this post was submitted on 08 Nov 2023
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Antiwork

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A community for those who want to end work, are curious about ending work, want to get the most out of a work-free life, want more information on anti-work ideas and want personal help with their own jobs/work-related struggles.

The new place for c/antiwork@lemmy.fmhy.ml

This server is no longer working, and we had to move.

Active stats from all instances

Subscribers: 2.1k

Date Created: June 21, 2023

Library copied from reddit:
The Anti-Work Library 📚
Essential Reads

Start here! These are probably the most talked-about essays on the topic.

c/Antiwork Rules

Tap or click to expand

1. Server Main Rules

The main rules of the server will be enforced stringently. https://lemmy.world/

2. No spam or reposts + limit off topic comments

Spamming posts will be removed. Reposts will be removed with the exception of a repost becoming the main hub for discussion on that topic.

Off topic comments that do not pertain to the post at hand may be removed if it is deemed they contribute nothing and/or foster hostility at users. This mostly applies to political and religious debate, but can be applied to other things at the mod’s discretion.

3. Post must have Antiwork/ Work Reform explicitly involved

Post must have Antiwork/Work Reform explicitly involved in some capacity. This can be talking about antiwork, work reform, laws, and ext.

4. Educate don’t attack

No mocking, demeaning, flamebaiting, purposeful antagonizing, trolling, hateful language, false accusation or allegation, or backseat moderating is allowed. Don’t resort to ad hominem attacks against another user or insult other people, examples of violations would be going after the person rather than the stance they take.

If we feel the comment is uncalled for we will remove it. Stay civil and there won’t be problems.

5. No Advertising

Under no circumstance are you allowed to promote or advertise any product or service

6. No factually misleading informationContent that makes claims or implications that can be proven false or misleading will be removed.

7. Headlines

If the title of the post isn’t an original title of the article then the first thing in the body of the post should be an original title written in this format “Original title: {title here}”.

8. Staff Discretion

Staff can take disciplinary action on offenses not listed in the rules when a community member's actions or general conduct creates a negative experience for another player and/or the community.

It is impossible to list every example or variation of the rules. It is also impossible to word everything perfectly. Players are expected to understand the intent of the rules and not attempt to "toe the line" or use loopholes to get around the intent of the rule.


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[–] Plibbert@lemmy.ml 167 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I'm confused, does he actually think a box packer is skilled labor or is this just a whoosh from the girl.

[–] ShaggyBlarney@lemmy.ca 106 points 1 year ago (40 children)

Warehouse fulfillment is skilled labor. Fast food work is skilled labor. I'm having a hard time thinking of an example of a truly unskilled labor job.

[–] lieuwestra@lemmy.world 84 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Skilled labor is economists jargon, so the meaning of it does not match the dictionary definition.

No one is saying there is literally no skill involved in unskilled labor.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 60 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (13 children)

Skilled labor = real human deserving of a fair wage.

Unskilled labor = meat machine that we need to pay by law, but we gladly wouldn't pay them a dime if we could get away with it because they aren't real people.

-Asshat Owners

[–] lieuwestra@lemmy.world 31 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Technically skilled as in requiring education (financed by the state), unskilled can learn on the job within days.

But politics has a way with twisting those words into a us/them dichotomy.

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[–] FraidyBear@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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[–] LemmyIsFantastic@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (8 children)

Warehouse fulfillment and fast food. It takes little education and training. I can be doing it in a week. Tops.

It's far harder and longer timeframe replacing an engineer for example.

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[–] thesprongler@lemmy.world 97 points 1 year ago (7 children)

All labor is skilled labor.

[–] lowleveldata@programming.dev 62 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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[–] bob_lemon@feddit.de 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, but some labor, like McDonalds fry cooks, is also skillet labor.

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[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 90 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Guys desperate to put himself above another, with the delusion of throwing shit in a box being skilled labor, instead of standing in solidarity with the mcdonalds worker and demanding more for both of them

[–] Wogi@lemmy.world 54 points 1 year ago (2 children)

If he thinks packing boxes is skilled labor, then flipping burgers is also skilled labor.

It's just not specialized, and doesn't require any certification or further education. Which would command the premium he's thinking of.

[–] SoleInvictus@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago (5 children)

All labor is skilled labor. Can you think of any job that doesn't require learning some sort of skill(s)? It's just an arbitrary designation intended to justify low wages.

I'm highly educated but you couldn't just stick me into a traditionally "unskilled" roles for which I have neither experience nor training and expect me to function. I'd crash and burn because jobs require the development and utilization of... wait for it...skills.

[–] Wogi@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

Some labor is inherently more skilled than other. I can train you in a day to flip burgers. You'll be better in a month than you are on day one, but you don't need hands on training after that first day.

I can't train you in a month to operate a break press. And in my plant that's the least skilled job.

I get that all jobs require some skill, I'm not disputing that. But when we're talking about skilled labor, were talking about those jobs that require significant investment in time to learn, often requiring the laborer to seek that education on their own before even being considered for a job.

