[smm2000]

Author lost me on doorman. Doormen absolutely bring value and saying that doormen is bullshit job is the same as saying that waitress is a bullshit job - in the end customer is fully capable of bringing the food from the counter to his table on his own.

Doormen Can accept packages when you are not in your apt (leaving outside is not an option in NY)

  Can accept laundry delivery

  Provide security by screening people out at the entrance

  Virtually eliminate burglaries/theft

  Can provide key to housecleaner/installer/plumber/etc

  Keep parking spot in front of building available for short time use by residents (often semi-illegally)

  Can help brining up heavy suitcases/bags to the apartment

Doormen absolutely provide value and apts in buildings with doormen sells for more than equivalent apartments with only intercall.

[trophycase]

Right. The real useless jobs are the 10 people working on animating hair for the next Assassin's Creed game or the CGI for the next Marvel film

[blacksmith_tb]

It's only as useless, as, say, the crew on a film, or even a highly-paid footballer. If these people didn't do their tiny part, the entertainment industry wouldn't rake in as much cash.

[modbait]

Heh. Careful--you may discover that there are jobs far more useless than that.

[AstralStorm]

Half of management jobs? ;)

[Senderman]

You are so right. I've been saying my whole life that if animators would just make their characters bald, the manhours we would recoup as a species would be truly transformative.

[peterwwillis]

Those aren't bullshit either... Who else is going to animate the hair? If there's a robot that can do the job, great, but it has to get done somehow.

[chongli]

No it doesn't. Marvel movies could stop existing tomorrow and it wouldn't matter at all. Life goes on.

[balfirevic]

If you are going by that definition of "wouldn't matter" then it probably holds for all movies. And lots of other enjoyable stuff. Not a very useful definition.

[lawn]

It matters to me and many many others who enjoy the marvel movies.

You're essentially saying entertainment is meaningless. Which isn't right at all.

[chongli]

I'm not saying entertainment is meaningless, I'm merely objecting to the claim that "it has to get done." No, it doesn't. It's not mandatory, it's a luxury.

[inerte]

That's far more agreeable than saying it doesn't matter at all. Also very different.

[nwatson]

Getting paid to satisfy others' frivolous pursuits is the future of work. With more real-world work being automated away, we'd better hope there are jobs like "World of Warcraft Concierge" and "Sim City Colorist." All the "honest day's labor" jobs are evaporating.

[duderific]

There are probably more like 50 people working on animating the hair. But yeah, your point is well taken.

[baursak]

> Author lost me on doorman. Doormen absolutely bring value and saying that doormen is bullshit job is the same as saying that waitress is a bullshit job - in the end customer is fully capable of bringing the food from the counter to his table on his own.

Waitress is a bullshit job though, just like a butler. In a truly egalitarian society a job like that wouldn't exist. It's an artificial construct that can be pretty annoying especially when you're waiting for your check for half an hour. :)