136 notes
Let’s pretend for a moment that work doesn’t turn people into stultified submissives. Let’s pretend, in defiance of any plausible psychology and the ideology of its boosters, that it has no effect on the formation of character. And let’s pretend that work isn’t as boring and tiring and humiliating as we all know it really is. Even then, work would still make a mockery of all humanistic and democratic aspirations, just because it usurps so much of our time. Socrates said that manual laborers make bad friends and bad citizens because they have no time to fulfill the responsibilities of friendship and citizenship. He was right. Because of work, no matter what we do, we keep looking at our watches. The only thing “free” about so-called free time is that it doesn’t cost the boss anything. Free time is mostly devoted to getting ready for work, going to work, returning from work, and recovering from work. Free time is a euphemism for the peculiar way labor, as a factor of production, not only transports itself at its own expense to and from the workplace, but assumes primary responsibility for its own maintenance and repair. Coal and steel don’t do that. Lathes and typewriters don’t do that. No wonder Edward G. Robinson in one of his gangster movies exclaimed, “Work is for saps!

— The Abolition of Work by Bob Black, 1985 (via laprincesseperdue)

(Source: whywork.org, via sloth-lips)

sighsummer 2k12

Notes

  1. poneal reblogged this from transartorialism
  2. youmistleaf reblogged this from petitesurrealiste
  3. petitesurrealiste reblogged this from cedars
  4. lepetitmortpourmoi reblogged this from sphinxterr
  5. unfathomablyastounding reblogged this from sphinxterr
  6. erraticblue reblogged this from sphinxterr
  7. sphinxterr reblogged this from igabel
  8. igabel reblogged this from writedrunk
  9. swiiing reblogged this from thisisendless
  10. writedrunk reblogged this from thisisendless
  11. southernwriter reblogged this from thisisendless
  12. moriartium-formula reblogged this from thisisendless
  13. thisisendless reblogged this from rubybrave
  14. rubybrave reblogged this from transartorialism
  15. openboat reblogged this from transartorialism
  16. veryfunnyscott reblogged this from sloth-lips
  17. sinshine reblogged this from moremaggiemayhem
  18. curiouscliche reblogged this from moremaggiemayhem
  19. vidtuesday reblogged this from moremaggiemayhem
  20. moremaggiemayhem reblogged this from klvnt
  21. klvnt reblogged this from champagnecandy
  22. ersatzcat reblogged this from uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
  23. fasadfrontsllc reblogged this from cmnddlt
  24. uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh reblogged this from cmnddlt
  25. cmnddlt reblogged this from lazz
  26. obscure-one reblogged this from transartorialism
  27. elephantsandorchids reblogged this from circuitsmaximus
  28. quondam reblogged this from transartorialism
Quote post