Often times all the trouble and oppression in our world can feel overwhelming. The more one learns the more one feels as if all the ism-threads (sexism, capitalism, racism, ageism etc) can never be separated and because of that strong knot nothing will ever really change. I feel this ism-knot as a conspiracy to keep us locked in constant theoretical debate, to keep us apathetic or just completely overworked. The knot keeps us from being able to see solid solutions to problems that affect us all. Sure it’s intense at times. But I think it is of utmost important to have an open dialogue with one another, to throw out ideas that just may work. Of course, these are not new ideas that I am writing, but I want to hear what you all think of some of the solutions that I’ve been contemplating in my own mind, solutions that seem reasonable, that seem to be conducive for the majority of people living in the united states. Here are two ideas.
1) A Maximum Wage—Everyone seems to be able to come to the conclusion that a minimum wage should exist, but it would make the most sense to have a minimum wage that included enough money to actually live on and a maximum wage that caped people off from having more money than anyone truly needs in a lifetime. Sure this would change the dynamics of capitalism, but it is not nearly as drastic as completely ridding our society of its capitalistic flavors.
2) Job Sharing—Here is the plan. Multiple people work at the same job, they work the same amount of time and are off the same amount of time and get paid the same amount for the entire year. What would this look like? I believe there could be multiple ways of doing this, but to put it in a more concrete example: Sally works for the Flower Power Co. from May to August and Dec to Feb. and has Sept. to Nov. and March to May off. During that time she receives a regular weekly salary that is exactly the same whether she is on or off the employee schedule. Betty works and is off the exact opposite of Sally.
Job sharing would enable people to contribute to the capitalist society by “working” mainstream jobs but would also give people time to contribute to their own life chooses whether it is something in the creative sphere such as writing or watching films, whether it is dedicating oneself more to their family and friends, whether it is starting one’s own business, whatever whatever.
I don’t know, these seem like great solutions to our current economic woes, what do you all think?
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