Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

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When talking to people who dislike UBI about UBI, they'll often say both that 'people need a purpose in life' and that 'nobody will work if they get free money'. (lemm.ee)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/showerthoughts

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Those seem incompatible to me.

(UBI means Universal Basic Income, giving everyone a basic income, for free)

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

From a capitalist perspective it’s ideal if your workers are on the verge of poverty, living paycheck to paycheck. That’s exactly where you want them.

People in that situation won’t complain. Won’t stand up for themselves or their rights. Will take poor treatment and deal with it. Will work in unethical or even illegal ways and keep quiet because they have no choice.

Even better if you can tie people’s health insurance to their job, then you’ve really got them by the balls.

I've got a pretty decent job, and earn pretty good money. But I'm the only earner in a family of four and no, we haven't made all the best financial decisions at times.

What you have described is exactly where we live, and while there isn't that much I want to stand up to at work in the first place, 100% I don't make any waves that don't have a basis in the hard facts of my job, and for this very reason. I'd like to go in an ask for a merit based raise, I'd like to fight harder for more people to be hired in our (spread very thin) department, and there are a few other things I'd like to at least ask for and feel OK about standing firm on.

But I don't, because I don't want to jeopardize what I've got.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I feel for you, it's a real situation.

I'm fortunate in that I've managed to build up a bit of "fuck you" money. So-called because if my employer did anything awful I could say "fuck you" and walk away, and know I had I few months of buffer.

It definitely makes me feel more able to stand up for myself and others when I don't fear the consequences of losing my job. I wish everyone could feel that way because it would make society a better place, and UBI would help.