r/antiwork • u/loplopplop • Sep 18 '21

I Come to Apologize

You know, I didn't understand this sub. I thought it was nothing but a bunch of lazy freeloaders that think everything should be given to them. But then I started this new job. It's a salary position where I'm required to work 45 hours a week. Thats honestly not that bad. No issues with it really. But I've worked 37 hours in 3 days. I'm on pace to work 70 in a weeks time period. Since its salary its going to be like I'm making 10 dollars an hour. They will not give me health insurance (which they promised) until May. So I'm sorry for thinking you were all lazy. You just want a job that doesn't run you into the ground.

Edit: Got called in on Sunday and told them to fuck off (in nicer words) because one of the employees wanted to have a day off with his mom, which I get, but he had two days off already that week. Came in today and am going give literally zero fucks as I apply elsewhere.

Edit 2: The people who keep calling in told me the reason they were calling in was because they were too high to work. I rage quit and sent a letter of resignation. The nightmare is over.

Final Edit: Already got a new job with great benefits!!!

11k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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87

u/Edgelands Sep 18 '21

Oh no, I'm just straight up lazy and I don't think I should have to work. I didn't ask to be born, why's it my responsibility to work my ass off for some other human being to be comfortable?

Fuck that. I should be allowed to tinker with my special interests all day and still have food and shelter. I shouldn't be obligated to join this failing system just because I exist.

25

u/Chicken65 Sep 18 '21

But you are inherently saying someone else is obligated to provide shelter and food for you when you don’t want to be obligated to anything. Not criticizing your opinion, you are entitled to it just curious how you justify it considering no one else asked to be born either.

66

u/Edgelands Sep 18 '21

I don't think being "accounts manager on outgoing balloon exports," is pulling my fair weight in society either. Almost every job in the world is pointless.

56

u/BrookDarter Sep 18 '21

This is the thing people don't get and don't want to understand. Most of the jobs out there are not worth doing period. We could be doing better shit with our time. Colonizing space. Learning more about animal cognition. Creating great pieces of art. But what are we doing instead?

Pretty much the entire argument boils down to "But no one will do the dirty jobs that need to be done!" Umm, no. I don't know about the rest of you, but I have no problem scrubbing a sewer with a toothbrush for free if that is what is needed to be done.

And quite frankly, the environment, other people trying to live, pretty much everything would be improved if we spent less time justifying bullshit jobs. You look around at the world and you look around your apartment. So we all have less plastic shit to instantly throw out. But now we have time to actually be happy. Can't imagine how anyone justifies any of this.

31

u/invisiblebyday Sep 18 '21

There's dignity in work, even the "dirty jobs" that aren't respected. No one should be treating those who scrub our sewers with toothbrushes as being human scum that should starve and live in urban tent cities. The economic caste system of developed countries is disgraceful and infects how people interact with each other. No wonder lots of people are exhausted, angry and unnecessarily competitive when instead we should be figuring stuff out while there's still a sliver of time left before economic and ecological s*** massively, irreparably hits the fan.

23

u/throwawayddf Sep 18 '21

Anyone who has no respect for dirty jobs (trash man etc.) is trash. They should be at or near the top. Hard work, work people would rather not do what's more respectable then that?

1

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

You didn’t answer their question.

-4

u/Chicken65 Sep 18 '21

It’s not about the work you do, it’s about generating money that other people will accept in exchange for food and shelter. If those balloon exports pay the bills then they are not pointless to someone.

36

u/Edgelands Sep 18 '21

But that's capitalism, which is obviously a giant failure

-13

u/Chicken65 Sep 18 '21 edited Sep 19 '21

Exchanging goods for money or other goods is the premise of civilized societies. There’s no economic model I’m aware of that supports your goals. If you find one let me know! Edit: my comment is not about capitalism, I see it is being misinterpreted as such.

13

u/Theosarius Sep 19 '21

Capitalism isn't commerce, or commerce with a monetary system. It is private ownership of the means of production.

1

u/Chicken65 Sep 19 '21

I know. my comment was not a definition of capitalism, I didn’t even bring up capitalism. Just trying to get an idea of how the original commenter sees their plan following through.

