17 – Trolling Capitalism: You're Job Might Be Bullsh*t (Abridged)

There are those who'll always say, no matter how efficient the financial markets are, no matter how much automation there is, the outcome will always be the same: more jobs and more human prosperity for all. But if more jobs are created by greater efficiency, then what's the difference between efficient and inefficient? Because efficiency is supposed to mean fewer people for more work. For example, a computer that replaces everyone's job would mean greater efficiency. So we've all been sold a bill of goods, there's less real work out there but we're constantly being told "no, you're wrong, greater efficiency is creating more jobs. Don't trust your eyes!"And though over the past century there has been a dramatic decrease in productive jobs, there has also been a proliferation of bullshit jobs. Jobs that basically do nothing of actual use. The answer to greater efficiency replacing real jobs was to create more fake jobs. Then capitalism sounds a lot like communism doesn't it?Things DiscussedFeudal-capitalismBullshit jobsCorporate communismGospel of wealth & Andrew CarnegieAutomation & TerminatorStar Trek & Mad MaxAdam SmithJohn Maynard KeynesDavid GraeberTED Talks cultureMotivational speakers & life coachesArbitrary bullshit incomeNew thought, self-help, and prosperity gospelMMA & free market of sportsBooks I Recommend:Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David GraeberThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanMisbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics by Richard H. ThalerThe Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max WeberThe War on Normal People: The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future by Andrew YangThe Wealth of Nations by Adam SmithThe Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam SmithHomo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah HarariThe General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money by John Maynard Keynes1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. MannThe Gospel of Wealth Essays and Other Writings by Andrew CarnegieThe Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorstein VeblenThe Money Cult: Capitalism, Christianity, and the Unmaking of the American Dream by Chris LehmannThe New Prophets of Capital by Nicole AschoffBlessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel by Kate BowlerThe Sum of Small Things: A Theory of the Aspirational Class by Elizabeth Currid-HalkettRelated Episodes:Wile E. Coyote & Our Make-Believe Economy (Bonus Episode)Charlie Chaplin and the Road to FreedomMusicTheme – Chosen by Ross BugdenGillicuddy – SpringishDub Terminator – Dub StepsJ1 – Crispy_RosesBLEO – Sultry Space ShowersFoniqz – Subdiffusion MixBlue Dot Session – Thread_of_CloudsIf you'd like to support my podcast and help me do this full-time, become a patron on Patreon: patreon.com/musttriumph (a site where you can monetarily support your favorite content creators). As a thank you, you will get access to bonus episodes along with transcripts for every episode (including this one).You can also find me at twitter.com/StuffFromSam and facebook.com/musttriumph