[bserge]

There really is no need to "get ahead". Nothing wrong with taking it easy when there's no life or death situation going on. That's good enough for 80+% of productive work and a decent life.

Sadly companies make it seem like that's the case, like there's a war going on, forcing people to work until they drop or lose their income. That applies to offices and factories alike. Just to squeeze that last 10-20% out of people.

For what? A shitty app, 2 more assembled devices, 3 more ready meals, all of which will be forgotten or in a landfill without even being properly used.

[JoeAltmaier]

Easy to say in a safety-net society in a comfortable city. But if losing a job can mean an extreme drop in standard of living, then competition will naturally be more fierce.

[anigbrowl]

In that situation it would be more rational to look for allies to reduce the leverage of an unscrupulous employer.

[azornathogron]

That's not necessarily rational as an individual. Perhaps finding enough allies is much harder to achieve, or comes with more risk, than playing the competitive game well enough to meet your own needs.

[chadcmulligan]

Sounds like communism to me

[lucian1900]

We communists are famous for organising trade unions, so kind of.

[chadcmulligan]

I didn't mean it as a criticism, I just think its amusing that any time in the US if someone talks about unionising or workers rights - chants of "that's communism" begin. The workers have been so programmed to not stand up for themselves it has become a tragedy.

[lucian1900]

I know what you mean, the red scare is very deep in the US. It’s certainly funny that many seem to think unions are communism without actually knowing what either is or what the actual connection between them is. My tongue was in the vicinity of my cheek when I wrote the above comment.

[gehatare]

That's definitely true, but not the only important thing in such a comparison. Germans work only 75% of the hours Americans do per year, and a lot of that is cultural.