Alternatives to wage slavery?

In the capitalist system, every single living person is taught through our indoctrination camps that the "only way" is to go to college, get a "job", work for a corporation, essentially becoming a wage slave until retirement. Good link: www.omnipresence.mahost.org...

When we go to school we are taught that school will teach us what we need to survive in society by giving us the necessary skills to get a job and “take care” of ourselves, but the system is not interested in our well-being. It is only interested in what we could do for them. The process of public education is a combination of rudimentary knowledge which we need to be able to serve the rich and powerful plus “norming” behavioral indoctrination intended to keep us from questioning the status quo when we become servants to the capitalists or the government by persuading us that the system which exploits us somehow exists solely for our benefit (a blatant contradiction and a lie).

And 90% of the people never question that mentality.



But we, on ATS, might as well. Here's a good website, whywork.org... . The average sheep has been taught to see such publications as Marxist and thus deny their credibility; thus staying asleep and keeping the Elite in power.



But I may ask, for the purposes of speculation, what are some possible alternatives to wage slavery?

If you would check out the book "The Millionaire Next Door," you'd discover that most american millionaires never finished college. Many never went at all, since they are immigrants to this nation (USA).

To quote an old Anarchist Slogan:


Marxism always works against revolt . . . because Marxism never revolts against work.

Marxism exalts "wage slavery" as the ideal for humans. Just ask a marxist if they believe anyone should be salaried, and you'll quickly discover that they believe work is . . . ennobling. They preach a literal "worker's paradise."

I think you are looking for a "slacker's paradise," which is another bird entirely. If so, you need to check out ancient philosophers like the one in my avatar.


Seriously. Money is nothing but a store of value, allowing two entities to exchange values. The trick is to maximize value accrued to you, while giving away as little as possible.

I've personally embraced capitalism, as I believe owning things promises a lot more liesure than the anarchist/leftist alternative-- a counterfeit liesure which is simply poverty in populist clothes. Although to be honest, I greatly prefer free enterprise to actual capitalism, which is about competition and reward rather than simply inheriting your leisure. But thats far to fine a distinction for most of our gentle readers.

all the best.

reply to post by thetruth777


Work for yourself. That's the only alternative.

If everyone stopped working for someone, then wholesalers would let average ppl buy stuff apart or in bulk cheap. And the ppl who would sell would raise price for the conveenyance to their custumers who maybe live near or maybe only trust them.

You'd have your go to guy for, say, toilet paper rolls and a bag of chips. And you'd have your go to guy for etc. And you'd be the go to guy for etc.

Where one finger ends another begins.

Originally posted by Mabus
reply to post by thetruth777

 

Work for yourself. That's the only alternative.

If everyone stopped working for someone, then wholesalers would let average ppl buy stuff apart or in bulk cheap. And the ppl who would sell would raise price for the conveenyance to their custumers who maybe live near or maybe only trust them.

You'd have your go to guy for, say, toilet paper rolls and a bag of chips. And you'd have your go to guy for etc. And you'd be the go to guy for etc.

Where one finger ends another begins.

Obviously... How does once start a freelance?

The real answer, I believe, lies in self-sufficiency. Which means reducing your dependence upon strangeers to sell you things. Either reduce your wants, or create necessities yourself.

Strangers want to take your money. So stay away from them in so far as is possible.

Not that I want to live in a cave. But every time I buy from a corporation, I end up getting ripped off. So I begin experimenting with making some of the things I like best, so that I control my access to the good life, not some seller of stuff.

I like to garden; it's good bonding time with the kids. It also sets the stage for cooking your own meal as opposed to paying someone else (profiting them) to cook it for you.

And even when you do purchase things, you can "dumb it down" a bit, and your money goes a lot further.

If you drive a subcompact, you get excellent gas mileage, and no one tries to steal it from you. Your insurance is cheaper, and so are spare parts. A bike's even cheaper, and gives you a ripped look.

You can buy a pre-dressed quarter of a steer for cheap, and cut your own steaks, if you have some basic butchery tools. It may sound gross, but at 13$ for a T-bone, I can put up with a bit of Le Grand Guignol.

And to be honest, while I enjoy hunting, I'm really in it for the meat. Venison is far leaner than feedlot beef, and it cost me all of 67 CENTS A POUND to put 200 pounds of it in my freezer last year.

Same with clothes. For a while, we lived in the walmart era, when clothes were so cheap that you just threw them away. But now that the price is going back up, my wife is beginning to sew again. With dress clothes, it actually makes a difference. A button, a new zipper, etc. Now, I like to wear fairly bland clothing. I don't like to "stand out" for my fashion sense. But you get the idea.

Do your own plumbing, your own wiring, your own furniture repair. It's far cheaper, and far more satisfying. Take a leaky faucet for example. A plumber will charge a hundred bucks for a home visit. And odds are, all that's wrong is a leaky o ring or rubber seal. Costs like, four bucks to get a pack of assorted washers, rings, and seals. Since my afternoon off is worth . . . . slightly less than $96, it's definitely worth my while.

You get the idea. It's not even political. It's just reducing the opportunities for other people to make a profit off of you.

When I was a college anarchist, a friend used to say that America was ruled by "Convenie-archy." You pay for convenience. Ergo, you also save money by doing what's not convenient.

How much do you want to save today?