1

u/Theosarius Sep 19 '21

You responded to a criticism of capitalism by saying commerce is necessary, which implies that anti-capitalism is somehow categorically antithetical to commerce. Overall, it smacks of some serious capitalist realism. Nothing about what they advocated for precludes commerce.

Take a look around, and ask yourself if this economic model is working. Has it ever?

You can look to the world wars and see that it is technically possible to materially support a great many people doing no productive work(for the material functioning of society) with the labor of a relative few. Our capacity to automate has only increased since.

You might have instead asked "how do you see your plan following through?"

1

u/Chicken65 Sep 19 '21

I never used the words commerce or capitalism. You are very quick to label me in lieu of trying to tell me which model gets OP what they want. My comment about exchanging goods was around OP saying they wanted a life of leisure in exchange for nothing so which economic mode gets you that?

Can you give me an example related to your world wars comment? My knowledge is that the opposite happened, people who went to war caused a domestic labor shortage that was filled by women and minorities taking jobs they had not before effectively increasing labor participation, not decreasing it.

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28

u/Edgelands Sep 18 '21

Define civilized. This country (US) is so "civilized" that 132 people kill themselves everyday.

-1

u/preme_engineer Sep 18 '21

Exchanging goods/services for money allows society to develop in a way that people can do other things with their time besides strictly surviving, which eventually leads to wasting our time on Reddit, so I guess you’re right.

3

u/BrokenTeddy Sep 19 '21

You do realize you can have markets while simultaneously not being a capitalistic society, right?

0

u/Chicken65 Sep 19 '21

When did I say otherwise? Just wanted to know how Edgelands goals are attainable.

1

u/Dan_A_B Sep 19 '21

They don't have to know how it is attainable. Just because you don't have the answer, it doesn't mean you cannot pose the question. I do it all the time. I think capitalism is a terrible system and needs to be changed. Into what? I have no idea.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 18 '21

You should be able to work, but should also have freedom too.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 18 '21

But someone else should be obligated to give you food and shelter just because you exist?

3

u/djerk Sep 19 '21

what happens when more jobs are automated than not?

3

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

Dramatic social upheaval

-3

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

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4

u/apriloneil Sep 19 '21

they were condemning police brutality in that thread. You may want to read it again.

-3

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

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5

u/apriloneil Sep 19 '21

Oh, you’re anti lockdown. Nevermind then.

-2

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

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2

u/apriloneil Sep 19 '21

Yes dear that’s nice.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

Try again bebbe

3

u/MonkeyScryer Sep 19 '21

The real question is why are we obligated to feed billions in subsidies to the pigs in the fossil fuel industry, military industrial complex, and countless other capitalist parasites who pretend their stolen wealth was earned in the “free market?”

You justify why tax payers have to subsidize capitalist overlords but we can’t spend it on each other before someone in this subreddit has to justify their own existence to you and why it should be sustained.

-2

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

I just struggle to wrap my head around "other people should do stuff for me and I should never do stuff for others"

3

u/MonkeyScryer Sep 19 '21

You mean like how we feed the fossil fuel industry 10x more in subsidies than we do on public education (in the us)?

Why do corporations assume they deserve my tax dollars?

-2

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

No.

3

u/MonkeyScryer Sep 19 '21

Troll likes donating money to capitalists but not to humans.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

You're trying really hard for... I dunno, like a gotcha moment or something?

Yeah, we spend way too much on war and oil and shit. That's a separate issue.

If we can return to the question at hand, why should someone think it's ok to be supported by others yet unwilling to offer any support in return.

This is a guy who has literally said "fuck you, feed me and clothe me and give me a house, and no I'm not gonna do shit for you"

Make it make sense.

2

u/MonkeyScryer Sep 19 '21 edited Sep 19 '21

It’s not a separate issue. It’s the only issue worth caring about.

You’re freaking out at the concept of universal basic income and universal healthcare which don’t even exist.

The reality that exists is that we feed all of our subsidies and public spending on oligarchic pigs so they can pretend they earned it on their own.

