Saved by Ilana Ettinger
The Pandemic Has Exposed the Fallacy of the “Ideal Worker”
“You’re going to see us prioritize things other than work and push back on things like [having] to be in the office.”
Jean M. Twenge • Generations
Meanwhile, as if to compensate for an increasingly precarious economy, our fantasies about work have grown, if anything, more intense. Hard work is likely the most universally cherished American value. One recent Pew survey found that 80 percent of Americans describe themselves as “hardworking”—outstripping all other traits. Work has gotten worse, ... See more
The Baffler • The New Neurasthenia
What would happen if we stopped acting as if the primordial form of work is laboring at a production line, or wheat field, or iron foundry, or even in an office cubicle, and instead started from a mother, a teacher, or a caregiver? We might be forced to conclude that the real business of human life is not contributing toward something called “the e
... See moreDavid Graeber • A practical utopians guide to the coming collapse – David Graeber
To sum up, many workers experienced a “timeout” during the pandemic – not working, working parttime, working from home, and/or certainly not traveling on business. For many, this may have occasioned a reset, giving them an opportunity to conclude, “You know, my career isn’t everything;
Howard Marks • Howard Marks Memo - The Winds of Change
The less predictable and controllable the life course has become, the more individuals have been urged to chart their own courses, to “master” their destinies, and to make themselves over. In addition to actual hours spent on the job—which have increased dramatically—Americans are compelled to constantly work on themselves to remain competitive in
... See moreMicki McGee • Self-Help, Inc.: Makeover Culture in American Life
