Bullshit Jobs

hardcover, 333 pages

Published June 3, 2018 by Allen Lane.

ISBN:
978-0-241-26388-4
Copied ISBN!

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (87 reviews)

Be honest: if your job didn't exist, would anybody miss it? Have you ever wondered why not? Up to 40% of us secretly believe our jobs probably aren't necessary. In other words: they are bullshit jobs. This book shows why, and what we can do about it.

In the early twentieth century, people prophesied that technology would see us all working fifteen-hour weeks and driving flying cars. Instead, something curious happened. Not only have the flying cars not materialised, but average working hours have increased rather than decreased. And now, across the developed world, three-quarters of all jobs are in services, finance or admin: jobs that don't seem to contribute anything to society. In Bullshit Jobs, David Graeber explores how this phenomenon - one more associated with the Soviet Union, but which capitalism was supposed to eliminate - has happened. In doing so, he looks at how, rather than producing …

18 editions

Bullshitjobs und schlechtbezahlte nützliche Jobs

4 stars

David Graeber fragt sich, warum in einer kapitalistischen Gesellschaft so viele Jobs entstehen können, die offenbar keinen Sinn ergeben, wirtschaftliche unnötig sind und die Menschen, die dort arbeiten müssen, unglücklich machen. Eine Antwort hat er eigentlich nicht. Das Buch ist dennoch eine sehr gute Auseinandersetzung mit der kapitalistischen Arbeitsgesellschaft. Einige Kapitel lang wird die sehr interessante und wichtige Frage erörtert, warum gesellschaftlich sinnvolle Tätigkeiten im Gegensatz zu unnützen oder schädlichen Tätigkeiten so schlecht bezahlt werden. Als Lösungsvorschlag präsentiert Graeber das bedingungslose Grundeinkommen. Naja, das war etwas einfallslos, aber gut. Warum nicht. Es lohnt sich auf jeden Fall, seine Denkanstöße weiterzudenken. Vielleicht fällt „uns“ ja noch was besseres ein.

Trabajos que no deberían existir

5 stars

No sé cómo había llegado hasta aquí sin conocer esta teoría.

Como libro, en ocasiones es un tanto repetitivo, y se le puede criticar que toda su teoría y estudio no tiene mucho de científico porque es en base a un artículo y gente que le escribe... Y sabes qué, me da igual. La sensación de que este señor ha puesto por escrito algo que todos sabíamos de forma tácita.

La distinción este trabajo precario y trabajo de mierda también es importante

We've got a problem and it's big

5 stars

A look at the increased amount of bullshit in the world, where it comes from, and how it impacts our lives. If you've ever had a bullshit job, or raged at all the bullshit getting in the way of your real job, this book is for you. You'll find good company in the real-world examples David shows off, and gain understanding in how you ended up in this predicament in the first place.

Interesting Critique of the World of Work

4 stars

This is an interesting read. It was interesting to me as someone aspiring to not have a job and close to making that happen. The look at "why have jobs?" and "why treat them as so sacred?" really hit home.

I have long said that this reverence for having a job is rooted in Puritanism. Recently I am wondering if it is more deeply internalized capitalist frames. Graeber's viewpoint is that it is some of both, which I found interesting.

This book was a good companion piece to Chokepoint Capitalism

Good first half; second half meh but thought provoking

4 stars

Interesting book. First half left me laughing and crying constantly. I’m pretty cynical already but the amount of BS jobs was even worse than I thought. Then it slowly turned into a weird mix of Marxism and academic research, culminating in a call to consider UBI. While I don’t agree with the author’s conclusions, it was a thought provoking book.

Of particular interest to both academics and Fortune 500 middle management.

5 stars

Political and economic philosophy is a dangerous subject to write. Your words will have a natural target audience. Fail to properly shade your text to your audience and your book will end up in (large) piles in a discount book warehouse. Or, in the age of digital books, with a 7-digit rank in the overall store...

Fortunately for the readers of this book, Graeber's commentary is equally caustic towards the movement conservative, the country club liberal, and even the well-meaning but slightly sanctimonious social democrat. The central thread of this work, which builds on an earlier essay that he published, is that regardless of whether you speak of the public sector, the academy, or private industry, the desire to build fiefdoms and heirarchies in the workplace give rise to the proliferation of meaningless jobs that are as damaging to the mental health of their incumbents as they are wasteful.

I …

J’ai tagué ce livre « Coup De Cœur » sur mon blog. Il me faudrait créer une étiquette « Indispensables ».

