Bullshit Jobs : a Theory

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Call Number: Adult Book / Nonfiction / Business & Economics / General / Graeber, David, 306.361 Gr
On Shelf At: Westgate Branch

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Preface: On the phenomenon of bullshit jobs -- What is a bullshit job? -- What sorts of bullshit jobs are there? -- Why do those in bullshit jobs regularly report themselves unhappy? -- What is it like to have a bullshit job? -- Why are bullshit jobs proliferating? -- Why do we as a society not object to the growth of pointless employment? -- What are the political effects of bullshit jobs, and is there anything that can be done about this situation?
"'Does your job make a meaningful contribution to the world?' David Graeber asked this question in a playful, provocative online essay titled On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs. He defined a bullshit job as 'a form of paid employment that is so completely pointless, unnecessary, or pernicious that even the employee cannot justify its existence, even though as part of the conditions of employment, the employee feels obliged to pretend that this is not the case.' After a million views in seventeen different languages, people all over the world are still debating the answer. ... Graeber, in his singularly searing and illuminating style, identifies the five types of bullshit jobs and argues that when 1 percent of the population controls most of a society's wealth, they control what jobs are 'useful' and 'important.' ... Graeber illustrates how nurses, bus drivers, musicians, and landscape gardeners provide true value, and what it says about us as a society when we look down upon them. Using arguments from some of the most revered political thinkers, philosophers, and scientists of our time, Graeber articulates the societal and political consequences of these bullshit jobs. Depression, anxiety, and a warped sense of our values are all dire concerns. He provides a blueprint to undergo a shift in values, placing creative and caring work at the center of our culture, providing the meaning and satisfaction we all crave."--Jacket.

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Memorable thesis. Depressing. submitted by terpsichore17 on July 16, 2019, 2:13pm Ostensibly a deeper exploration of the theory advanced in Graeber's 2013 essay: that technology has advanced enough that the developed world *ought* to work fewer hours, but in fact many work more than ever; a subset of these employees believe their occupation to be utterly useless but must act as though it is not, and this causes them both psychological and physical distress.

He certainly talks through a number of subjects (the difference between a shit job and a bullshit job, the history of work, the labor theory of value, testimonies from people with BS jobs, a bit of psychological theory, a bit about morality, a bit about safewording out, a bit about the nature of time), though the very number thereof left me feeling that his analysis/synthesis must be rather shallow. For all the expounding he does, I'm not sure I ever got a clear read on why shit jobs (ie, necessary work which receives poor pay/treatment) are poorly compensated; the thesis "We feel that nobler work demands less remuneration" does not convince me.

Graeber doesn't really proffer solutions, saying that the point of the book is to illuminate and discuss the problem itself. On one hand, such discussion might be useful; on the other hand, such illumination can prove depressing (ie, it is no coincidence that having read halfway through it, I found myself coming home from work and collapsing into bed in a depressed stupor).

Did make me feel like I should learn more about economics, and try harder to finish Leisure, the Basis of Culture.

Tough read but informative submitted by brooksza on August 9, 2023, 2:50pm Like the other reviewer, this was a depressing read but I'm glad I did. It was really informative about how work culture begets work culture. It's a tough one but quite educational.