Meditations for the Anxious Mind is one of the funnier and prophet-eering social commentaries out there.
__ is, seems to me, certainly always stretching the narrative to the margins of what’s going on, but told from the young millenial/old gen z perspective you can’t exactly point at it and say, “That’s not the way it is.”
The way he tells stories is a supreme example of what is true vs. what is perceived as truth. Nominal truth vs. Real Truth.
The boomers tells us, always, that the economy has never been better and that you’ve never been richer and Just-Trust-Me-Bro is their swan song. But you who lives close to the action, you know Sure, but not for me.
“…Because in a growth economy, stillness leads to stagnation. In the free world, work doesn’t feel like exploitation anymore because there’s bean bags in the co-work and a coffee machine with flavored syrups and breakfast bagel on Tuesdays in case you can’t afford to feed yourself.
In this stage of capitalism, work has been made to feel like it’s optional. Come whenever you feel like it. Grab a brew dog from the fully stocked fridge and leave when you stop feeling inspired. So, the iron fist has been crushed by the invisible hand. And your boss is a people pleaser with funny looking socks.
And there’s relatable memes in the work chat, but never a peep about starting a union. While working under these conditions, we don’t notice the chains around our neck, cuz we don’t have to wear a uniform anymore.
So, we style our exploitation like it was a fashion choice. As work from home prisoners, the onesie becomes our jumpsuit.
But we’ll never be free when the rent’s due. with student loans and health insurance to cover and groceries to stock. The real coercive nature of work is that we can log off whenever we want but never find liberation.”