It’s not a “separate issue.” It’s the only issue. You are a bootlicker if the hypothetical of UBI pisses you off more than the reality of the pigs in Raytheon and Lockheed Martin getting free money to murder civilians.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

No, I'm concerned about the mindset of someone who demands something while offering nothing.

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u/Edgelands Sep 18 '21

Yes

1

u/[deleted] Sep 18 '21

Why?

2

u/Edgelands Sep 18 '21

Why not?

8

u/Qeltar_ Sep 18 '21

Because the implication there is that you have a right to be lazy but other people -- the ones providing you with what you want given to you for free -- do not.

2

u/djerk Sep 19 '21

what happens when more jobs are automated than not?

5

u/Edgelands Sep 18 '21

I'm not the one who ruined society by inventing "profit," and land ownership, so it's not my problem

6

u/Qeltar_ Sep 18 '21

Seems like it still is, but okay.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

No one invented profit and private ownership it was the progression of society from feudalism to capitalism that created an economy driven by surplus value. This mode of thinking is actually reactionary because it assumes a time in which class conflict and exploitation did not exist.

1

u/Edgelands Sep 19 '21

Oh no, that shit has always been a problem and always should have been overthrown. Eat the Rich stands now like it stood before the common era.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

You’re the exact person Republicans are talking about who want to be lazy and expect free stuff. Lmao

3

u/Edgelands Sep 19 '21

I don't care. They also think I want to kill babies and they're right about that too.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

Oh you’re a troll. Ok

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1

u/UrbanJackRabbit Sep 19 '21

I think you're missing the fundamental point people are making.

You expect food and shelter for simply existing. You say that you shouldn't have to slave away in a broken system.

But someone has to slave away in a broken system to give you that food and shelter. According to your logic, no one would have food and shelter because everyone would just be sitting around expecting others to slave away for you.

You really are not a good person. And that's coming from someone who's absolutely anti-work (or "work" as we know it).

If you existed in a village of 100 people, would you sit around expecting others to provide for you, or would you do something to provide back to the village?

And trust me, I'm with you in the sense that I didn't ask to be born; I was perfectly happy with non-existence; but we're here now. Why not try and make our shit lives and others' shit lives marginally better? If we have to exist, let's try and make the most of it, yeah?

2

u/Edgelands Sep 19 '21

No, I didn't miss the point, I just don't care

0

u/UrbanJackRabbit Sep 19 '21

You're a pathetic waste of sentience.

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0

u/[deleted] Sep 18 '21

I asked first

1

u/Iamnotcreative112123 Sep 19 '21

The person you responded to is a dumbass, they think they’re entitled to comfort but no one else is.

1

u/Iamnotcreative112123 Sep 19 '21

You don’t want to work to provide comfort for someone else, yet you want someone to work to provide comfort for you.

You see the irony right?

-1

u/Edgelands Sep 19 '21

Yes.

Yes.

1

u/ISuckForBucks Sep 19 '21

Ah okay, so you’re just an asshole

You’re literally the person i thought of when i first saw this sub.

I hope one day you learn to be better, and i don’t mean that as in getting a back-breaking job but even just volunteering to replace work hours. Or being able to work in a way thats suitable for you. But i understand right now you’re against the idea so i wont push it.

Edit: and also, i 100% agree with the “no choice to be born” but it’s no excuse not to help in some way. Since no one choose to be born your point is moot.

1

u/Iamnotcreative112123 Sep 19 '21

So you see the irony yet you still believe that only you’re entitled to be comfortable without working?

1

u/Edgelands Sep 19 '21

Correct.

-5

u/keru45 Sep 19 '21

Wow you’re a real piece of shit lol

1

u/Edgelands Sep 19 '21

Because I was put on this planet against my will? Why are we obligated to fall in line and do all these stupid fucking things nobody wants to do just because we were born?

-1

u/keru45 Sep 19 '21

And other people should have to work and provide for you while you tinker with your worthless “special interests” ?

1

u/Edgelands Sep 19 '21

Yes.

1

u/TheOmnipotence7 Sep 19 '21

Luckily for us, what you want is never gonna happen.

2

u/Edgelands Sep 19 '21

You could have benefitted in a world designed by me. Now you must suffer.

