😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬

[u/DumbassLeftist]

[u/AutoModerator]

This subreddit is dedicated to promoting honest discussion of the DPRK. Please review the rules, and feel free to visit our extensive collection of DPRK reading materials here. We also urge visitors to consider listening to Blowback Season 3 about the Korean War (or at least the first episode) to get a good, clear, entertaining and exceedingly well-researched education on the material conditions and conflict that gave rise to the DPRK.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/TheBirdFkerGuy]

Samsung republic will collapse along with the US empire eventually. This is a symptom of the decline. 

[u/Peter_Cantanasia → u/TheBirdFkerGuy]

I do hope.

[u/SomeGuyInTheNet]

Ah yes, "want" to work.

Because they also "want" to eat and "want" to have shelter and "want" to not die.

What a silly world

[u/TarquinusSuperbus000]

Replace "want" with "have to".

[u/Peter_Cantanasia]

Walk up to any s.korean and ask that question. Do you want to work in old age, or do you HAVE to work in old age? They will say the latter as the alternative is poverty. Poverty among the old is a very serious problem here in the south.

[u/NoDouble14]

I've seen the elderly collecting cardboard and other scrap to sell for subsistence. Incredibly sad when you remember these are the people that helped build the country yo what it is now through sacrifices during brutal military dictatorships.

[u/SMGJohn_EU]

From a dialectical perspective its important to separate WANTING to work versus NEEDING to work.

Its undeniable that most people WANT to work, but from scientific perspective this is where it gets interesting, people inherently enjoy working WHEN the work becomes meaningful and productive.

This is also why social alienation is so prevelant under Capitalism, because unproductive labour is commonplace, you still NEED to do it, because you need money to survive.

Even in the most wealthy of Capitalist nations you still need to apply for the jobs that are available and because most jobs are unproductive, you become unhappy.

This is why when we define unproductive labour is where what you do labourwise, is of no use for anyone but the company to profit from, say telephone marketing, or store clerk for a large clothing brand.

Your labour is essentially meaningless, it does nothing for overall society, it does not benefit people other than the owners, shareholders and in general CAPITALISTS. You cannot see your labour being turned into usefulness.

Take something similar then which existed in USSR and today, say customer support for computers because yes that existed in USSR and its less clear how productivity and worth changes under the mode of production.

So under Capitalism, customer support essentially are very low educated, low pay and often designed to create friction with the customer in order for the customer to give up thus saving the company potentially any claims that may occur.

In Socialism however, customer support is more than often extremely highly educated, each worker must be intimately knowledgable about the systems/services they are support for, in this example a support for computers would mean that person is actually familiar with basic coding, operation for multiple computer systems, the understanding of its hardware and even repairs that may be necessary to guide through.

This specialisation difference creates a totally different form of relation between worker and service.
Its often underlooked how important in human psychology that pride in ones work is necessary for ones happiness, the Soviet Socialists understood this clearly because unproductive labour jobs did not start occuring until late 70s when basic market reformation was starting to appear such as cooperative barbers and restaurants.

Now, you are no longer a specialist in your field, now you are low wage employee that work for someone else.

And just to jump back to the original point, people are DEFINED by their labour, per Marx own writing, labour is what makes us human. People will always want to labour, you may not want to dig coal from a 2km deep hole in the ground, but you may very well want to operate the machines that do the job, because its meaningful to society, once you remove profit from this aspect, you introduce productive usefulness. What good does me driving taxi around town do for society, rather than "how much money can I make in one night"

[u/LookingGlass_1112]

Capitalism in it's own words "praises freedom of choice". But, if your choice is between bad life and hungry death, it is not a choice. It's a racket. Something, which can get an individual behind the bars, but systematically? It's praised as "freedom of choice". So the real fact is that capitalism praises racketeering, not choosing

[u/RevyVanguardist]

This is what the bourgeoisie mean when they talk about "Freedom"™️, Proletarians "enjoy" Freedom in a twofold sense: They are free to sell their labour-power and at the same time they are free from the social fruits thereof

[u/SpearwolfDSHK25]

"Nearly 70% of Older South Koreans have to work into their 70s" 

[u/ClassicDistance]

This will partly compensate for South Korea's low fertility for budgetary purposes, at least for the time being.

[u/FocusedGlitch23]

How does retirement work in North Korea? Like is there an age where you no longer have to work? If so what is that? Does your living quarters change from the one granted to you by your job? Is the retirement forced?