02:00 New Yorker: Work Sucks. What Could Salvage It? https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/work-sucks-what-could-salvage-it
19:00 Elizabeth Anderson Lecture: The Work Ethic: Its Origins, Legacy and Future, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzRKsprglDs
22:00 Are half of jobs bs?
23:00 NYT: Your Neighbors Are Retiring in Their 30s. Why Can’t You? https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/07/magazine/retire-early-saving.html
35:00 “Is Vegetarianism Healthy for Children?,” Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 59, no. 13 (2019): 2052–2060., https://nathancofnas.com/papers/
36:00 My father said I would only learn through pain
49:40 The Scent of Luke, https://lukeford.net/blog/?p=96311
1:39:00 David Graeber, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Graeber
2:00:00 Vouch nationalism applied to work, https://vouchnationalism.com
2:15:00 NYT: Your Neighbors Are Retiring in Their 30s. Why Can’t You? https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/07/magazine/retire-early-saving.html
Podnotes summary: Nietzsche said that a strong ‘why’ can help us achieve almost anything. This is true for parents with many kids; their ‘why’ motivates them to work hard. Even without kids, I’m driven by my passion for what I do – writing, working, and live streaming about politics and culture.
I’ve been blogging since 1997 and started daily live streams in 2018. My content offers unique insights you won’t find elsewhere. Unlike predictable commentators who echo familiar views, I explore different angles on various topics.
Discussing the nature of work, I reflect on my history including reporting on the porn industry which led to mainstream media attention due to stories about HIV transmission. My interests also lie in philosophy and debunking popular but flawed ideas like the overrated notion of democracy when hierarchy actually dominates our lives.
Even dictatorships have elements of democracy – Hitler couldn’t execute certain actions due to public opposition, Stalin reopened churches during WWII for support, and Khrushchev was peacefully ousted after unpopular decisions.
In America’s diverse society with its varied work ethic among different groups, issues like immigration are decided by elites rather than democratic processes. Only fringe political parties seem willing to address this disconnect between elite decisions and public opinion.
The American work ethic varies across communities; while some Americans possess a strong sense of duty towards work others may not share this sentiment as deeply due to cultural differences or historical experiences with employment discrimination.
Lastly, critiques suggest much modern employment is unfulfilling or unnecessary (‘bullshit jobs’), advocating for reduced work hours and more leisure time echoing Keynes’ view against excessive labor at the cost of enjoyment in life.
