hardcover, 333 pages
English language
Published June 3, 2018 by Allen Lane.
Be honest: if your job didn't exist, would anybody miss it? Have you ever wondered why not? Up to 40% of us secretly believe our jobs probably aren't necessary. In other words: they are bullshit jobs. This book shows why, and what we can do about it.
In the early twentieth century, people prophesied that technology would see us all working fifteen-hour weeks and driving flying cars. Instead, something curious happened. Not only have the flying cars not materialised, but average working hours have increased rather than decreased. And now, across the developed world, three-quarters of all jobs are in services, finance or admin: jobs that don't seem to contribute anything to society. In Bullshit Jobs, David Graeber explores how this phenomenon - one more associated with the Soviet Union, but which capitalism was supposed to eliminate - has happened. In doing so, he looks at how, rather than producing …
Be honest: if your job didn't exist, would anybody miss it? Have you ever wondered why not? Up to 40% of us secretly believe our jobs probably aren't necessary. In other words: they are bullshit jobs. This book shows why, and what we can do about it.
In the early twentieth century, people prophesied that technology would see us all working fifteen-hour weeks and driving flying cars. Instead, something curious happened. Not only have the flying cars not materialised, but average working hours have increased rather than decreased. And now, across the developed world, three-quarters of all jobs are in services, finance or admin: jobs that don't seem to contribute anything to society. In Bullshit Jobs, David Graeber explores how this phenomenon - one more associated with the Soviet Union, but which capitalism was supposed to eliminate - has happened. In doing so, he looks at how, rather than producing anything, work has become an end in itself; the way such work maintains the current broken system of finance capital; and, finally, how we can get out of it.
This book is for anyone whose heart has sunk at the sight of a whiteboard, who believes 'workshops' should only be for making things, or who just suspects that there might be a better way to run our world.
some pretty good analysis on the labour theory of value, and the value of focusing on care work, as opposed to production work.
Pues para decirlo más y con palabras más ajustadas está este libro, para dinamitar desde la comprensión y el ofrecimiento de alternativas uno de los grandes fantasmas que nos afecta de diferentes formas a todes: el trabajo, sus características y sus efectos en nuestra vida. Me ha parecido uno de esos libros que te abren la percepción, que ponen palabras a sospechas y te hacen conectar circunstancias de tu día a día, darles un sentido global. Obras que nos amplían el horizonte y ayudan a comprender algo del fondo de nuestra angustia. Despierta las ganas de hablar con quienes nos rodean para preguntar si a ellos también les pasa esto que nos corroe. También sorprende cómo desde una forma expresiva más que accesibles es capaz de plantear sus ideas y dejárnoslas ahí candentes, incitantes. Seguiré leyendo a Graeber, eso seguro.
No sé cómo había llegado hasta aquí sin conocer esta teoría.
Como libro, en ocasiones es un tanto repetitivo, y se le puede criticar que toda su teoría y estudio no tiene mucho de científico porque es en base a un artículo y gente que le escribe... Y sabes qué, me da igual. La sensación de que este señor ha puesto por escrito algo que todos sabíamos de forma tácita.
La distinción este trabajo precario y trabajo de mierda también es importante
Halfway between the humoristic and scientific publication, what started as a provocation ends up in building a theory that is in fact a (often humoristic, sometimes depressing) criticism to capitalistic system and the work culture that is embedded on it. A must-read.