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[–] FontMasterFlex@lemmy.world 72 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think dude knows what "skilled labor" means.

[–] Wilibus@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Seriously. It takes more skill to prepare food than to pack a box.

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[–] fosforus@sopuli.xyz 56 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Packing boxes at Amazon is skilled labor?

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 49 points 1 year ago (22 children)

All labor is skilled labor, but packing boxes sure as shit isn't more skill than a short order cook.

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[–] VantaBrandon@lemmy.world 55 points 1 year ago (2 children)

TIL packing boxes is skilled labor

[–] CrossbarSwitch@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago (11 children)

Everything is skilled labour. For 99% of jobs you couldn't roll up and be proficient at it without training or practice.

[–] petersr@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

But correct me if I am wrong, but in my country skilled labor means you have to have a relevant formal education to qualify for the job, (in addition to getting training on the job which is inevitable).

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[–] moistclump@lemmy.world 49 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think (choose to believe) the original tweet is satire.

[–] schnokobaer@feddit.de 39 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh yeah, calling box packing skilled labor can't not be satire.

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[–] rez_doggie@lemmy.world 46 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Since when is packing boxes a skilled labor?

[–] lugal@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

I think that's the joke

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[–] gearheart@lemm.ee 43 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I rather a dude handling my food get paid better than someone touching cardboard.

No balls ony food is preferred over no balls on my Amazon packages.

[–] emptiestplace@lemmy.ml 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

But what if we could have both?

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[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 38 points 1 year ago (13 children)

This is the American way though isn't it? Push downward instead of moving upward. If flipping burgers is easier than packing boxes, and makes you the same money, why not quit at Amazon and start flipping burgers at McDonald's?

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[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 37 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] curiousaur@reddthat.com 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That McDonald's takes more skill than boxes?

[–] unfreeradical@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (87 children)

Different kinds of labor take different skills, not more or less, better or worse.

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[–] LilB0kChoy@lemm.ee 31 points 1 year ago

I’ve never worked in fast food but I’ve been to them and I’ve watched the workers. You can’t tell me packing boxes at Amazon is skilled labor and that shit isn’t.

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world 31 points 1 year ago (16 children)

Seems a lot of the comments are focused on debating the word ‘skill’ applied to each job while another capitalist gets off free while infighting amongst people who should be supporting each other in a shit world that capitalism built and benefits off of.

Enshitification is where there’s a CEO somewhere that fucks everyone over and remains untouched.

That person really should be the focus of hate here.

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[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Packing boxes is not skilled labor.

[–] Thief_of_Crows@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 year ago (66 children)

There's no such thing as unskilled labor. I guarantee you that dude is better than you are at packing boxes. That's known as "skill"

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[–] UnspecificGravity@discuss.tchncs.de 27 points 1 year ago (19 children)

Also, I'm not entirely sure that putting an item that a machine gives you into a box that the machine tells you to put it in requires more skill than working at McDonald's.

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[–] ThatFembyWho@lemmy.blahaj.zone 25 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

It's not "skilled" labor.

You need zero skills to work at Amazon.

That being said, you will learn things if you stay long enough.

Skilled labor is like a trade or where you need a specific education. I'm not even sure you need a HS diploma to work at Amazon.

Source: me, working in an Amazon FC


But yes the point of her reply is also very apt. Class solidarity friends. If you're single making <55k or whatever the median income in your area is, there's not a whole hella lotta difference regardless.

But I'll also say this. There's a lot of mfers that do MUCH less work at desk jobs, and in fact are entirely redundant and unnecessary, compared to a fry cook or Amazon tier1 employes.

[–] sebinspace@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago (8 children)

I don’t think you’re looking at this the right way.

It’s not that packing boxes isn’t a skilled job.

It’s that working at McDonald’s is a skilled job.

Any job that requires a non-zero level of training (which is all of them) is a skilled job. The idea of “unskilled labor” is one perpetuated by the bourgeois to justify paying some people a shit wage and keeping them poor.

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[–] slurpeesoforion@startrek.website 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Fry cook or box packer. He upset he picked a harder job?

[–] PoopingCough@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Did he tho? I've cooked and dealt with customers and I've packed boxes and packing boxes feels wayyyyy easier to me

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[–] idontflush@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I like how everyone is upset with the "skilled work" part. But nobody did the calculation, that with Bezos pay and 16 dollars per hour, you could hire 562500 Workers. Which I think is crazy

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[–] fosho@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I'm so over the use of "checks notes" for emphasis. for every entertaining way of making commentary there are thousands of boring copies.

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[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Lol at calling packing boxes skilled labour

That is way easier than working at McDonald’s

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[–] havokdj@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Brother how you gonna diss on spongebob like this?

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[–] NaoPb@eviltoast.org 12 points 1 year ago

Way to get played by the big man. Making you fight amongst yourselves.

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