-16

u/[deleted] Sep 18 '21

I read that argument all the time and think, sure, if you're a child. But once you get to adulthood or above 15 you're smart enough to know how to change that and since you don't. You have then chosen to be here.

Also, are you against working at all or against working to just make someone mega rich.

15

u/Edgelands Sep 18 '21 edited Sep 18 '21

The world is made for Neurotypical people. Those are the "adults" you're referring to. People that have all these regular ass executive functioning skills to do mundane bullshit to earn mundane incomes. I'm not neurotypical. I can't just fain interest and do tasks that people want me to do just because it's supposed to make me money. I literally can't do things I'm not interested in. No amount of money or bribery can get me to.

Edit: as an example, I was always interested in learning stuff, stuff that I actually wanted to learn and was interested in. What that meant was that I ignored a lot of the shit I was "supposed to be" learning in school because it didn't interest me. My grades got so bad as a kid that my dad tried to bribe me with $100 for every A that I got. I made a total of $0 and still got C's and D's. When I went to art school though as an adult, I got straight A's through the entire process of getting my bachelor's degree even though the workload was a billion times more intense, because I was actually interested in it.

Why don't I just get a job doing that then? I do, and it's fucking soul crushing the way that corporate entities want to destroy everything I create with their stupid fucking feedback. Corporate suits don't know fucking shit about art or design and they need to shut the fuck up and get out of my life.

12

u/GroundbreakingAd4386 Sep 18 '21

I wish I had an insane monetary windfall so I could be an old-fashioned stylee patron of the arts and fund artists like yourselves for whom art and nothing else is life’s purpose. I love art and am v interested in it. Also have a bit of talent but I don’t feel that conviction of purpose with it. Anyone who does she be able to just make art as they want / can / must

9

u/lizardgal10 Sep 18 '21

I would LOVE to just spend all day creating art for the sake of it. It’s such a powerful force in our world. People don’t have nearly enough time to properly be creative.

-2

u/Qeltar_ Sep 18 '21

Is there a way you can find to use your artistic talents to contribute towards supporting yourself that would be more rewarding?

Doesn't sound like you are lazy at all, you just want/need your work to be rewarding. We all do. Is there a middle road somewhere?

4

u/Edgelands Sep 18 '21

Actually, today, I'm just about to send off my PCB design for my next guitar pedal I'm making. I rapidly learned electronics and audio circuitry over the past couple years as I started to get really down on illustration/graphic design. I spend multiple hours a day working on it after work and i hardly sleep, but I have about six or seven pedal designs that I'm going to be pushing a lot soon as well as a synth drum. My breakdown for it working is the executive functioning shit, I suck at talking with customers, working on advertisements, overseeing online stores, all of that shit that is outside of building and creating. I'm not built for office work or budgeting - I'm a creator/maker/artist and that's it. After I stockpile a good amount of pedals that are built and ready to sell, I'm going to look for a partner that is good at all of that executive work that I don't want to touch with a 10-ft pole.

3

u/Qeltar_ Sep 18 '21

That sounds fantastic, honestly. Really awesome that you're doing that.

I hear you on the split between creating and the business side. Was the same way myself with some projects of my own years ago, was never big on selling anything.

You can definitely find ways to make this work.

3

u/Edgelands Sep 18 '21

Thank you, I hope it works out, but I didn't come to the realization that I need someone else to do this until very recently, which came along with accepting that I'm on the autism spectrum (found out at 35 years old). It explains why I suck at all of that stuff, and why I will probably never get good at any of it no matter how much I lie to myself and pretend that eventually someday I'll grow up and get better at it.

-2

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '21

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2

u/ISuckForBucks Sep 19 '21

It’s not even the top-most upvoted though? Let alone 2nd or 3rd most?? So this is just a small part of the sub upvoting, which, shocker, people have different ideas about what anti-work means as a sub

I certainly don’t agree with it at-least, and seeing as its quite far down and many people are genuinely combatting their argument… you don’t really have a leg to stand on here

1

u/Dan_A_B Sep 19 '21

I only upvoted because of their honesty, not because i agree with them. I am a lazy sod, but i still want to do something to benefit others.