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]
When you only have two hours of free time in the evening, losing one of those hours because you had to stay at work an extra hour is losing half of your free time for the day.
That really puts it in perspective.
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!
