Is It Possible To Build An Economy Without Jobs?

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Frank Joyce

Is It Possible To Build An Economy Without Jobs?
Humans will always work. But that whole employee-employer thing is optional. It's time to start looking for another model.

April 29, 2012 |


Suppose that something caused iTunes, Sony Music, "American Idol," SiriusXM and every other commercial music entity to disappear. Would humans still make music? Of course we would.

Although capitalists would prefer we think otherwise, human ingenuity created capitalism—not the other way around. And work long precedes the existence of the capitalist system of jobs. Like music and art, work is intrinsic to the human condition. It is essential not just to our survival but to our progress as a species. It is something we do naturally, regardless of the economic and political systems in place at any given time or place in human history.

Of all the systems that contain and define our lives, perhaps the most opaque is the job system. While it is common for us to think about our individual job—or the lack thereof—it is rare that we consider the job system itself. It seems to us that humans have always been either employers or employees -- and we always will be. It’s the ultimate TINA (There Is No Alternative).

Who do you work for and what do you do are interchangeable questions in daily social discourse. Parents spend many of their waking hours thinking about how to best raise and position their children so they will be attractive to the person or entity that will “hire” them. From Dlibert to National Secretaries Day, we assume that the job-based system of organizing what gets done, who does what and how our effort is compensated is an immutable component of human existence—almost like air, water and food. .......................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/visions/155186/is_it_possible_to_build_an_economy_without_jobs_/

[xchrom]

1. Du rec. Nt

[limpyhobbler]

2. Awesome article thanks.

[Cirque du So-What]

3. Looked into the MONDRAGON Corporation mentioned later in the article

A wealth of information about their economic model that fosters co-operativism as an alternative to 'traditional' capitalism:

http://www.mondragon-corporation.com/ENG.aspx

[tk2kewl]

4. K&R

[Joe Shlabotnik]

5. If we were forced collectively to have an AA style confrontation/intervention

Last edited Mon Apr 30, 2012, 05:46 PM - Edit history (1)

about what our values really are, then it would become apparent that our concept of having a job, is outdated and destructive. That confrontation is coming whether we like it or not, via financial collapse and serfdom or environmental degradation and/or catastrophe.

No one expects something for nothing. We praise ourselves, and place a high value on hard work. But having a 'job' is so 20th century. We have the ability and technology to live well in a world that invests in equality, but rather chooses to marginalize many. If we asked ourselves, do we need 2 cars? so we need a nebulous banking system? do we need the MIC? do we need to be spying on each other? do we need to manufacture something overseas and ship it all around the world, so some underpaid person can pay $2 less for it? We are caught up in catch 22 of servility to the PTB for both our jobs and the continued justification for our jobs to exist. We perform a lot jobs that are both unnecessary and destructive.

Our greatest collective failing is our own inability to accept that the world with which we've been conditioned to believe is unchangeable, is in fact changeable. Change is inevitable, but are we willing to remain ignorant, divided and silent and let it change for the worse? We have the resources, education, science and technology but lack the imagination and will.