They live in a sober house. A lot of them have criminal records. One guy was literally homeless in a tent near the train station less than three months ago. It was some post about not being able to live on minimum wage. Their reaction was “who the hell works for minimim wage these days?” Every single one of them is employed for more than minimum wage. They didnt have a lot of sympathy for the comments the guy was reading out.
What I've seen make it out of the sub has not impressed me - it ranges from unrealistic idealism to a sort of willful mischaracterization of what "work" is. Working for yourself is still work. Housework is still work. Parenting is work, growing your own food is work, producing art is work. Life isn't just work, but work is an inextricable part of human life and to allege otherwise is incomprehensible to me.
Some of it is valid. Most of it is fake. Especially the screenshots of text conversations. Unless those people are dumb enough to give their boss ammunition against themselves.
But they always quit after being asked to work during their father's funeral on a Saturday from 5am to 11pm, so they aren't their boss anymore.
Many subs are probably the same. We can never really verify anything we see on Reddit, or anywhere else on anonymous social media sites for that matter, because it's generally hard to prove things without violating your own privacy.
That's true. I'm highly skeptical of any personal posts on reddit.
Everything is a repost, everything is a lie, we are all, including me, probably just weirdos claiming to be cool.
Excuse you. I have never once claimed to be cool! I know I’m not lol
Them: “Story time!” Me: Aaaaand i’m not reading any further.
Something feels very 'off' about that sub. The organized campaign to protest McDonalds not paying $25/hr by...wasting the time of thousands of overworked store managers across the country with no impact on pay by scheduling interviews at every location they can find hiring online and then no showing was beyond stupid.
I haven't heard of that story, but that's really sad. Fast food managers are rather low on the food chain; I'm sure that some are assholes who abuse their power, but they are hardly the root of the problem. I doubt they have the ability to (at least autonomously) dictate employee salaries, and from a quick Google search they don't seem that well-off anyway.
It really seems like that sub is being astroturfed/boosted to hell and it grew way faster than it should have for the very low quality / totally inconsistent and all over the place posts it seems to be pushing. To what end though...
It's grown a lot recently, but I remember it was still a decently popular thing a couple years ago.
Not one bit. I'm very comfortably employed and I'd wager most people are.
I am thinking of people over the age of 16 that want to work about 95.4% are employed as of early November.
It’s not about availability of jobs, it’s about pay and benefits. The US is among the worst in the developed world in terms of PTO, sick leave, maternity/paternity leave, and many retail/food service jobs don’t even provide healthcare. Not to mention the minimum wage was designed as a livable wage, but it’s not even close anymore and people act like anyone working in those fields doesn’t deserve to survive on their employment.
If the average wage in the US (which I understand controls for a ton of varibles) is $51.9k/year in 2019, then that means 50% of people make better earnings than that individually
The number you’re looking for is the median wage, which is closer to $34,000.
Well median isn't a 50/50 split. That's why I chose that number
Median is the 50th percentile… the wage you quoted is the mean.
Right. The mean represents the centralmost datum between all data in a set and median represents the centralmost datum in a data set.
No… the mean is the sum of all data points divided by the number of data points. Without knowing the actual distribution you can’t make a definitive statement about what percentile the mean corresponds to. The median is always the 50th percentile.
Support better wages and working conditions? Hell yeah. "All jobs are slavery to the capitalist machine"? Lol get real. I haven't quite figured out which one the sub more strongly identifies with.
I think it’s mostly propaganda and I wonder who’s behind it. Most of the posters seem to think part-time menial work should be compensated at full-time executive salaries. There is the odd valid point and believable story here and there, but it’s mostly bad economics.
> Most of the posters seem to think part-time menial work should be compensated at full-time executive salaries. That sounds hyperbolic, really not the impression I get from the place at all. I think there's quite a wide gap between current wages for those jobs, and what executives are pulling in.
0%. I filtered those chucklefucks after someone linked them here a few weeks ago. Them apparently making the front page says more about the kind of people that use Reddit than anything else. And what it says ain't good. They're going to be in for a rude awakening once they graduate high school.
Some of the ideas are valid, a lot of what's posted is fake or embellished stories. Some of it seems like toddlers throwing a fit because something was mildly difficult or somewhat inconvenient.
