BULLSHIT JOBS BY DAVID GRAEBER

Book Reviews by Binod

BINOD’S RATING: 6/10

Anthropologist David Graeber argues that over half of societal work is pointless, which becomes psychologically destructive when paired with a work ethic that associates work with self-worth.

HR consultants. Communications coordinators. Telemarketers. Lobbyists. Actuaries. Custodian bankers. PR researchers. Corporate lawyers. Many middle management positions...There’s a whole class of highly paid and respected workers who’ll admit over a drink that their work is stupid and pointless. Meanwhile the REAL workers with meaningful jobs ( garbage collectors, teachers, dock workers etc) are squeezed and exploited.

Graeber defines and describes five types of meaningless jobs: flunkies, goons, duct tapers, box tickers, and taskmasters. He argues that the association of labor with virtuous suffering is recent in human history, and proposes universal basic income as a potential solution.

The book is full of stories of meaningless jobs in a world where work has become an end in itself. Such jobs also serve political ends, in which parties are more concerned about having jobs than whether the jobs are fulfilling.

Bullshit Jobs are a huge defect in our system that has received no systematic attention. A timely, rigorous and provocative book laced with humor!