#valuable work

[the-eccentric-eclectic]

Graeber talks about bullshit jobs, what they are, where they come from, and what can be done about it. A short summary:

Bullshit jobs are jobs that often are paid well and enjoy a certain amount of respect, but do not add anything to the work environment or society. If it were to disappear, it would make no difference, and it would often make the world a better place. Think of corporate lawyers, consultants, telemarketers, many managerial jobs.

Bullshit jobs are detrimental to job satisfaction and can alienate the worker, leading to, for example, depression or bore-outs.

With technology and automation, we could be working 15 hour workweeks. In feudal Europe, during the harvest season peasants would work 12 hours a day, in the off seasons just two or three. Many societies today do not work more than three or four hours per day. But instead of decreasing the oppressive and demanding 40 hour workweek we kept inventing bullshit jobs.

A part of that is what is seen as valuable work. If you are producing, you are doing valuable work. If you are caring, or cleaning, most often performed by women btw, you are not doing 'valuable' work, even though if all carers and cleaners were to stop, society would grind to a halt.

Another part of it is unions. They (well-meaningly) constantly demand more jobs. They proliferate the puritarian idea that you have to work to earn your wages. That is also why it is so hard to refuse them: they are asking to be allowed to earn their keep. But to keep up with this job demand, bullshit jobs keep needing to be invented.

A solution is to re-imagine work as [...] the material extension of caring. Caring is any action ultimately directed towards maintaining or increasing another person, or another person's freedom. People need to be free to decide for themselves how they want to contribute.

''

NB: I kept very close to the texts as I wrote this quick summary, writing-wise. I haven't added quotation marks, but the above summary is not to be taken as my own writing or idea. This nota bene is to prevent notions of plagiarism.

PS: Graeber also wrote a book about this. For those of you interested:

Bullshit Jobs, by David Graeber.

#bullshit jobs #capitalism #anarchy #revolution #unions #labour unions #valuable work #caring work #caring class #bore-out #alienation #socialism #Marxism #job satisfaction #shorter workweek

[uncanny-tranny]

I recently had to do a project in one of my psych classes, and man, I knew that CBT was used for every little thing, but seeing over and over, "do CBT! CBT is the best for every mental illness!" was so jarring. I'm absolutely biased because of my own experiences, but I just don't think it's as universal a treatment model as it's touted.

If you didn't benefit from CBT, it's not because you're lazy or didn't try hard enough or lacked intelligence or foresight into your own needs. Frankly, it's a therapy model that (I think) shouldn't be the only readily-accessible model and among the only therapy models covered by insurance. Some of us should not be treated in a CBT model and that's okay. It's not a sign of poor character or unreasonable demands, and if you don't think it's a model that works for you, then it's your right to express that!

#mental health #mental health advocacy #it was just so annoying because every resource i could access for this project often ONLY recommended cbt and #that just doesn't seem helpful for a good chunk of people #because i know i never benefitted from that model of therapy #obligatory: i am not against this therapy. me having a negative experience with it is not indicative that i believe it should be abolished' #if it works for you: KEEP DOING IT. cbt is not inherently harmful for MANY people and it's a good and valuable tool for many #but the overemphasis of cbt as the Only Therapy Model You Need sends this message that YOU failed... #...if you don't miraculously recover with that therapy model. it often feels like you'll Fail Recovery/Therapy and you're now a Bad Person #i've tried for over a decade to stick out cbt with a dozen therapists to boot. so i think i know a thing or two about my experiences with it #and overall its an unimpressive model (for me) as someone whos had a history with abuse and miscellaneous mental knickknacks rattling around #it's also frustrating because i genuinely like psych and i love learning about people #it's just. i'm tired of only being exposed to cbt (because i hate it honestly) #i feel similarly about cbt as i do with sigmund fucking frued #anyway i just want other insane people (affectionate) to remember that they deserve to not beat themselves up over this #if you're an insane person reading this: i love you i love you i love you i love you #i will share a slice of cake and homemade bread with you <3

[mobius-m-mobius]