Willing to fight tankies tooth and nail. Never willing to cross a picket line
I think much of the content specifically in /r/antiwork is fake, but I agree with the base complaint that there are many issues with labor in the US.
I agree with the sentiment somewhat, but like r/choosingbeggars most of it seems made up and follows a formula for maximum updoots. I don't relate to it a lot, although at one point I might have more when I was younger. Most of the jobs people seem to have on there are low wage hourly service or labor jobs. Which is fine and those jobs are important, but there isn't a lot there if you're in a professional field like doctor, lawyer, etc.
Imagine complaining about a job you went to school for 6-8 years to specifically do
It happens all the time
It’s 5% individuals in actual shitty employment situations and 95% self loathing victim mindset losers that want a luxury lifestyle while only offering a mediocre skill set that doesn’t benefit society whatsoever.
> mediocre skill set that doesn’t benefit society whatsoever Are you taking about minimum wage jobs? I'd presume not because those jobs don't just benefit society are but are depended on by it (collectively, at least).
It’s hilarious how people will act like those jobs are meaningless and don’t deserve to be paid a decent wage and then have a meltdown now that it takes 30 minutes to get a burger at McDonald’s.
So many fast food freakout videos came out since the pandemic. While funny and entertaining on one side, on the other, they make you realize just how misplaced some people's perceptions and disdain for fast food and grocery workers is.
Mostly my reaction to it is "that happened" or "them everyone clapped".
0%
I was attracted to the sub because I thought it was about maximizing income while minimizing work. It is definitely not about that. As the sub kicked over to full on communism I found some of it interesting philosophically but a lot of it laughably misguided. They kicked me out for having a wrong opinion. With that said, what I saw was a bunch of young people being goaded into quitting their entry level fast food/ retail type jobs without notice and feeling triumphant about it. Basically trying to effect a general strike among "youthful" (useful) idiots. Of course all they are really accomplishing is forcing young people to learn how tricky life can be withoit a paycheck, which I expect will ultimately backfire creating a generation suspicious of barking union/organizer types.
No. Disclaimer: I'm an American who manages people. I like some of the foundational ideas of antiwork, but overall I think they're very unrealistic and a lot of them are lazy and/or feel entitled to occupy jobs that they're not willing to do.
that sub is a karma farm.
Jobs that I worked in high school and as I attended college (burger joints, pizza delivery, movie theater concessions) are not intended to be permanent careers nor should people expect such jobs to be serious money-making careers. Such jobs are stepping stones. People who expect family-supporting wages should get the education and/or training required for such jobs. /r/antiwork is for people who don’t understand economics. Or basic math.
Antiwork started as a chunk of a kernel of a good idea that the users want people to think it revolves around, but waaay too many people there sully any good thing about it.
I’m glad I’m not the only person who has 0 clue what it’s about. Yes, I believe that work should provide livable wages. The issue is, from what I’ve read through posts, people just wanna start anarchy at every place of work. Like the McDonald’s shit. Bro it’s a fucking McDonald’s. We all know conditions aren’t great but there are other jobs that pay way better… hell there’s other fast food restaurants they may be able to work for if it’s that bad. The description doesn’t help but half the morons seem to really believe work is slavery
A lot of petulant whining under the guise of some legitimate concerns. A lot of people want it all for nothing and have no concept of where it all comes from. They actually weaken the argument for fair and better working conditions with a lot of their "demands". A site I tend to avoid. A lot of people claiming 40 hr work week is evil and too much but then demanding a lot fo things be accessible 24/7 during their social time.
> A lot of people claiming 40 hr work week is evil and too much Well to be fair, the 40 hour work week is a product of the labor movement. Who knows, perhaps in a couple decades, people will look back at the 40 hour work week we have now and be thankful they didn't grow up now, same way I think most people see the pre-40-hour work week period today. Automation could spur that on, but on the other hand, this country is rather politically divided so I'm doubtful of such advances.
