"It is questionable if all mechanical inventions yet made have lightened teh day's toil of any human being.............[machines] have enabled a greater population to live the same life of drudgery and imprisonment, and an increased number of manufacturers and others to make fortunes" - John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy, 1848.
Wonder what JSM would make of today's machines, then? This quote was found in an astounding book I amcurrently reading, more of which later. I borrowed it from the library, but *must* have a copy for myself - one to write all over and shout "YES!YES!YES! " at the top of my voice to.
Looks lovely outside, will wander up the garden shortly and see how the livestock are, bit of mucking out to do, then need to deal with a brace of pheasants.
2 comments:
I read a really interesting piece quite recently about factory work (and you could put call centres in here too). Referring to how these kind of jobs don't allow any kind of freedom of thought. The jobs are mind numbing but you can't imagine your way out of them by day dreaming because the jobs require a level of concentration that precludes that. The mention of drudgery and imprisonment put me in mind of that. I used to work in a call centre and lasted six weeks (including my two weeks training). I wasn't even working full time but by the end of each shift I was ready to slit my wrists.
I worked in a call centre for 7 years....ever changing shifts,changing teams so no one got to build up any friendship(cant have that you get distracted...) & even just befoe I left,changing desks,we were not allowed ANY personal posessions on the desks,no photos,ornaments,no calendars,no plants,nothing.
I would never ever ever go back to that enviroment,in fact even now it makes me feel cold inside.
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