The Work Ethic

What a load of bullshit.

We are put on this earth (by shapeshifting lizards, obviously) for our allotted time, during which no one else is going to live our lives for us. So if I have to participate in the great capitalist charade, under the thumb of hypocrits, then at least give me the choice to do something intrinsically good and meaningful with my time.

Call centres don't count.

What is this bollocks about a work ethic - especially when perpetuated by the robber barons that are the greatest spongers in our society. To have moneyed politicians, members of a shady and privileged aristocracy and corporate fraudsters tell me I have to be a good citizen and 'do my bit', or, 'pay my way', or, 'work hard' I think they can fuck off. Especially when they pay themselves nice fat bonuses for running failed banks!

Nothing changes in Britain; the Sheriff of Nottingham never left office.

These people would like to tell you that work is good for the soul; the panacea to all your problems. It's the same argument that compels Tommy to sit in a foxhole in Afghanistan fighting the wars of failed presidents and prime ministers. Where is the glory in this? Do they zealots shooting at them care about their 'hard work', do the Afghani's trying to live their lives inbetween care?

Does the poor fella here trying to find a job think that the rich boys in Westminster or the Square Mile, care that he does find a job (beyond that tax they can take from the pittance he'll get paid?

He'd love any job, apparently. I don't doubt that's true and I'm sure he would take or do anything. But why are people put into a situation where they are so financially desperate or so culturally deprived that they are willing to accept anything - even when the likelihood of them earning a wage that can support them (without recourse to further benefits) is minimal. I'm sure deep down, like everyone, he as aspirations (we live in a society that programs people to want, after all), talents, hopes, goals, dreams, aptitudes and skills. Yet these are never tapped. Why? £££.

Why are we not investing in these people in this way, in people's lives? Why only focus on getting them into any job no matter the cost? Why is that so important? I say it's counter productive. It's easy to say 'go apply to Tescos or lose your JSA' but how does that help society? All it does is inflate Tescos which leads to the rise of big business (at the expense of small business, and therefore of community) creating a cycle - business expands, more jobs. Do we want a nation of shelf stackers? Do we want a nation of people educated only to that level? What's next, St. Tesco's Comprehensive School? A place where peopel are not educated in culture, science, art as well as the fundamentals (price tagging, removing unwanted items from bagging areas), but taught only enough to get these mcJobs!

This is counter productive to society in the long term, and the long term is all that matters. Britain is a wealthy place, don't be fooled by all this deficit nonsense. This debt serves political interests, particularly tory workhouse ideology. If the will was behind the sentiment it would be paid off overnight with at least a proper tightening of the tax rules.

Instead we make people feel the only way they can participate and be welcomed into society is if they are willing to do anything for anything for as little as employers are willing to pay. After all, as Chris Rock says, the minimum wage is the emoployer's way of saying "if I could, I'd pay you less". Unless you are prepared to slog your guts out 24/7 then you aren't working hard enough, and if you are you need to look at your neighbour and say "why aren't you doing more?" Divide and rule, boys and girls; want what your don't have and judge those that have what you want and find them wanting. That's why we have a benefit fraud 'hotline' but not a tax fraud hotline.

I believe we should treat people as individuals and help them into whatever career they want, especially if that career is genuinely helpful and productive and, if possible, elevates society. Why aren't we moving forward? Instead we are stagnating; this is what gives rise to the bitterness in society where people on the NMW look down their nose at people on JSA, which is a wholly ridiculous position.

I believe there is work that can be done that's productive and meaningful; it must be very rewarding to help people for a living, for example. But we can't even get that right, and if someone signed on saying they'd like to train as a social worker or a counsellor for young out of work people, they'd get sent to their local Tescos at best.