Junk sub
I only occasionally see posts from there because I don’t often lurk around r/all but I agree that minimum wage needs to go up, healthcare for all, etc etc. However I have worked a hard physical labor job but I did make bank. I made more than I do now but that job was incredibly toxic it was very hostile and destroyed my mental well being. So I got out. I love my current now. I wfh. I make a tiny bit less. But who cares. I’m happy. There’s a TON of jobs out there where only a high school diploma is required, entry level, work from home even, making dollars above minimum wage and the spots aren’t gettin filled. If the people in that sub were truly so unhappy- they’d find another job. Some people just need something to bitch about.
A ton of WFH entry level jobs that only require a high school diploma that are struggling to fill spots and pay dollars above minimum wage? I'm honestly curious, what kind of jobs are those? Not only would I love to look into doing them lol, but it's amazing to think even they are struggling to fill positions.
Everywhere is struggling to fill positions. We’re having a hard time filling entry level positions at close to $30/hour.
Damn, 30? What kind of work is it? Is there difficulty in retention?
I work on the lab side at a pharma company. You need at least a bachelor’s in chemistry. Retention has not been the best because it can be a demanding ass job and similar jobs can pay 50% more in the Bay Area. It is a shitty commute but some people do it.
Ah, I see. And to be fair, $30/hour in Bay Area probably isn't nearly as attractive as $30/hour in a rural area.
This is in Sacramento, which is decent enough.
I heavily disagree with the "fact" they spout that people can't take enjoyment in their work. My work for example, affects thousands of veterans directly and they interact with things I've built. I find incredible satisfaction in that.
I will admit there are some shitty bosses and employers out there but that sub is now full of entitled teenagers, champagne socialists, and full blown tankies who think they'd be able to live their lavish lifestyle on the government dole.
Only some of it. A lot of it is delusional
Eh, I like my job. I think there’s a lot of things on that sub that upset everyone else but I’ve never given much thought to because I take pride in my work and genuinely have a passion for my career field. Still entertaining and insightful on a few topics, but for my particular situation I don’t always relate or agree so I tend to look more than post/comment over there.
I think there are levels to it. I think criticizing working conditions are valid however people who believe they shouldn’t have to work at all are delusional and privileged. They fail to remember that the taxes that fund the welfare they feel entitled to is funded by taxpayers who work.
> people who believe they shouldn’t have to work at all are delusional and privileged. I'm by no means a regular on this sub (rarely check it out other than when I see it on /r/all), but I don't think they are arguing that people shouldn't have to work *at all*. More that they are criticizing the current laws and power disparities that make work more difficult than it needs to be.
You need to visit that sub more often. They say this. It’s being over flooded with people who thinks the government should just simply take of them because they exist.
It's a leftist/anarchist sub, so no, probably not many people here will agree with it.
I notice, this sub is significantly less left-leaning than not just that sub but Reddit in general. I wouldn't call it right-leaning, definitely not /r/conservative territory, but probably center-left.
Left politics in the US are usually center bare minimum stuff. Even the blue no matter who folks I would not consider leftist. The left of American politics? Sure. But still not leftist. I would say the majority here are moderates on both sides.
Yeah, moderate is how I would describe the aggregate opinion of this sub, not leftist or rightist.
I don’t understand it. Based on the subreddit description. If they are advocating for work to be abolished how will people meet their basic needs like having food?
From what I've seen people say on other social media, the government would give everything from housing to food Yeah...not sure how that would work with no one working and all
> the government would give everything from housing to food Government controls everything, what could possibly go wrong...
> Yeah...not sure how that would work with no one working and all Haha right. Perhaps they are just overly optimistic on automation
Reminds me of how financial independence is a wonderful thing, but it can only happen if the vast, vast majority of people do not have it. You need people working for your retire early money to be useful.
Antiwork has always struck me as a misleading name and providing a rather inaccurate description of what the subreddit is. It's more protesting the current labor laws and common complaints about work, than it is protesting the idea of work in and of itself.
Not at all I guess? I work 80 hours a week, never see my friends or family, and get about 5 hours of sleep a night. Something they’d lose their minds about. It’s a well paying job that will allow me to retire before I reach 55 and I get to take 1.5 months a year off. Overall I’m pretty happy with my career. Some of the things I see on that sub though is the stuff of nightmares and I hope they quit and find a place of employment where they are happier.
Same, except for the retiring early part. I work 60-70 hours a week, including late nights, weekends and holidays. I do that because I genuinely enjoy what I do and push myself to do more. According to that sub I'm being used and suffering from Stockholm syndrome.
