Serious question | Vital Football

Serious question

Buddha

Buddha

Vital Football Hero
Are some of you not starting to realise, as this lockdown goes on, just how many people have pointless jobs and how much money we all spend on completely pointless things too much of the time?

Not only that though, shirley this has taught us all what is really important? Our health, our loved ones, and the thing that we're all really missing, social contact.

The government and the capitalists are starting to worry, they're desperate for us all to get back to work and start spending money on unnecessary things!

But we don't need to! It's becoming more and more obvious that the only work that needs to be done is the essential work. Seriously, why don't we forget about all those other pointless and unnecessary jobs and just share out the essential work between us. Then we'd all only have to do a little bit of work!
 
You have a point Buddha but, who judges what is pointless? People want shit and others are prepared to supply it. One person's shit is another's panacea to achieve happiness. Who decides? If it was someone like Stephen Fry, a classics scholar, who sees many peoples' points of view could be a good arbiter perhaps, but who else.

Maybe the new order of poverty and job losses rife across the board will determine what is trivial or not.
 
LockdownLife said:
Not arguing, just curious - what work should be deemed pointless?
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ESSENTIAL:
street cleaners/binmen; doctors; nurse; plumbers; teachers; care workers; bus drivers; taxi drivers; cleaners; postal workers; paramedics; electricians; shop-workers; delivery drivers; community volunteers; pharmacists; train drivers; teaching assistants; construction workers; firefighters; police (I suppose, initially at least!)*

SURPLUS:
bankers; landlords; bosses; property developers; hedge-fund managers; share holders; chief executives.**

COVID 19 exposes the paper thin social constructs of capitalism!

*I might have missed some, feel free to add others
**same again, have I missed any?
 
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Buddha said:
ESSENTIAL:
street cleaners/binmen; doctors; nurse; plumbers; teachers; care workers; bus drivers; taxi drivers; cleaners; postal workers; paramedics; electricians; shop-workers; delivery drivers; community volunteers; pharmacists; train drivers; teaching assistants; construction workers.
SURPLUS:
bankers; landlords; bosses; property developers; hedge-fund managers; share holders; chief executives.
Click to expand...

I am not sure you would define Landlord or share holder as a job.

Change would probably have been more achievable at a time when we had a manufacturing industry. Unfortunately, over the years that we were in the EU we started concentrating on services (Banking, Hedge Funds, etc) which now balances our books while we left the Germans and French to develop their manufacturing industries. As a consequence, we have no wholly UK owned car company, for instance.

All the essential workers you list rely on imported tools and products in order to perform their tasks. For example, the taxi drivers, delivery drivers and bus drivers need vehicles that are not made by UK companies. Without our service industries we can not afford those tools/products.

One of the reasons for leaving the EU was to hopefully diversify our economy with a view to reviving our manufacturing and obtaining better long term self sufficiency but it will take time.
 
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GillsBluenose said:
I am not sure you would define Landlord or share holder as job.

Change would probably have been more achievable at a time when we had a manufacturing industry. Unfortunately, over the years that we were in the EU we started concentrating on services (Banking, Hedge Funds, etc) which now balances our books while we left the Germans and French to develop their manufacturing industries. As a consequence, we have no wholly UK owned car company, for instance.

All the essential workers you list rely on imported tools and products in order to perform their tasks. For example, the taxi drivers, delivery drivers and bus drivers need vehicles that are not made by UK companies. Without our service industries we can not afford those tools/products.
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Agree that landlords and share-holders aren't really workers and that they aint really doing jobs. We don't need them, they're just parasites!

And you're probably right about the manufacturing. But can't we start making things again? Including cars, if necessary (though tbh the entire transport network could/should be reassessed too, no need for so much car use, let's think about the environment, the climate, the future, etc, etc.)
 
Buddha said:
And you're probably right about the manufacturing. But can't we start making things again? Including cars, if necessary (though tbh the entire transport network could/should be reassessed too, no need for so much car use, let's think about the environment, the climate, the future, etc, etc.)
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I agree and was actually in process of editing my original post to say exactly that. We have always been a nation of innovators and I have full confidence that we can cut down on the need to import so much in the long term but I am also realistic enough to know that such changes do not happen overnight.
 
Parasites are people poncing benefits because they are too lazy to work , and want everyone else to pay for them. People making their own money are definitely not parasites.So not sure how landlords slip into this category.
 
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Buddha said:
But we don't need to! It's becoming more and more obvious that the only work that needs to be done is the essential work. Seriously, why don't we forget about all those other pointless and unnecessary jobs and just share out the essential work between us. Then we'd all only have to do a little bit of work!
Click to expand...

We? Us? You make it sound that you work!
 
When this is all over one thing is certain....China have won World War 3!
 
Buddha said:
ESSENTIAL:
street cleaners/binmen; doctors; nurse; plumbers; teachers; care workers; bus drivers; taxi drivers; cleaners; postal workers; paramedics; electricians; shop-workers; delivery drivers; community volunteers; pharmacists; train drivers; teaching assistants; construction workers; firefighters; police (I suppose, initially at least!)*

SURPLUS:
bankers; landlords; bosses; property developers; hedge-fund managers; share holders; chief executives.**

COVID 19 exposes the paper thin social constructs of capitalism!

*I might have missed some, feel free to add others
**same again, have I missed any?
Click to expand...
Your essentials are all service workers, all highly dependent on people who make stuff.