5 stars

Ce livre fait partie de ceux qui changent votre vision du monde ou qui corrigent ce que vous croyez savoir.
Le précédent livre m’ayant fait cet effet est « Tout sur l’économie (ou presque) ».

Avant de lire cet essai : * Je savais que des « jobs à la con » existaient, mais je pensais que c’était un peu anecdotique * Je croyais les « bullshit jobs » beaucoup plus répandus dans la fonction publique et les grosses administrations. * Je ne connaissais pas suffisamment les racines historiques, religieuses de la « valeur » ou des « valeurs » que l’on accorde au travail * Je croyais à la fable de l’efficience du capitalisme

Et bien cet essai : * S’appuie sur des témoignages pour illustrer son propos. Mais même une foule de témoignages n’est pas une preuve. Alors justement…
* Trouve des preuves de ce qu’il avance …

Review of 'Bullshit Jobs' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This was truly eye-opening for me. I knew I hated my job because it felt so pointless, but I couldn't put it into words. Now I know, why it felt so pointless: it actually is only a means to keep people occupied, not generating anything of value.
Now I just need to find out how to get out of this.

Ammettere l'esistenza di lavori del cavolo è un taboo

5 stars

Saggio dell'antropologo anarchico David Graeber. Il libro affronta a mo' di testo argomentativo come più della metà dei lavori della nostra società siano senza senza senso e/o frustranti. Per farlo l'autore riporta testimonianze e dati raccolti da un campione di persone che hanno risposto al suo sondaggio. Consigliatissimo, soprattutto per le prospettive nuove e stimolanti.

Review of 'Bullshit Jobs' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is a great book on the fallacies of our capitalistic society.

However, the author tends to see way too many jobs as bullshit.
For example, yes, middle management can be bullshit. But it's either because the company's organization is bad, or the person is at the wrong place. Both can be fixed, and middle managers who like what they do have a great impact around them.

Review of 'Bullshit jobs : a theory' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

My first intro to Graeber. The book is poignant, funny, and well-argued, tying together anthropological, economic, and political theory into a satisfying web of connected ideas about labor, value, and human happiness. I'm not surprised that a lot of readers got mad because they were expecting a libertarian lambasting of government regulation of markets; I, for one, was pleasantly surprised at how well-situated his argument was in anarchism, marxism, and feminism.

avatar for tastytea

rated it

5 stars
avatar for redacted

rated it

4 stars
avatar for intarga

rated it

5 stars
avatar for broonie

rated it

5 stars
avatar for imbrandon

rated it

5 stars
avatar for pivic

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Mellemonster

rated it

5 stars
avatar for JoeGermuska

rated it

5 stars
avatar for kneelz

rated it

5 stars
avatar for chadkoh

rated it

4 stars
avatar for jlperidot

rated it

5 stars
avatar for NudelnAlDente

rated it

5 stars
avatar for marcelo-soares-souza

rated it

5 stars
avatar for deuce

rated it

2 stars
avatar for lumii

rated it

4 stars
avatar for ranjit

rated it

4 stars
avatar for grislyeye

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Llaverac

rated it

5 stars
avatar for nevermore

rated it

5 stars
avatar for khanhas

rated it

4 stars
avatar for ethne

rated it

5 stars
avatar for vinibaggio

rated it

5 stars
avatar for harald_reads

rated it

4 stars
avatar for pezmico

rated it

5 stars
avatar for bradfonseca

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ssssam

rated it

5 stars
avatar for mistertim

rated it

3 stars
avatar for fabriek

rated it

5 stars
avatar for 4eyes

rated it

5 stars
avatar for cara-cara

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Ivia

rated it

4 stars
avatar for nettles

rated it

1 star
avatar for AudientVoid

rated it

5 stars
avatar for SeaJay

rated it

5 stars
avatar for spilliams

rated it

5 stars
avatar for sphenoid

rated it

5 stars
avatar for alexmu

rated it

4 stars
avatar for piotr

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Shepy

rated it

3 stars
avatar for princeofspace

rated it

4 stars
avatar for bdu

rated it

5 stars
avatar for kneelz

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Shtakser

rated it

5 stars
avatar for kyx777

rated it

5 stars
avatar for BillieCodes

rated it

4 stars
avatar for jectoons

rated it

4 stars
avatar for pivic

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Alex_Loar

rated it

5 stars
avatar for yasharz

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Brackmeister@tomes.tchncs.de

rated it

5 stars
avatar for chorist

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jectoons

rated it

5 stars