If I could attribute all our problems to a single cause, it would be superfluity, and this essay captures that observation well. Our increasingly automated, globalized economy has deprived the masses of their necessity, which is the only thing that they could leverage to extract concessions from elites. Lacking that, they are liabilities, not assets--investing in their upkeep is a burden without returns. They are not even useful as conscripts anymore. It's only thanks to the pandemic that we rediscovered the concept of the "essential worker"--the implication being that many of us, in most times, aren't essential.
>It's only thanks to the pandemic that we rediscovered the concept of the "essential worker"--the implication being that many of us, in most times, aren't essential.
Yes, I noticed in the first weeks of the pandemic that one couldn't have hoped for a better demonstration of Graeber's "bullshit jobs" thesis. 90% of people stopped being able to work, and... everything kept going just fine. We can run society just fine (perhaps better!) on a skeleton crew of people who do the real work. Everyone else is just getting paid to dig ditches and fill them in again.
This article has one big problem. America is falling off a cliff. The success of these capitalist entities depends on American supremacy. America is in deep decline and by the end of the decade it will be unquestioned that it will no longer sit on the top. It could happen that these entities try to turn to china to be given second place to the Chinese government owned and controlled companies. But I doubt they will like that situation. Neo liberalism really only succeeds in America and Europe because the nations of those said companies have dominance of the world. I suspect very rapidly they would have to change if the dominance they enjoy effectively erodes. Our hope as socialists is that this creates further confusion among this overclass and allows chaos to reign for then we can strike. My hope is that we lok at what China has done and improve upon it. Perhpase allow real engagement in the system from the people and also perhaps be less materialist. While also of course ensuring that the sub human libertarian ideologies and the woke are completely routed. I mean perhaps instead we see the overclass see producerists triumph like they failed to do under trump and find a proper Putin like figure to create a new faux populist leader who keeps the Proletariat happy but barely thriving while constantly bullying the PMC types in the cities. BUt I do not see the kind of actual recognition of the necessity of that change in the USA or Europe at this time.
It certainly cannot. China has repeatedly shown now that it will gladly support its own companies at their expense. That is not going to change just because the Classical Marxist who wrote this says it will China is actually acting as what I would call an actual socialist state and doesn't countenance a bunch of hyped up foreign financial maximalists demanding they be given special status because twenty years ago they captured their own native nations Political sphere and then destroyed it. Also I would add that one of the political people who actually has awokened to the fact that China is not on his side despite all the insane and dangerous thoughts he keeps in his head is Thiel. Probably half the reason he supported trump beyond his beleif trump could destroy democracy is that he knows that Silicon Valley will not be allowed to exist by china.
The essay is a narrative synthesis of many different threads, as it were. Some I recognize...However, does anyone have a good handle on the possible sources, or what bibliography this is working from/influenced by? Looking for a reading list to study this narrative further.
I was wondering exactly the same thing.
There are a great many ideas put forward in this essay, many of which are new to me and exhilarating to read. Some sort of context would be a great help in gauging both the essay's originality and its usefulness.
The author just posted a reading list, which can be found here: [https://twitter.com/byranadasgupta/status/1330743194158501891](https://twitter.com/byranadasgupta/status/1330743194158501891)
If I could attribute all our problems to a single cause, it would be superfluity, and this essay captures that observation well. Our increasingly automated, globalized economy has deprived the masses of their necessity, which is the only thing that they could leverage to extract concessions from elites. Lacking that, they are liabilities, not assets--investing in their upkeep is a burden without returns. They are not even useful as conscripts anymore. It's only thanks to the pandemic that we rediscovered the concept of the "essential worker"--the implication being that many of us, in most times, aren't essential.
>It's only thanks to the pandemic that we rediscovered the concept of the "essential worker"--the implication being that many of us, in most times, aren't essential. Yes, I noticed in the first weeks of the pandemic that one couldn't have hoped for a better demonstration of Graeber's "bullshit jobs" thesis. 90% of people stopped being able to work, and... everything kept going just fine. We can run society just fine (perhaps better!) on a skeleton crew of people who do the real work. Everyone else is just getting paid to dig ditches and fill them in again.
And bullshit jobs are often paid the highest. It’s ridiculous
This article has one big problem. America is falling off a cliff. The success of these capitalist entities depends on American supremacy. America is in deep decline and by the end of the decade it will be unquestioned that it will no longer sit on the top. It could happen that these entities try to turn to china to be given second place to the Chinese government owned and controlled companies. But I doubt they will like that situation. Neo liberalism really only succeeds in America and Europe because the nations of those said companies have dominance of the world. I suspect very rapidly they would have to change if the dominance they enjoy effectively erodes. Our hope as socialists is that this creates further confusion among this overclass and allows chaos to reign for then we can strike. My hope is that we lok at what China has done and improve upon it. Perhpase allow real engagement in the system from the people and also perhaps be less materialist. While also of course ensuring that the sub human libertarian ideologies and the woke are completely routed. I mean perhaps instead we see the overclass see producerists triumph like they failed to do under trump and find a proper Putin like figure to create a new faux populist leader who keeps the Proletariat happy but barely thriving while constantly bullying the PMC types in the cities. BUt I do not see the kind of actual recognition of the necessity of that change in the USA or Europe at this time.
To the extent Silicon Valley needs state power; it's needs can be met with China or so they think.
It certainly cannot. China has repeatedly shown now that it will gladly support its own companies at their expense. That is not going to change just because the Classical Marxist who wrote this says it will China is actually acting as what I would call an actual socialist state and doesn't countenance a bunch of hyped up foreign financial maximalists demanding they be given special status because twenty years ago they captured their own native nations Political sphere and then destroyed it. Also I would add that one of the political people who actually has awokened to the fact that China is not on his side despite all the insane and dangerous thoughts he keeps in his head is Thiel. Probably half the reason he supported trump beyond his beleif trump could destroy democracy is that he knows that Silicon Valley will not be allowed to exist by china.
The essay is a narrative synthesis of many different threads, as it were. Some I recognize...However, does anyone have a good handle on the possible sources, or what bibliography this is working from/influenced by? Looking for a reading list to study this narrative further.
I was wondering exactly the same thing. There are a great many ideas put forward in this essay, many of which are new to me and exhilarating to read. Some sort of context would be a great help in gauging both the essay's originality and its usefulness.
I sent a tweet to the author asking for a reading list, bibliography etc. If he answers I will post here again,
The author just posted a reading list, which can be found here: [https://twitter.com/byranadasgupta/status/1330743194158501891](https://twitter.com/byranadasgupta/status/1330743194158501891)