I'll volunteer to be the deciderer of essentials if no one else wants to. It's a tough job so I'll need to be freed up from other stuff to do it, and I'll need a bit of help with the more routine bits of the decidering, plus a few people to make sure decisions get implemented. I think I'll get everyone involved in a vast program of public projects, things that will create an expression of the General Will which will last down the ages. Can't have you all swapping services and watching Netflix when you could be doing something meaningful.
 
jokerman said:
Your essentials are all service workers, all highly dependent on people who make stuff.

I'll volunteer to be the deciderer of essentials if no one else wants to. It's a tough job so I'll need to be freed up from other stuff to do it, and I'll need a bit of help with the more routine bits of the decidering, plus a few people to make sure decisions get implemented. I think I'll get everyone involved in a vast program of public projects, things that will create an expression of the General Will which will last down the ages. Can't have you all swapping services and watching Netflix when you could be doing something meaningful.
Click to expand...

I'm phoning in sick
 
jokerman said:
Your essentials are all service workers, all highly dependent on people who make stuff.

I'll volunteer to be the deciderer of essentials if no one else wants to. It's a tough job so I'll need to be freed up from other stuff to do it, and I'll need a bit of help with the more routine bits of the decidering, plus a few people to make sure decisions get implemented. I think I'll get everyone involved in a vast program of public projects, things that will create an expression of the General Will which will last down the ages. Can't have you all swapping services and watching Netflix when you could be doing something meaningful.
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Ha ha, I like what you've done there, jokerman!

I said I might have missed some. And I said to GBN about manufacture.

Listen, I'm not suggesting to have all the answers, I'm just pointing out what seems to me to be bleeding obvious. I might have bits and pieces wrong but I'm damn sure that things don't have to be the way they were. You know I've felt like that for ages but I just wondered if the lockdown might have given people the opportunity to pause and reflect a little about just how much of our consumption driven society we actually need...
 
I can't understand how Buddha can have the perfect life (for him) yet never seems happy, and constantly wants to disrupt other peoples perfect life (for them).
He always seems to be angry about something or other, and displays hatred for people who he doesn't like (Tories). Is he really as happy with his life as he pretends.
 
nitram77 said:
I can't understand how Buddha can have the perfect life (for him) yet never seems happy, and constantly wants to disrupt other peoples perfect life (for them).
He always seems to be angry about something or other, and displays hatred for people who he doesn't like (Tories). Is he really as happy with his life as he pretends.
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He's not the only angry one on here.
Abusive and almost wishing other folk harm.
 
Buddha said:
Agree that landlords and share-holders aren't really workers and that they aint really doing jobs. We don't need them, they're just parasites!
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Broadly I agree but in the case of Mr Scally I feel.that voting share holders with power to take over even if they owned 51% between them of Gillingham football club would be of benefit right now.As for stuff you forgot the supply chain.No point in a doctor or teacher if they haven't got the equipment to do the job.When it comes to that little point in education if there is no occupations. Without jobs and with more free time many more would turn to crime.i feel your utopia would not be as you envisage. Which shops be deemed useless?
Why do we need trains as there is no work?Or do the few that are working get a train each?
 
Buddha said:
ESSENTIAL:
street cleaners/binmen; doctors; nurse; plumbers; teachers; care workers; bus drivers; taxi drivers; cleaners; postal workers; paramedics; electricians; shop-workers; delivery drivers; community volunteers; pharmacists; train drivers; teaching assistants; construction workers; firefighters; police (I suppose, initially at least!)*

SURPLUS:
bankers; landlords; bosses; property developers; hedge-fund managers; share holders; chief executives.**

COVID 19 exposes the paper thin social constructs of capitalism!

*I might have missed some, feel free to add others
**same again, have I missed any?
Click to expand...
I can see your point.

Although for me it would need a huge shift that just isn't going to happen. We do all those 'pointless' jobs which has made us wealthy as a country (which I know is against how you believe it should work). As others have mentioned the issue is that it's that wealth that enables us to import the things we can't make or grow here. So like you say we'd have to become a self sufficient country again but we'd also have to rely on trading rather than purchasing to get the items we can't produce here. 10kg of leeks for 1kg of pineapple anyone?

What would be nice is a shift in the social value we give to roles. As a society we give binmen a bad rep but can't function without them for example.
 
Buddha said:
ESSENTIAL:
street cleaners/binmen; doctors; nurse; plumbers; teachers; care workers; bus drivers; taxi drivers; cleaners; postal workers; paramedics; electricians; shop-workers; delivery drivers; community volunteers; pharmacists; train drivers; teaching assistants; construction workers; firefighters; police (I suppose, initially at least!)*

SURPLUS:
bankers; landlords; bosses; property developers; hedge-fund managers; share holders; chief executives.**

COVID 19 exposes the paper thin social constructs of capitalism!

*I might have missed some, feel free to add others
**same again, have I missed any?
Click to expand...


Interesting to see which jobs you consider to be surplus.

Without bankers, how would I be able to buy a mortgage to own a house? How would I save for my retirement? How would I pay the bills when I’m temporarily out of work? How will the government finance the building of new hospitals? How will the electrician afford to buy a van so the s/he can drive to fix electrical faults? How would the pharma compnIes who are trying to invent a vaccine for Covid be able to spread the risk of R&D?

PS - I’m not a banker - but to say that they aren’t essential to the world we live in is bizarre.
 
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