In both “Why We Work” by Barry Schwartz and Scott Santens basic income writing the same reference comes up…
There was research done that led to Dan Ariely’s book, Predictably Irrational and how it shows how money can actually not be a motivating factor or even be socially awkward (or worse) when the market suddenly appears.
This will be a quick one, too short for a real blog article and too long for a tweet (x post?). Its based on free writing thus morning plus reprompting from a friend on X. And it’s this…
When money is the only reason to do something, its intrinsic value is gone.
I was thinking about a place I used to clean as a professional cleaner with another company. It was actually a place that does great work with people with disabilities. Upstairs had three different rooms for different day activities…desks, a wide-screen television, a music room off a main activities room, a kitchen and lounge area and a games room. Then there was a stairwell that takes you downstairs. From the landing there was a series of rooms to a final lounge area and a small office at the very end before a fire exit. I was casually wondering if that whole downstairs was for staff only or only part of it as the first room had a couple of fully set up games tables. The staircase made me wonder.
I can say to myself “yeah, when I was there I made that place look as nice as possible. I detailed bathrooms, desks, kitchen cupboards and so on. I vacuumed right into corners and underneath things to give it a crisp look like they had just moved in. So on and so on.” But my instict comes back at me “So?”
It was a paid job. I didn’t really go and pick it out of a pool. We were going to multiple locations and that was one. In my current situation I added two new contracts to replace a previous smaller one as I had to have more hours due to the loss of a loved one (and therefore that other income.) I couldn’t really be that choosy. It just had to sit between adding an extra hour or so and not being so unsustainable that I would need to take the night off for multiple reasons. That landed me with two new ones that alternate over six days a week.
If I wasn’t cleaning them another contractor would. If there wasn’t one (or if I’m off for some reason) the team called “van crew” would do what I did with that disability center…they’d blast through it along with every other one that night.
You’re there for money. You wouldn’t show up if you weren’t paid.
I have also cleaned two locations that now don’t even exist! That’s a weird thing when you consider it. Sure, it kept things running when it was there, but now it’s not.
There’s also the fact of cleaning that you could spend a hour in one room and you’ll have, for example, 5 hours for a whole location. That disability one was a 2 and a half hour location I believe. So, as such, it’s impossible to really think “I did it” when it’s more like “well, I did something. I did enough to not hear about it. I guess that’s alright.” When you get the added realities of low income and people admonishing you for making a low income the ideas that dignity and meaning fall very flat.
Meanwhile if I had more time presented by such things as a basic income, all of a sudden options could open up. I could volunteer what I have learned as a cleaner to a location. Then it’s not about money but trying to help. Like Dan explains your mom didn’t make the Thanksgiving dinner for the dignity of work or money. She wanted to do something nice. Same thing there. At present there’s little chance of having the time to do volunteering.
I’m going to go to a dark place here which I had considered making its own blog but at the same time, no. Though she certainly deserves one.
I didn’t have enough money to be here for my late girlfriend. I essentially wasn’t allowed because of my economic shortcomings and now she’s gone.
People will say, kindly, I shouldn’t blame myself. I’m not, really. It’s just true. If there was a basic income or some other thing that made it so I could reduced my hours (which could have gone to someone else who wanted to make additional income) I could have spent more time on her and doing more things outside. Sometimes a day wouldn’t present a time when she could physically go out for a walk and she didn’t want to go alone for fear of cruel fat-shaming as she was a plus sized person. With more time I could have driven us out to her favorite spot at Turkey Head in Oak Bay where she also went for walks with my parents (whom she adored and who adored her as well.) I could have moved my focus over from income generating work…which is about specifically that…and moved it over to the care work of her.
This was referenced in, of all places, Brimstone and Treacle, with the lead character played by Sting. As he said, how much would it cost to bring in a housekeeper, carer and so forth? And how much would that person be really invested in the work of care? It’s not like they wouldn’t be professional and, as I’ve known people who do this work, they do take it seriously and can become affectionate towards their client but the worker/client relationship is still there. A family member or partner would naturally have a much fuller understanding of the one being cared for and would be looking around corners for other ideas that hadn’t been considered. Doing research (actual research involving taking notes and going to the library as well as looking things up or finding video clips) takes time…time that’s harder to find as people find themselves on the other side of forty hours a week. I was doing more than, plus band (which has made money for now almost 20 years). I know people who do 60 and 70 hours a week. I’m now around 50 hours a week and I can’t even imagine what those numbers are like, especially if you then add in someone you want to do care work for. You basically work for the money for yourself so you can keep working for the money to make it to your last window on the earth.
When you have had parts of your life that weren’t like that you can’t help but see that something is clearly missing.
It’s meaning.
Tom the BI Vic BC Guy 