SMALLTALK: Bullshit Jobs

Smalltalk with Matt and John segment about David Graeber's book Bullshit Jobs: A Theory
#bullshitjobs #economy #okboomer #bookreview

[@marcoglara2012]

I’ve been in the army for 14 years. Everyone in the army is a taskmaster. Pointless tasks created to keep soldiers busy and spend taxpayer money. All justified in the name of “readiness “in the event of conflict . So much money, wasted, so much.

[@metachewy]

Sorry to hear that. I worked in my City's City Hall and is was the same thing... so much bureaucracy.

[@theblackpianist1905]

I build bathrooms from scratch. Sometimes kitchens and mancaves. I can’t relate to this.

[@metachewy]

Good to hear that there are still REAL jobs that exist!

[@jdtreharne]

Very few BS jobs actually exist in the private sector. What *do* exist are jobs that Graeber doesn't understand. Like receptionists who absolutely do not exist to flatter the boss's ego. They help with the workload, crowd control, calendar and task management, answering phones, etc. All of which the executive no longer needs to do and can therefore focus on deeper work.

[@TahoeQ]

I've only worked in the private sector, and have had my own fair share of BS jobs, and have met many others who have had BS jobs.

[@metachewy]

I think Graeber was interested in the fact that there were actually BS jobs that existed in private industry. This is not to say that every receptionist is a BS worker. I think it varies from organization to organization. There are absolutely receptionists that are vital to the operations of some companies.