The Abolition of Work

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anon (not verified)
The Abolition of Work

Discuss...

SirEinzige
A perennially solid niche anarchist essay

That needs some marginal mark corrections and qualifications here and there. Abolition is a problematic word in the context of anarchy as it is usually part of a fiat state and power facilitated process. Work at its core is a problem of psychology and surrogate activities and the way to deal with it is to disassociate from the psychosomatic processes that drive the big W. I also think a transcendental critique of educations needs to accompany a total critique of work. I also think there's some outdated ultraleft language that Bob was into at the time.

On the whole though a great essay that holds up overall.

anon (not verified)
"Discuss..."

Okay. I think it's cool and it makes sense.

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anon (not verified)
Seriously, tho, the authors

Seriously, tho, the authors that are proposing an abolition of work are failing to provide those interested in such a radical project. I wouldn't say the same of Paul Z. Simons or Bonanno, for instance, as they really advocated in both writings and experience other means of sustaining themselves than work.

But what would authors such as Black promote as a means of not just subsistence but existence? Selling books?

I've been working lately as the job I've found was ridiculously easy to get, it gave me a good pay with the possibility of doing my own schedules, and little discipline is imposed in the job. It keeps me in good shape, allows me to see a lot of people, and is consistent with my lifestyle too. But on the other hand, it got me more addicted to money. And I'm also drinking more regularly, due to lacking friends, love/sex partners and overall a more substantial social life. Coping is not overcoming.

It's also dangerous as I ended up working on the battlefield as a grunt for a few good bucks a week, putting myself on the line as a potential test subject for whatever Covid-19 can do. Anyways, ranting aside... should I stop this job? I likely will. But then what?

Don't get me wrong... I've read Vaneigem and Black and I'm totally in line with their critique of the commodity society and with their arguments on freeing ourselves of the processes of production and consumerism; they're sharply expressing my feels.

But what have they got to offer as alternative... is what I'm still asking.

I thought, that, hey, maybe I could set up a mobile kiosk selling anarchist zines and books on the street corners. But even at that... even if it becomes lucrative, I'll just be reproducing an endless loop of the same ideas. I'm producing to make money to pay a rent, a car, etc. Then I brought jack shit in terms of anarchy. People will read the stuff, potentially agree, and will end up producing and selling the same kinds of books for a living a few years later.

There HAS to be something else!

anon (not verified)
mistyped

"...failing to provide with tangible solutions to those..."

anon (not verified)
there is something else, it

there is something else, it requires rejecting the mindset of reliance on "systems". hard to imagine that in any urban environment. it requires localizing everything you want/need access to. need water? there's plenty falling from the sky and flowing under and above ground (even with the water wars). need food? plant some seeds and watch the magic. yes, that requires some non concrete-covered land - there's plenty of that too, though you might have to be willing to squat, barter or muscle your way onto it. need some shelter? not that difficult to build something on your own, just requires some common sense, skills and patience (skills can be learned, the other stuff, not so much). take advantage of youtube while it exists... you can learn everything you need to know there.

major lifestyle change for most. but entirely doable. just gotta let go of all (most?) that baggage we've all been burdened with growing up in this world.

anon (not verified)
Work will Continue . Bring Anarchism to It

Until there is no need for money or there is a guaranteed income to live comfortably, we need to work. If that is the case, why not bring anarchist ideas to the workplace instead. Such as free association and self-managed teams.

Unless things dramatically change, corporations and work will be with us for some time to come.

SirEinzige
That's not the right way to look at the problem of work

Money for one thing serves the purpose of abstract magic in the context of production as it relates to psychomodern human consciousness. The issue of money is not solved by progress but by the present and the past in regards to surrogate activities. You will never bring free anything to the world of work which is forced labour and compulsory production. Also work is not the same thing as labour(work is labour plus teleology which is usually impersonal). There is no free association in work and self-management is a contradiction in terms much like military intelligence two words combined that don't make sense.

Corporations can be dealt with by simply doing away with the 5 monopolies(land tariffs money patents and infrastructure).

caspar (not verified)
I agree with the you, but how

I agree with the you, but how can either you or I on a personal scale (which is the only scale I can imagine acting on to avoid illusory thinking) "simply do away with" these monopolies? wouldnt the most viable approach to live within-but-against these monopolies be to consolidate resources with a few folks, and turn toward as-sustainable-as-possible homesteading? are there others?

anon (not verified)
> why not bring anarchist

> why not bring anarchist ideas to the workplace instead. Such as free association and self-managed teams.

how about defiance, theft and sabotage?

antiworker (not verified)
autonomous organizing is an

autonomous organizing is an art of defiance which works to sabotage the capitalism , stealing means of subsistence.

TheTao (not verified)
work won't/can't be abolished

i just think the lines between self-sustaining activities ("work", or anything that allows you to survive) and play need to be blurred a little bit better, because work in modern understanding is basically the same word as "toil", dirty, disgusting, slavish, compulsory, where our energies can and should be taken out out of the work/consume/die model. Sadly enough our world has been bent to the benefits of capitalism to such a degree that living without it is almost impossible, but it does get easier when you know some other people who also don't want to accept the dog-eat-dog aspect of it.

Bob Black's essay overall is good yet it is idealistic, really for me though living my life has basically become a constant project of improving my egoism and protecting my sanity...

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