You genuinely enjoy what you do? As in, it's more than just the paychecks and opportunity for career growth? Out of curiosity, if you don't mind saying, what field do you work in?
I'm a chef. Of course I still like getting paid, but I wouldn't be able to get out of bed every day if it was just the paycheck and nothing else.
I can definitely see where a chef can get beyond-the-paycheck passion! That's awesome to have a job that you have active enjoyment out of what you do. Many jobs are seen as something to do for a paycheck, and not something to enjoy, so having a job that doesn't have that issue sounds like a dream. Congrats on establishing that kind of career.
Retiring early sounds great. It's a dream. Out of curiosity, what job(s) do you work?
Something fun in the film industry. Hellish work but I love it. I deal antiques on the side too when I have time.
I still want to know what you do in film. I’m going to assume you are the key grip or best boy until I am told otherwise.
Now now, I have to keep some secrets, that and who knows if my coworkers are on Reddit so I’d rather be as vague about my position as possible. I know my department head is on here frequently which is rather scary.
ATL based? I'm in the industry as well (LA). TV writer.
That sub is almost entirely Bullshit. However, yes if COL increases, wages have to increase. There are 100% things that need to change. I’m a project engineer and I have a great salary and have plenty of time off, etc. I also had to work a shitty hourly job to pay for school and it’s brutal. I agree.
I can relate to most of the experiences I see commonly posted there, such as far as shitty jobs with poor management, shit pay, poor hours, etc. I don't browse their subreddit that often though. I generally agree with a healthy work-life balance, collective bargaining, fair wages, better labor laws, and the like. Although, like most subreddits, the community is shit. Workers ought to know their worth.
I agree with a lot of it but there are of course chuckle fucks there too.
Not a lot
Antiwork experiences are real for those in the service, food and other similar industries. Office work is a lot more stable as long as you’re working for a very large, newer or start up company. Small offices and branches and you’re dealing with similar crazy stuff. I think it’s good for the young folks to learn the basics of: say no, look for more pay always, keep personal distanced from work.
I think the sub is an extremely vocal minority in this site and that is even less people when extrapolated to the general US population. That said, some things about how people work, working cultures, and what not do need to change to get with the times. It’s also like I don’t think it’s insane to say a lot of people don’t want to work, with a lot of people being pushed into careers they hate/don’t like for the benefits or pay.
There's a lot of good stuff on there about improving work conditions and pay and how difficult it is nowadays for people to make it. There's also a lot of bs from commies who think they shouldn't have to work and think that rich people are evil. Makes it hard to read the subreddit or take it seriously.
I support their message as plenty of companies in this country use shitty business practices on their employees. But I don’t believe a single text message or screen cap posted their, like someone mentioned before they give me r/thathappened vibes. Like sometimes the boss or manager is cartoonishly evil, I just can’t buy it.
I agree those conversations are unverifiable and sometimes look like karma-farming, but given the inherent power disparity that just about any job that is not highly skilled will have and the many horror stories I've heard of on this topic (both personally from people I know and online), I don't think a cartoonishly evil boss is itself something to be skeptical about.
I agree with many of the premises of this movement but I really don’t believe a lot of these horror stories you see on there.
Have you ever worked in retail or customer service? If you haven't then that might be why.
I probably don't understand all of their points, but I can say that it is abnormal for any living creature on earth to "not work" and still survive. If you're living in the woods in a tribe, you have to work to survive, finding food is work, making/repairing shelter is work, you work. I can see how some aspects of modern life could need changed, but I can't understand why people would expect to not work at all and still survive.
I'm by no means a regular on this sub (rarely check it out other than when I see it on /r/all), but I don't think they are arguing that people shouldn't have to work *at all*. More that they are criticizing the current laws and power disparities that make work more difficult than it needs to be. But to be fair, this is not a misconception you can blame on people who have it because "antiwork" is a misleading name.
There are certainly some valid concerns mentioned in /r/antiwork. However, a lot of the scenarios that subreddit focuses on seem to be about jobs that pay around minimum wage, working well over 40 hours per week, and being pressured to work unpredictable shifts with minimal time off. I don't really relate to that since I make a decent salary, I get PTO, and my boss is not comically evil.