Owen Wilson and Tom Hiddleston at the FYC Emmys 'Loki' panel, April 13, 2024

#owen wilson #tom hiddleston #lokiedit #mcuedit #marveledit #loki #ft. owen's nonstop fidgeting and tom's heart eyes aka two of their best qualities lol #anyway y'all i'm never getting over how much he loves mobius #and how it means everything that FINALLY after all this time he's been able to expand on a character like he's always dreamed of #i mean. 'when you felt that you kind of contributed something' says the person who improvised every valuable moment of his characterization #and constantly works to make sure everyone shines equally #couldn't be more proud or glad he got to work with someone like tom who shares such an appreciation and journey of storytelling <33 #marvel #owenwilsonedit #dianagifs

[coolerdracula]

my last reblog about ASL made me wonder about Palestinian Sign Language. I don't have much time to delve into it right now, but I did find a lengthy 2020 journal article about PSL, written by Mahmoud A. M. Abdel-Fattaha and Khalil M. I. Alawnah for the International Journal of Innovation, Creativity, and Change. here is a direct link to read it.

#bearer of the curse #it's fairly formal and more about how the language works than the culture surrounding it but I think that's just as valuable as #notes on culture -- it's important to understand the depth of it and how it fits into liguistic space since #language itself is culture #just saying that since people might expect it to be one thing when its another. free palestine & death to israel

[luna-lovegreat]

I want. Four to get appreciation. Because

Four gave a ton of unnoticed help when Twilight was injured

The fight with Wild was difficult, and I know we're all concerned about his negative view of the shadow crystal

But Four did something that no one else really thought of to help- He took care of Twi's stuff

From the beginning he told Twilight to not worry about them

So Four took care of pretty much everything but the others (that Sky and Wars handled)

He took care of Epona

Which is so very important- he took care of Twilight's horse. After her arrival at the stable Four followed up on her

And for Epona, a horse so attached to her human, having some company can help so much for reassurance

He took care of Twilight's stuff

He got Twi's shield- his bags and equipment, and organized it into one place

And he was worried. He obviously found the shadow crystal while handling Twi's stuff, but his negative reactions to it were out of concern.

Also- because of his placement in this scene

I'm fairly convinced Four was ready to start cooking before Wild showed up (since he's beside the counter with food supplies). At the very least he had the basket of fruit out for everyone -but he was literally standing with food behind him- he thought of everything

And he did housekeeping!

Wars payed for the inn, so Four took care of the inn

Realistically these boys were probably not too concerned with tidyness. Four got all of Twi's things on one table, and took care of the room they stayed in

Organizing tables and Twi's things, having food supplies ready, and opening the curtains- overall he was the one tidying up the inn

Four helped in a huge way! He took care of Twi's horse (Epona is so important), his equipment and shield and bag, as well as the other rooms in the inn

Four filled in all the little tasks that others didn't think of. He helped in ways that were needed, but not obvious

There's a lot of problems with the shadow crystal and with Wild, and I don't know what's gonna happen in the future

But don't forget this- don't forget that Four was one who stepped up in an almost unnoticeable way

Don't forget that when everyone was barely holding it together, Four visited Twilight's horse and took care of his things

No matter what develops in the future- this amount of care shown is important ya know?

.

Art and comic from Jojo @linkeduniverse au :)))

#epona is so important #Lu four #linkeduniverse #linked universe #I work with horses and #Epona is INCREDIBLE- she's extremely attuned to humans and emotions. she doesn't scare easily and can keep her cool in a fight #but it's still super stressful to suddenly be in a fairly large and populated town- separated from her person #and for such an empathetic horse? Four going and TALKING to her- gently petting her nose and just being near her #means so so much! that literally matters so much to a horses mental state in a foreign situation- just having company #he checked on Epona and gave her company like !!!!!! it's so considerate and means so much for Epona! Four I love you !!!!! #uhhhh yeah! #with the food- I don't think the innkeeper would have free/complimentary food out- but wars wallet def had it covered #then wild showed up with potions in a cooking frenzy- but four was still shown with food behind him- he thought of everything #I don't know what's gonna happen with the shadow crystal and stuff. but no matter what happens in the future- this matters. #he did a ton of small things no one else thought of it matters he cares so much didjdkdksjfjj #I have a lot of posts I'm making/editing and trying to get to. I'm just a little gal trying my best :/ #so many ideas and so little time... I love you guys and this fandom so much :)) #(if I said anything off or offensive let me know... I'm always nervous about that but I want to hear from you if I'm wrong) #(also you are so so cool and valuable don't forget that ok? I love you and you are important) #:)

