The False Promise of The Future of Work

On the illegitimacy of the system within which we work, and prospects for the future

In the famous 1971 Foucault Chomsky discussion on Power and Justice, Chomsky stated that if one of the fundamentals of human nature was the freedom to create without the constraints of hierarchical systems, then a decent society must ensure this is realised. That is to say, we must strive to overcome the power systems that limit our freedoms and force us to become cogs in the machine of industry. A worthy ideal, I’m sure you’ll agree. However, the present would prove that we have largely capitulated to the demands of the machine.

Instead of pursuing a life of freedom and creative expression in things of our own interest and design, we have tacitly agreed to work our bollocks off in the fulfilment of someone else’s interest. To boot, spend on frivolous, non-complex things, all we have earned in exchange. A means to medicate ourselves against the numbness of the work, you might say. And don’t worry about not having enough income to buy this plastic useless shit, you can borrow from your future labouring self via a high interest loan. Of course, this merely ensures our ongoing enslavement.

My wife’s friend and her partner recently secured their first mortgage (as if the bank was doing them a favour). They are in their thirties and, after many years of saving, finally managed to get together the necessary deposit. The only problem is that, unlike my wife and I, they will be in their seventies before that mortgage is repaid. A forty-year mortgage - Death Grip is right. They could, in fact, be dead before they own the house, and I’m sure the bank has a clause in there somewhere to ensure they are not left with any loss. It seems remarkable to my socialist-oriented brain that someone or something should be allowed to profit from people seeking to build their own homes. I know it’s the way things are, but surely it’s a basic human right to have a secure place to live without having to give up one’s freedom. Why should a corporation, or anyone else for that matter, be allowed to profit from this? What’s the alternative - live in a hotel on state benefit? Looks like it.

There was a time in European history when charging interest was considered immoral. How things have changed. Everything is to be owned, and everything is for sale. It seems we swallowed this you-can-have-everything-you-want-now promise hook, line, and sinker. They know that our behaviour is largely driven by fear and desire, and they successfully tapped into that. So, who are they?

They are the corporate public relations people, advertisers, marketers, etc., and they know you and me better than we know ourselves. It arguably all started with Edward Bernays, the father of modern PR, and his realisation that, given the right message, people could be nudged in a given direction and coerced into action. This was nothing new but he had articulated and documented it in a way that hadn’t been done before. He called it propaganda, although it wasn’t such a dirty word back then. This Bernays fucker is at least an essay in itself…or, I’m sure, a book.

In addition to the corporate marketing machine, we have the education system, essentially a conveyor belt, from which is spat enthusiastic young people schooled to fit the industry mould. They are not taught how to create their own thing. Instead, they are discouraged or, at best, kept in the dark about self-sufficiency. In fact, the implicit message of education is that they must develop themselves in such a way as to be attractive to one corporation or another. The dream they are taught to dream is that of a job that will provide for their future. But this is not their dream at all, but the dream of someone else.

As the implicit story goes, the future of work is bright for those who make themselves employable. Until such time, that is, when the market decides there is not work enough for them. For everyone else, you either have to figure it out on your own, or you are destined to live on the breadline. Of course, I do not refer to the children of the political, corporate and financial elite here. Their education remains secure behind breathtaking fees and the meeting of tight entrance criteria. Can’t have the peasants infiltrating their ranks.

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organised habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in a democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government, which is the true ruling power of our country. ...We are governed, our minds are moulded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organised. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. ...In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons...who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.”

Edward Bernays, Propaganda 1928

When we talk about the future of work, we usually refer to how technology will shape the workplace of the future, its impact on jobs and the economy, social justice and fairness regarding work, and, essentially, keeping people working. We hardly ever, if at all, address the legitimacy of the Capitalist system within which we work. The most important thing for the left and the right in this conversation is that people continue to work and earn enough to keep things turning, and we remain cogs in the machine. They insist, and we accept, that the market will regulate itself, and in doing so, there will be peaks and troughs in employment. The human cost, well, unintentional we are assured. It’s just how the world works - literally.

In this section of Sunday Letters, we will discuss how the world of work is changing due to technology, but we will also address the larger issue. That is, changing the system within which we work. We will stress working for oneself as a solution—a business of one. It’s what I do and have done for many years. It is a legitimate solution to the problem of waged slavery, and it can provide a good income once we’re clued in. There are advantages and disadvantages, and some have argued that most people are just not built for it. But I intend to argue against this pessimism on the premise that not being built for self-employment is simply a case of schooling, as mentioned above.

In sum, The Future of Work will speculate how the workplace will change in the near future and also how people’s attitudes and relationships with work will change. Change is this latter respect, in fact, is vital if we are to take command of our working lives and become free and independent of hierarchical dictatorial systems of work. The alternative is that we become stuck with the current system, and people will continue to be sick and broken emotionally, psychologically, and financially.