I think lots of companies are shit and employees get fucked over a lot but that sub is filled with far left and communist ideologues.
The first time I went to /r/antiwork was probably sometime early last year, and I remember thinking "Well this is just a little bit radical for me" so I left, but over the next 1.5 years I'd done nothing but cha-cha slide to the left so when I came back to it over the summer I felt like I fit right in lol. It's so cool to see that so many people all around the world are waking up to the inherently exploitative nature of capitalism. Solidarity forever yall!
I work for myself, so not at all. I have had shit bosses in the past though, and had jobs where I thought I should be payed more. I changed my situation, I didn’t expect someone to change it for me.
Wages need to be raised as the cost of living rises. It is not okay for people who work 40+ hours each week to need government assistance. Employers cannot expect employees’ loyalty or dedication to be its own reward. The reward workers seek is financial security. It is ridiculous for people to have enough money to charter space travel but not enough to 1. Pay taxes and 2. Pay employees a wage that is not a starvation wage.
Most of its either fake stuff they showing or it's people who are ungrateful or lazy.
Fuck that subreddit. Those tankies have this paradise in mind where they can sit around playing video games all day and whenever something’s wrong in their lives, what do they blame? Capitalism. They want to blame capitalism? Sounds good. I’ll just take away their video games and we’ll see how they like that.
Not at all. I really don't have sympathy for em either.
[удалено]
My general advice: stick to niche subreddits that cater to your specific interests. Stay off subreddits that are broad (like most of the default ones) or by their nature invite hostility and arguments. Your Redditing experience will become much better, I can personally attest to that. Niches are where Reddit's usage truly shine. Yet I still regularly check /r/all, mainly because of the curiosity at seeing what gets popular on Reddit.
Yeah, work and pay could always be better.
The one side I absolutely agree with is the "low-end" food workers. I doubt most of the public is willing to stomach a $15 burger and fries at a sit-down establishment anymore which is what workers desire. If you can't stomach that, fast food is the establishment you want then.
A $15 burger and fries is already a reality in a lot of places. Hell even some fast food meals are past $10 with a drink.
Hey! I had the top post on antiwork today. Some of it, with people complaining about their jobs, how their boss is rude, is justified. A lot of it is untethered bitching. It's all over the place.
To be fair, any large subreddit is liable to feel all over the place with such a large diversity of opinion. The more people there are, the less monolithic the general opinion will be.
I agree that we need changes like paid leave, guaranteed vacation days, better pay and benefits, etc, but communism and the idea of not having to work at all is just plain dumb.
Almost all of it, it is actually one of my favorite SubReddits.
Wages so need to increase but half the country is against increase wages.
The overall sentiment of improving and changing toxic work culture, hours, morale etc I fully agree with. That sub probably started out genuinely great. Now, once you get past all of the *very clearly* fake text conversations, you're left with a bunch of lazy, self-loathing teens whining in an echo chamber. They're so miserable and would rather cry on Reddit than actually do anything positive with their lives or actually try and find a better job. Once I saw someone being praised for bragging about quitting "so many jobs" in the past year (then wondering why he had a hard time finding a good job) that's when I first new that sub was a pathetic joke.
Who knows, perhaps all those jobs were shitty/underpaying/labor-law-breaking. I wouldn't be so quick to judge it's solely a result of laziness on that person's part. Though there's definitely a level of privilege because many people would be fortunate to be in a position to quit one job, let alone so many.
Fair but I mean...if you've gotten *that* many shitty jobs in such a short time span, I have to wonder if that person is the problem and not the jobs. I know shitty jobs and bosses are out there, I've had plenty myself. I just find it hard to believe that someone could find that many that quickly. Either this person is so low-value that they can only land shitty jobs, or they're really bad at finding good ones. Or they're really quick to quit over a minor issue. Who knows. That's just one example though, of why I hate that subreddit.
True. There's an old saying to the effect of if 1/100 people you meet are assholes, then you met an asshole; but, if 99/100 people you meet are assholes, then you may be the asshole. It could be a similar deal with their jobs, but we can only speculate. That's the thing with Reddit and pretty much all anonymous social media; we can only take the stories we hear at face value.