[in-the-multiverse]

You only knew a world of caution, mistrust, betrayal

Never the soul bound, to care and look out for someone…anyone

Never the tightly woven teams, to trust a chosen few and cherish each hour with them

No wonder you look around and ask

“When did everyone go soft?”

#they were never allowed trust #and yet they received forgiveness #ldshadowlady #mumbo jumbo #secret life smp #trafficblr #traffic series #life series #joel forgiving Lizzie for dropping dripstone on him #but if that was ANYONE else he would’ve thrown hands #and her confusion on being the winner of receiving hearts #why be gifted such a valuable thing for no reason? #the mounders forgiving mumbo after he went red crazed #giving him tnt and trying to tell him they could still work together #why would they risk their safety by WANTING to be around him? #aaaaAAAAAA many thoughts

[txttletale]

niceys positive anon!! i don't agree with you on everything but you are so clearly like well read and well rounded that you've helped me think through a lot of my own inconsistencies and hypocrises in my own political and social thought, even if i do have slightly different conclusions at times then u (mainly because i believe there's more of a place for idealism and 'mind politics' than u do). anyway this is a preamble to ask if you have recommended reading in the past and if not if you had any recommended reading? there's some obvious like Read Marx but beyond that im always a little lost wading through theory and given you seem well read and i always admire your takes, i wondered about your recs

it's been a while since i've done a big reading list post so--bearing in mind that my specific areas of 'expertise' (i say that in huge quotation marks obvsies i'm just a girlblogger) are imperialism and media studies, here are some books and essays/pamphlets i recommend. the bolded ones are ones that i consider foundational to my politics

BASICS OF MARXISM

friedrich engels, principles of commmunism

friedrich engels, socialism: utopian & scientific

karl marx, the german ideology

karl marx, wage labour & capital

mao zedong, on contradiction

nikolai bukharin, anarchy and scientific communism

rosa luxemburg, reform or revolution?

v.i lenin, left-wing communism: an infantile disorder

v.i. lenin, the state & revolution

v.i. lenin, what is to be done?

IMPERIALISM

aijaz ahmed, iraq, afghanistan, and the imperialism of our time

albert memmi, the colonizer and the colonized

che guevara, on socialism and internationalism (ed. aijaz ahmad)

eduardo galeano, the open veins of latin america

edward said, orientalism

fernando cardoso, dependency and development in latin america

frantz fanon, black skin, white masks

frantz fanon, the wretched of the earth

greg grandin, empire's workshop

kwame nkrumah, neocolonialism, the last stage of imperialism

michael parenti, against empire

naomi klein, the shock doctrine

ruy mauro marini, the dialectics of dependency

v.i. lenin, imperialism: the highest stage of capitalism

vijay prashad, red star over the third world

vincent bevins, the jakarta method

walter rodney, how europe underdeveloped africa

william blum, killing hope

zak cope, divided world divided class

zak cope, the wealth of (some) nations

MEDIA & CULTURAL STUDIES

antonio gramsci, the prison notebooks

ed. mick gidley, representing others: white views of indigenous peoples

ed. stuart hall, representation: cultural representations and signifying pratices

