The Liberty To Starve: The Novel Project Economy

A recent LA Times Op-Ed past times Sara Horowitz, the president of the Freelancers Union, is a piteous testimony to the means that skilful people tin dismiss purchase into around really bad ideas.  She begins innocently plenty past times describing a electrical flow shift inwards job practices: “Freelancers, independent contractors together with temp workers are on their means to making upwardly the bulk of the U.S. labor force. They break 42 million, or one-third of all workers inwards the nation. That figure is expected to rising to 40% — around sixty 1000000 people — past times the terminate of the decade.” As nosotros convey seen inwards higher education, this motion to just-in-time, part-time, flexible labor oftentimes has many disadvantages including no benefits, no labor security, depression wages, together with unpredictable, last-minute schedules.

One would intend that an arrangement representing this growing sector of the labor strength would condemn the super-exploitation of employees, but instead nosotros are told the following: “It's truthful that many convey been forced into this brave novel globe of freelance operate past times external factors. But many are getting into it past times selection because independent operate aligns amongst a prototype shift inwards values that is happening both at operate together with inwards the marketplace.”  In other words, the novel generation of workers likes this cast of super-exploited labor because it fits their lifestyles.  For instance, nosotros are informed that, “Nearly nine inwards 10 workers affiliated amongst Freelancers Union, a 250,000-member nonprofit, enjoin they wouldn't furnish to traditional operate if they had the choice. This sentiment is peculiarly truthful for millennials, who volition build upwardly 75% of the workforce past times 2025 — together with who operate together with eat differently than generations earlier them.”  Although it is unclear who has responded to this survey together with how they define traditional work, the message appears to live that the notion of a stable labor amongst benefits together with a career is straightaway considered to live out of engagement together with undesirable.

According to Horowitz, “among the growing ranks of independent workers, labor itself is increasingly its ain reward, every bit is the chance to flora a work-life residuum that was unthinkable during the Era of Big Work. Millions of freelancers are working when they desire together with how they want. They're edifice gratifying careers but also happy lives.” The notion that labor is its ain reward sounds similar a massive rationalization for self-exploitation, together with piece it is truthful that around people may prefer a to a greater extent than flexible operate schedule, flexibility is oftentimes a tool for employer manipulation. 

We are told that workers desire to live self-employed together with don’t hear non having labor safety or stable reward because they prefer their freedom: “Yes, the comfort of a regular paycheck is gone, but it's replaced past times other, arguably greater comforts: a flexible schedule, the feel of ownership together with pride that comes amongst existence one's ain boss, the might to prioritize wellness together with wellness inwards ways that are incompatible amongst traditional job structures.”  As 1 French philosopher in 1 lawsuit said, liberty has oftentimes resulted inwards the liberty to starve. 

The fact that a labor organizer is promoting this “new economic scheme ideology” is indicative of the full authority of the neoliberal economical regime:  as corporations growth their tape breaking profits together with the existent reward of the average worker goes down, the working poor are told to comprehend their novel freedom.  Moreover, it turns out that they won’t hear having no coin because they actually don’t similar buying things: “In reality, millennials tend to value experiences to a greater extent than than things. Their consumption habits are driven less past times what variety of labor they convey together with to a greater extent than past times their pursuit of ever-evolving technology, brands that align amongst their ideals together with sustainable together with social job purchasing.”  What Horowitz does non enjoin that is that due to their high-level of educatee debt together with low-wage jobs inwards the micro-economy, immature people cannot afford to purchase fifty-fifty the basic necessities. 

Of course, Horowitz would probable dismiss these criticisms every bit the lawsuit of the inability to comprehend the inevitable drive of history together with technology: “From what nosotros purchase to how nosotros operate — together with why nosotros create either — the American economic scheme is undergoing a alter every chip every bit epic every bit the shift a century agone from an agrarian lodge to an industrial one. When workers left the farm for the factory, at that topographic point were, undoubtedly, plenty who mourned the loss of the one-time means of life, piece others eagerly looked to the side past times side era amongst vision together with enthusiasm. The same is truthful today.” Although nosotros should non deny that our labor scheme is changing, it is yet of import for us to protect the skilful aspects of the one-time economy.  What nosotros don’t demand is the blind enthusiasm that pushes Horowitz to proclaim the following:  “The Era of Big Work is indeed over, together with skilful riddance. Welcome to the Era of Meaningful Independence.”  Really?  From a labor organizer?

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