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rosethornRangerTTV @beehaw.org

Free time is not linear

A lot of people's free time goes towards setting up things that goes towards more free time in the future, like planting gardens. A lot of their free time also goes towards things like rest, which is radical in this capitalist hellhole of a society. We work more efficiently when we take time to heal, and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This efficient work allows us to rest more, repeating the cycle.

Since this is a feedback loop, wasting even a little bit of someone's time regularly can make a big impact

This is why capitalists hate cashiers sitting down. They can say it is about “professionalism” all they want, but the point is to tire you out. When you are tired you can’t look for another job, you can’t build things like gardens that reduce your dependence on them, and you can’t build other forms of organizations that get you what you need. All you have time for is to sit down, order some food, and fall asleep.

[Moral of the story: if for some reason a lot of cops got bedbugs it would reduce the amount of policing they are able to do both now and into the future]

10 comments

  • I agree with you on the free time but I don’t think cops with bedbugs are likely to do any less policing, or be any nicer to the people they encounter

  • Uh...what exactly does this have to do with politics? I got no problem with striking up conversation based on personal ideas and theories, but this feels more like something for the Chat community, no?

    • I think it's pretty obvious how this is political. Far, far more than the other recent thread about lateness, anyway.

      The amount of free time people have is a result of the economic situation we live in, where people are expected or required to work a certain amount of hours in order to be able to afford basic necessities, and some people end up needing to work even more than others because the kind of work they do is not valued enough. That's politics.

    • oh let me guess, politics is whether you check red or blue on a small piece of paper every 4 years?

      • Hi @rosethornRangerTTV. I can see you've just recently joined our instance, so let me first say: Welcome!

        While you're here, please keep in mind the ethos of Beehaw when interacting with other folks in the comments - Be(e) Nice. We're working hard to make Beehaw a pleasant little corner of the internet that is welcoming and inclusive.

        I personally don't have any issues with something like this being posted in !politics, but @coyotino's question is valid. I think in the future it wouldn't hurt to include a question (or questions) related to your ideas to help get discussion started, or link to an article expanding on the idea that you're interested in discussing. Regardless, I'm glad you're here, and I hope you enjoy the community that we're working to build.

      • Per the sidebar:

        In-depth political discussion from around the world; if it’s a political happening, you can post it here.

        So people coming to this community from in and outside Beehaw are generally looking to have conversations about current political happenings. It's not that a post like yours isn't allowed, and I'm not even trying to frown upon it or anything. Posts just tend to get more engagement (or the right kind of engagement) if you post it in a community that matches the intended audience.

  • I think I get how this can be related to politics, but maybe the discussion lies in the conditions where capitalism is positioned to thrive off of the backs of working class folks by stealing their precious little free time.

    You talk about the effect that it has and that does have value. But if we're to learn how to fight against oppressive systems, we have to start somewhere by focusing on a sector to improve the awareness or interest in, say, mutual aid networks.

    How do they serve us, the working class, and how might we reclaim this precious free time by changing our approach to something we do day to day? Fighting capitalism and oppression takes time because we have to learn why we're being oppressed.

    And if I may, you might focus on union busting tactics and legislation. What's the friendliness factor toward labor movements in your local government? Who in your city council is a thorn in the side of labor movements? How do they systematically prevent people from helping people through collective action?

    Just a few observations and thoughts that might get any conversation on track. Hope it's helpful!

10 comments