gilles deleuze & felix guattari, capitalism & schizophrenia

jacques derrida, margins of philosophy

jacques derrida, speech and phenomena

michael parenti, inventing reality

michel foucault, disicipline and punish

michel foucault, the archeology of knowledge

natasha schull, addiction by design

nick snricek, platform capitalism

noam chomsky and edward herman, manufacturing consent

regis tove stella, imagining the other

richard sennett and jonathan cobb, the hidden injuries of class

safiya umoja noble, algoriths of oppression

stuart hall, cultural studies 1983: a theoretical history

theodor adorno and max horkheimer, the culture industry

walter benjamin, the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction

OTHER

angela davis, women, race, and class

anna louise strong, cash and violence in laos and vietnam

anna louise strong, the soviets expected it

anna louise strong, when serfs stood up in tibet

carrie hamilton, sexual revolutions in cuba

chris chitty, sexual hegemony

christian fuchs, theorizing and analysing digital labor

eds. jules joanne gleeson and elle o'rourke, transgender marxism

elaine scarry, the body in pain

jules joanne gleeson, this infamous proposal

michael parenti, blackshirts & reds

paulo freire, pedagogy of the oppressed

peter drucker, warped: gay normality and queer anticapitalism

rosemary hennessy, profit and pleasure

sophie lewis, abolish the family

suzy kim, everyday life in the north korean revolution

walter rodney, the russian revolution: a view from the third world

#ask #avowed inframaterialist reading group #i obviously do not 100% agree with all the points made by and conclusions reached by these works #but i think they are valuable and useful to read

[the-final-sif]

what is your opinion on the situation?

I've been at work all day so I haven't been able to sit down with stuff fully, it also seems like Caiti is planning to release a statement later today with more information I think? So I'd like to get her response there, but based on what I've seen so far I think I fall more on the side of "people made some dumb choices and should learn from them" than anything else.

Consent is messy and it gets messier when people start lying or are drunk. In this case, both Caiti and George were drunk. From what I understand, either Caiti had a 21+ wristband from the vidcon party, or her friend group did and assumed since she was drinking with them, she was also 21+.

Honestly, when it comes to the matter of underage drinking, I don't think it's even remotely fair to place blame on Dream/George for that. The blame there lies with Caiti deciding to drink while under 21, and on her friends, Ghostie and the other person present who were both over 21. Unlike Dream/George, both of them knew Caiti and knew exactly how old she was and were letting her drink. They were also letting her drink with no one sober and no one making sure she got home.

Now, Caiti is 18 and also I'm not a goddamn square, I'm not gonna stand here and be like "oh no drinking at 18 clutch my pearls" but like, if people are going to blame other people for that situation, that very much lies with Caiti's friends who knew they had an underage person drinking with them. I feel like people are weirdly assigning blame to Dream/George for not like, iding every person they hang out with (particularly if she had a 21+ bracelet at vidcon, which would mean she already got IDed). While completely avoiding placing any blame on the people who 100% knew they were taking an 18 year old drinking without a doubt.

Putting that aside, from my understanding George's side is he believed at the time that she was having fun, and the most they did was cuddle on a couch with other people there. He believed at the time that everything was cool, and that she later decided she was uncomfortable with what happened.

Honestly, I don't really think that's an unfair reading. At this same party, her best friend was there and from Ghostie's own words, she also didn't realize Caiti was uncomfortable until several months later when Caiti told her. If her best friend didn't notice she was uncomfortable or see anything wrong, then I find it hard to think anyone else would pick up on it.

There's certainly risks taken here that I wouldn't have taken. I think that George needs to do better with checking for consent and maybe vetting the people you're hanging out with. Although I also understand that doing a full background check on everyone you ever meet is an absurd requirement and if, at the time, they trusted the person that they actually invited, I get how that shit happens. Per consent, given that he was also drunk, I get how it may've appeared to him that he had consent. I do think it's still something to work on, but I'm also perfectly aware that in real life, people are often going off vibes and social cues, and sometimes those don't mash.

I also think that Caiti's friends have been pretty shitty throughout this. They take no responsibility for having let an 18 year old drink and then ditching her. They are absolutely milking drama out of this shit and they have a weird obsession with blaming Dream for shit he had no fault in.

As for Dream, I don't think he did anything wrong here. Full stop. If Caiti's best friend didn't notice that she was uncomfortable or unhappy, it's insanely unreasonable to expect Dream to have managed that. He was also drunk and hanging out with people, and he had no way of knowing Caiti was underage. None of that shit was his fault, and his statement seems very measured and reasonable. People are trying to blame him for things that he had absolutely no part in, and the UK group are absolutely trying to pull that shit.

