Christ_empowered
Member
No, I'm not a commie, lol...I'm just...wondering...
...do you think a lot of us (in the US) work too much, for too long, to the exclusion of other things? I don't mean to blame the individual. I think its a social and economic problem, not a personal one, usually ("the personal is political").
One of my few friends moved to England. She has a masters degree in the social sciences. She and her husband both have good jobs over there. Most workers in the UK get a couple weeks time off (holiday), health care is nationalized (although a lot of businesses have additional insurance you can add on..for what, I don't know), and workers at all levels tend to have more job security (they usually can't fire at will, lol). And that's the UK. Their safety net, worker protections, etc. aren't quite as extensive as a lot of other European countries.
They don't produce near as many rich people in the UK, but...they also have less overall income inequality, less crime, and more extensive benefits for people who can't work (I can relate to that...I'm on disability for mental illness. At this point, a big part of the reason I'm unemployed is stigma).
For whatever reason, the UK and much of the rest of Europe is decidedly "post-Christian." My friend was telling me how many of the old churches are now museums. Sad :-( But, they do still have some Christians, and I think a lot of the way the society operates is more in line with certain parts of Christianity (help the poor, be thy brother's keeper) than the way American society operates. Many on the right wing I find terrifying because of their open contempt for people like me, mixed with this really mean-spirited version of Christianity.
So...yeah...what do you guys think?
Also...sometimes I despair of ever getting a job. No one around here will hire me, anyway, because I have a terrible reputation, coupled with the ill effects of being crazy from 18-25. I'm working on a degree, which is awesome, and I hope it goes somewhere, but...
...sometimes, honestly, I think of my own disabilty as a blessing. I mean, when I did work, I was terrorized. Made fun of, given terrible hours, then called in to cover for the "cool" people, terminated or they'd put enough pressure on me to quit. Its not just the core symptoms of "mental illness...." I think a lot of the reason mentally ill people often don't work is because we're "off kilter," even on meds. That and mental illness carries serious stigma, so we're low status in the work place from the get go.
Anyway, its like...most people in America work a lot. That's changing (hours per week is going down, apparently, because of the sort of jobs being created in the "economic recovery"), but...
...work work work. And there's all this mythology and ideology to support it, pull yourself up by your boot straps, work hard, ain't nothing free, rise to the top, etc. Meanwhile...
...its nearly impossible for most families to keep going on 1 income, like back in the day. Pensions are a no go, because the "company man" doesn't exist anymore. Even with 2 incomes, many people in the lower income brackets still need public assistance (Wal Mart apparently is a huge offender...lots of their employees need help, compared to employees from other businesses).
Blah blah blah. Mix of AM rant, musings, and general...concern. What's the point in having an economy in which the rich--especially the super rich--get more and more, while everybody else has to work harder and harder for scraps? On a personal level...do I really wanna get in on the employment scene, when I'm often not wanted in most jobs because of stigma and (locally) a terrible reputation?
...do you think a lot of us (in the US) work too much, for too long, to the exclusion of other things? I don't mean to blame the individual. I think its a social and economic problem, not a personal one, usually ("the personal is political").
One of my few friends moved to England. She has a masters degree in the social sciences. She and her husband both have good jobs over there. Most workers in the UK get a couple weeks time off (holiday), health care is nationalized (although a lot of businesses have additional insurance you can add on..for what, I don't know), and workers at all levels tend to have more job security (they usually can't fire at will, lol). And that's the UK. Their safety net, worker protections, etc. aren't quite as extensive as a lot of other European countries.
They don't produce near as many rich people in the UK, but...they also have less overall income inequality, less crime, and more extensive benefits for people who can't work (I can relate to that...I'm on disability for mental illness. At this point, a big part of the reason I'm unemployed is stigma).
For whatever reason, the UK and much of the rest of Europe is decidedly "post-Christian." My friend was telling me how many of the old churches are now museums. Sad :-( But, they do still have some Christians, and I think a lot of the way the society operates is more in line with certain parts of Christianity (help the poor, be thy brother's keeper) than the way American society operates. Many on the right wing I find terrifying because of their open contempt for people like me, mixed with this really mean-spirited version of Christianity.
So...yeah...what do you guys think?
Also...sometimes I despair of ever getting a job. No one around here will hire me, anyway, because I have a terrible reputation, coupled with the ill effects of being crazy from 18-25. I'm working on a degree, which is awesome, and I hope it goes somewhere, but...
...sometimes, honestly, I think of my own disabilty as a blessing. I mean, when I did work, I was terrorized. Made fun of, given terrible hours, then called in to cover for the "cool" people, terminated or they'd put enough pressure on me to quit. Its not just the core symptoms of "mental illness...." I think a lot of the reason mentally ill people often don't work is because we're "off kilter," even on meds. That and mental illness carries serious stigma, so we're low status in the work place from the get go.
Anyway, its like...most people in America work a lot. That's changing (hours per week is going down, apparently, because of the sort of jobs being created in the "economic recovery"), but...
...work work work. And there's all this mythology and ideology to support it, pull yourself up by your boot straps, work hard, ain't nothing free, rise to the top, etc. Meanwhile...
...its nearly impossible for most families to keep going on 1 income, like back in the day. Pensions are a no go, because the "company man" doesn't exist anymore. Even with 2 incomes, many people in the lower income brackets still need public assistance (Wal Mart apparently is a huge offender...lots of their employees need help, compared to employees from other businesses).
Blah blah blah. Mix of AM rant, musings, and general...concern. What's the point in having an economy in which the rich--especially the super rich--get more and more, while everybody else has to work harder and harder for scraps? On a personal level...do I really wanna get in on the employment scene, when I'm often not wanted in most jobs because of stigma and (locally) a terrible reputation?
