Surviving Capitalism (Not) : The Mythology of Work: How Capitalism Persists Despite Itself

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, September 4, 2015

The Mythology of Work: How Capitalism Persists Despite Itself

Click here to access this book review by Orlando Hill from CounterFire (Britain).

Peter Fleming, the author of this book, was on his way to work when suddenly he had an epiphany: the costs of attaining and holding a job offered by the "owners" is externalized onto the worker themselves. For workers a job has become an all-consuming expense and project that all other activities of life must be subordinate to. Also with the advent of cellphones and emails, work for many, especially in the middle class, has become a 24 hour job. The only escape is to be sick, and that appears to be under attack.