Overall, sounds like several people involved made dumb choices, I hope they learn and grow. Otherwise all of this honestly sounds like shit that should've been talked out privately and not tossed to the internet for speculation. Human beings are messy and will fuck up sometimes. This feels like a case of miscommunication and people making risky choices that left people with some hurt.

Again, I may change my mind with further evidence presented, but that's how it feels to me.

#dreamwastaken #georgenotfound #discourse #sif speaks #sif answers #idk man I think I just have more irl experience with these sorts of situations #like #shit happens in real life #and I think maybe part of the problem with like twitter #is you have a lot of 15 year olds that have never been drunk or fucked in their lives #who are totally sure they know exactly how consent works and how sex goes in real life #I really liked the greendot talk I got about it back in college #I should find a recording of that sometime for people #It laid it out really well that consent is not an on-off switch #It's a door that you're opening #and depending on the circumstances you take risks with how you're opening it #0 risk is like the two of you have a formal plan #and have signed contracts #and then you start to move up through situations that can be more risky that something goes wrong #and someone gets hurt #And honestly for irl consent I found that was so much more of a valuable framework to look at things through

[mousemilf]

#this literally got removed 2 seconds after i screenshotted it im doing valuable work here #ic

[communistkenobi]

I don’t like when people ask how many books you plan to read/have read this year one because I think that’s a weird relationship to have to books and two because I think even reading a chapter or a portion of something is valuable. this is especially true with non-fiction but even with fiction I think any amount you read, even if you don’t read the entire thing, is not a failure or ‘incomplete’

#I read basically exclusively non fiction and every page I read is beneficial like I’m always learning something #like my relationship to reading is often extractive and utilitarian because of school and research #but that extractive process doesn’t require reading the whole text like 99.9% of the time #I’ve only read a third of Orientalism for example but like I have a good grasp of Said’s core arguments and concepts #and like part of how I finished authoritarian personality (a 1000 page book) was by skipping & skimming sections #like the whole is not always more valuable than its components #and also like ‘I read this book to complete it’ is not an insincere way to engage with a text but I feel like it’s limiting #if that’s your primary approach to reading. Like you read a book just to say you read it #& also more petty but I think that if your argument or thesis only works if people read 100% of your book then you’re doing a poor job #of getting your point across #again obviously it’s valuable to read and process whole complete texts not dismissing that but like #I don’t find a lot of inherent value in reading a book just to complete it u know

[canisalbus]

I just recently started following you so i don't have the full lore of your murderous gay religiously traumatized doggos, BUT, from my understanding, they are Italian and i don't know what part of Italy they are from, yet i can't help headcanoning Vasco as Tuscan, while Machete is probably from some part of Veneto. And as an Italian who has heard Tuscans and Veneto dialet, well it's an hilarious mental image.

Vasco is indeed Tuscan, Florentine to be specific. He comes from a wealthy and influential noble family that has lived in Florence for centuries. He's proud of his roots, and it's usually easy for strangers to tell where he's from. He's a resonably successful politician and has worked as an ambassador and representative of Florence on numerous occasions.

Machete is originally Sicilian (ironically about as far from Veneto as possible), although he was taken to mainland at young age and has lived in several places since then, before ending up in Rome. The way I see it, he exhibits very little local color, his demeanor and (even though Italian hadn't become a standardized language yet) way of speaking are formal, neutral and scarcely give away any hints about his personal history, at least in the 16th century canon.

