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Gig work is just turning the poor class into servants. And adding further debt to other poors trying to use these services. (lemmy.world)
submitted 6 months ago by to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world
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How quickly we accepted that it's normal to pay someone to go get our groceries for us. To drive us around when public transportation is available. To run errands for us. To bring us fast food.

Covid capitalized on it.

People don't want to give up that luxury now that they've had it. Even if it makes things cost 2x-3x as much.

Even when we all know its exploitive labor.

It's true delivery and driver services have been around for hundreds of years but now instead of companies with full time employees (with benefits) , the gig employee gets paid less while taking on risk that aren't compensated by the employer (car accidents, gas, car repairs, injury or attacks).

Gig work is a much worse thing than maybe a lot of people realize. And it's also making more people servants to others.

It's moving full time employees with benefits and using company property to no benefits and using their own property that they have to pay for.

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[–] [S] 3 points 6 months ago* (2 children)

I think you are missing my point.

Servants with zero benefits using their own "tools" they pay for (like a car), are different from labor jobs with benefits and a living wage. Not that there are many of those so called benefits for minimum wage workers either.

I mean it all sucks under capitalism. But gig work is ramping up end stage capitalism. It takes more, and takes it more aggressively from the working class.

Gig work is exasperating the inequality that already existed. It's robbing and exploiting people far more aggressively than seen before.

I think people don't realize how harmful these systems are.

Capitalism crash is inevitable. Through a few possible routes. But the suffering it will inflict and how widespread can be curtailed by stopping these predatory practices.

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  • [+] -12 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    Gig work is absolutely fantastic if you get into the right type of gig work. And it allows people that wouldn't be able to work to actually work and make money. If you're paying for a service you're paying for a service you have to think about it that way every business out there is some sort of service every business out there turns somebody else into a servant. You really think going to a restaurant and having a waiter take your order and bring you your food is not making them into a servant? You really think going to a grocery store and having somebody scan your groceries and bag your groceries for you doesn't mean that you have two servants sitting there. What an idiotic thought to think that somebody working a job and doing something that they can do creates a servant out of them. Grow the fuck up.

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  • [–] [S] 6 points 6 months ago

    I'm not saying people who do gig work are at fault here or should feel bad about doing gig work. I think you have misunderstood

    I'm saying the business model of gig work is predatory towards its employees and its customers.

    And that people are forced into gig work because better paying practical jobs are being phased out. They are manipulated into believing it's a great option when it's not. It's just the only option.

    When you consider the additional cost and risk that gig workers take on, you surely see how these companies are predatory.

    They don't exist to help people get work. They aren't there to help you out. They exist to make you dependent on them so they can profit.

    Acknowledging this doesn't mean you are a fool for doing gig work. Acknowledging it means you are aware of how you have been manipulated, even if you realize you don't really have alternative options.

    Most of us work for shitty companies. Some are worse than others. We all have bills to pay. We are all trapped in the system. But that's no excuse to ignore what's going on even if we don't have alternative options and have to stay with these companies.

    You don't owe them anything. Certainly you don't have to talk them up. They aren't there to help you out. They lobby to pay you the least $ and screw you over as much as possible.

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