| First-time poster/commenter here. The devil's honest truth is that inertia kept me at my job. It isn't a great job, but it isn't a terrible one. I get paid reasonably well for where I live, I'm not being abused or exploited to an egregious degree, I'm not getting serious pressure to go "back to the office", and the tech interviewing process is still too onerous compared to keeping the job I have to make looking for a "better deal" worthwhile. You see, I didn't need Sarah Jaffe[0] to tell me that "work won't love me back". I knew my job was mostly bullshit before I had ever heard of David Graeber[1]. I'm one of the lastborn of Generation X and I wasn't so tightly glued to my Nintendo that I couldn't see and hear how capitalism had fucked over my parents. They poured their hearts and souls into their work, and what did they get for it? Well, my mother's a cripple and my father died before he could start collecting Social Security, and none of the "friends" they thought they had made at work could be bothered to fart on their behalf, let alone actually give a shit. So, my approach to work is that of Edmond Dantes: > "Perhaps what I am about to say will appear strange to you gentlemen, socialists, progressives, humanitarians as you are, but I never worry about my neighbor, I never try to protect society which does not protect me -- indeed, I might add, which generally takes no heed of me except to do me harm -- and, since I hold them low in my esteem and remain neutral towards them, I believe that society and my neighbor are in my debt." ~Alexandre Dumas, /The Count of Monte Cristo/ (trans. Robin Buss) I am not and will never be grateful to "have a job". My employers should be grateful I'm willing to work for them, and they can express their gratitude in legal tender. My intellect is for rent, but my heart and soul are mine alone and not for sale. You can pay me to work for you, but don't expect me to give a fuck. [0]: https://workwontloveyouback.org/ [1]: https://www.strike.coop/bullshit-jobs/ |