#I tend to take the easy way out with the various Italian dialects/languages and temper their effect on how the dog world works #even though to my understanding in reality they differ drastically from each other even today and they aren't always mutually intelligible #especially when you compare northern and southern ones #I know at least Sicilian is so different from modern day Italian it's considered a separate language entirely #it isn't the only one but I'm not a linguist and not even Italian so I'm not really qualified to be explaining any of this to you #main point is that my dogs are well traveled educated and adaptable so I'd like to believe that they manage #otherwise making this whole scenario work would become very complicated #language barriers aplenty #Machete is a fast learner with a natural knack for languages so he absorbs/decodes new ones easily #and I can see him acting as an interpreter if necessary #which is a valuable trait for someone working as the secretary of state I'd imagine #a lot of people he ends up dealing with speak at least passable Latin so at a pinch they might perhaps try switching to that? #Vasco might have a Tuscan flavor but Machete is more of a blank slate (at least in public and at work) #answered #fallenoftheromaempire #feel free to correct me if I've gotten something wrong I'm not an expert and this stuff is complicated for an outsider

[front-facing-pokemon]

#i'm not. doing every fucking form of furfrou that would take 12000 years. so i'll just do an extra closer bonus angle under the cut as #recompense‚ okay? #furfrou #i would do the pharaoh trim because apparently that's Really valuable on the pokémon home GTS. EVERYONE wants furfrou pharaoh trim #folks are trading fucking shiny ultra beasts for furfrou pharaoh trim. and i don't understand why?? is it because you can only get it in #egypt in pokémon go?? and people're trynna collect every furfrou form?? just use XY and transfer from pokémon bank #it still works‚ doesn't it? if you already had it installed‚ at least

[thedisablednaturalist]

People who are worried they aren't helping with climate change or any other big world problem bc they do something like make video games or art or are a cashier at a grocery store:

You are helping. You are making the art that helps me, an environmentalist actively working to restore biodiversity and ecosystems, get through each day. You are helping those of us on the front lines enjoy living or take a well-needed break. The person loading my groceries into my car is making it so I can eat that week and have enough energy to do my work. If you want to do more, you can volunteer, donate, and boost the voices of local community leaders working to protect and restore the local ecosystems, but don't feel bad if you can't. We are all in this together.

#the only people who should feel bad are the ones actively contributing to the problem more than anyone else is #i mean rich people who take private jets not you who threw away a plastic bottle instead of recycling it #and fill up their giant swimming pools during droughts (and dont even swim in them!!!) #i personally chose my field bc i didnt want to stand by as all this bad crap happened #and because i love being outdoors and i love critters #but everyone elses jobs are important too #even people who cant work are valuable bc you give us a reason to fight for a better world for you #eventually i may have to stop working if my health gets worse but that doesnt mean i wont be valuable #i hope this makes sense #ramble #conservation #environmentalism #save the earth

[eveningnessandtea]

Robin: so Eddie... have you heard about Steve’s secret lover? Eddie (the secret lover): uh...yeah...he uhm..he uhm...he might have mentioned them... Robin: so Steve, when are we going to meet this new paramour? Steve: they’re really shy, I don’t think they’re up to meeting everyone yet. Eddie: yeah...I don’t think they’re up to meeting everyone yet.  Robin: I don’t care! I wanna meet this mistery person who’s the best sex he’s ever had.  Eddie: REALLY? that’s what you heard? Eddie (turning to Steve): you said that?  Steve:....I might have said that... Eddie: * giggles *  Steve: why is that funny?! Eddie: ...because I’m very happy for them!....and you! you lucky dog. 

#Eddie proceeds to be insufferable about this new piece of valuable information #he will have to apologise later #STEDDIE #Stranger Things Incorrect Quotes #this kind of works both ways #now that I think about it

[ley-med]

When I volunteered to teach med students who have a rotation in our hospital, I was really scared I wouldn't be able to talk consequently for 1,5 hours, and I would be left there with the students in an uncomfortable hour of silence before I could let them go home... Now that I had my first practical, I can safely say my worries in this regard were unwarranted.

Apparently, it's really, really hard to speak only for 1,5 hours about a topic I'm really passionate about

#medblr #med school #from the other side #education #im paid more to talk about basically my everyday work #something i really love #turns out it's fun #and i hope i can give the med students something valuable to take home #and make the hell called med school even just a bit more comfortable

[portable-holes]

So many valuable things go on in my head all the time

#HyperedArt #wheatley #Portal #portal 2 #wheatley portal 2 #shitpost #It is 3 AM I have to be up by 8 tomorrow #I spend my time on valuable and precious works of art with deep meanings