Daunting Future (or Present?)

This book is already 13 years old, so what this book argues is like, "Ha, we experienced it already!" But still, this book provides a good logic of degradation of labor.

This book is about how the development of technology deteriorate our working conditions and ultimately our lives. Highly mechanized workplace does not need to have skilled workers, or a number of workers because machines take over work which used to require manpower and skills. Corporations are increasingly hiring temporary workers, instead of regular, full-time workers, because the labor of temporary workers is less costly and corporations do not need to pay benefits and allowances. Also, corporations are outsourcing as much as possible even to overseas. Technology expanded the area of outsourcing. Newspapers, for example, used to have their own printing press. However, nowadays they are more likely to outsource the printing process to outside printing companies. Thanks to the development of computer technology, they can transmit the data (the prototype of a paper) to printing companies via computer fast and easily. It is not a big deal to do corrections (correct typos, add the latest news, etc.) at the last moment even though the newsroom and the printing company are far apart because they are connected with computer.

While corporations are outsourcing, a number of jobs are lost in those corporations. Skilled, educated workers are not needed. Technology makes work easier and, therefore, unskilled, uneducated temporary workers cover that work. Middle-class workers lose decent jobs and reluctantly take up manual labor with meager wages for sustenance. They may not be able to sustain their lives with one job, and then, they may take up two or three jobs. Their working conditions become harsh. They become physically and mentally exhausted, which causes the rise in healthcare costs. However, because the majority of the nation is too poor to pay social security premiums, the healthcare system goes bankruptcy. Then, the functions of the sate are called in question. In any case, ordinary people’s life falls into a vicious cycle. While the rich get richer, the poor get poorer.

I do not agree with the conclusion. He is too optimistic about the potential of the third sectors. He positively refers to the third sectors in Japan. However, I know many, or the majority, of the third sectors in Japan are not functioning as this book describes. They are tainted with trouble, and tax payers’ money is wasted on them.

Capitalism!

Wow, this book really makes sense! Uuuuuurrrrggggghhh, everything is stemmed from capitalism!

This book argues that white supremacy is necessary to distract frustrations and angers among white working-class people from issues that they really need to face—exploitation. White working-class people are in reality exploited by the capitalist as other races in the working class. However, their whiteness prevents them from thinking of their real issues. Basically, white working-class people are insecure in terms of employment. They are uneducated, unskilled workers. They work for meager wages. Even though they work hard, they are always exposed to a threat of being laid off. The instability of their mind is converted into racial antagonism (white supremacy). White supremacists tend to think that black workers are a threat because they are taking white jobs. Though black workers may be able to take white jobs, however, they cannot take whiteness away from white working-class people. Whiteness is the last and ultimate refuge for the poor white.

From the capitalist’s point of view, white supremacy in the working class is favorable because angers among working-class people are not targeted at the capitalist as long as the poor white and the colored poor are hating each other. Thus, white supremacy is supporting and disguising capitalist exploitation.

Uuuuuurrrrgggghhhh, capitalism!

Tax Season

Man, I'm really lucky. I'm glad to have DS in my life here. DS the tax consultant kindly helps me file tax return! I did it on my own last year. It turned out that I did something wrong. As a result, I got a letter from IRS later, which made me scared though there was nothing to be scared of. Feeling helpless about it, I asked for DS's help. She is an expert of tax and, therefore, she fixed my problem in a sec. Geez, she's a genius.

So, this year, at the moment I received a tax return document, I gave up filing it by myself. Instead, I went directly to DS, my super tax woman! I brought some bribes--maki rolls and cookies, which I assume will go mainly to her kids' stomach. She filed tax return on the spot on behalf of me. I think it took only a couple of minutes. Mm, she's super fast.

DS is terribly busy this time of the year, the tax season. My filing is ridiculously simple because I have only one income source and I don't have any stocks or big bank accounts. But her real clients bring her more complicated issues which take up her time a lot. That's why this society desperately needs tax consultant like DS. I appreciate that DS spared some time to take care of my problem though she's been busy.

Brain Death

Damn. I forgot my keys in my office. I realized that I left my keys behind after I came home. My roommate was not at home. Suddenly, my backpack became heavier. "Man, I need to go back to my office? But what if no one is not there to open the door for me?!" My office is a community office where several people are sharing.

I called YC to check out if someone was there. Because she was not in her office, YC called someone else to do that task. Meanwhile, I called GM who is sharing the office with me. Is he an angel or something? Even though he was at home when I called him, he offered me a ride to school. Because he has a key, he can open the door if no one is there, right?

To get back to YC, she found that JK was in my office and she would stay there until 9:30 pm. Meanwhile, GM came to pick me up. And we drove to school. We found JK still in our office. She gave me my keys. We chatted for a while. It was really nice and relaxing to chat after school.

Anyhow, I feel so blessed to have those kind friends around me. Thanks, GM, YC, and JK!

I Like to Move It, Move It ♪

The music in "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" is really sticking to my mind. ♪I like to move it, move it, she likes to move it, move it♪

This is a fun movie, but I thought the original is better. It's kind of dull here and there. You know, you can't expect too much.

I appreciate DS and DS (yes, they share the same initials) to involve me. They are always nice. And her kids, they are cute :)

It's really nice to have someone out of academia to whine. DS is a victim of mine to endure my whining. She's nice, she's thoughtful. I feel much better :) Thanks, DS.

Heavy

My $1 theater buddy, SA, and I went to see Changeling tonight, well, late at night. Mm, it is not a good movie to see late at night. It's too intense. Angelina Jolie is good, though she's too skinny (kind of scary, thinking how she lost that much weight).

I'd better see this stupid movie, instead, especially frantic first couple of weeks of the term.

Make Good Sense!

Man, I like this Bourdieu guy. What he says in this book really makes sense to me. The ideology of neo-liberalism is disseminated by the media, which tend to target poor, less educated people (including women ... I don't agree with this though). Neo-liberalism causes new type of exploitation of labor. Globalization is a disguise of exploitation and capitalism. Urgh, he's cool!

Marx

I think I like Marx even though I don't completely understand what he says in Capital.

I liked today's seminar very much, which was held in plain English, I should say. The professor was out of town, and tutors (brilliant Ph.D. students) substituted today's class. Today's class provided more relaxing atmosphere in which students including novices in Marxism like me were allowed to ask stupid (oh well, basic) questions. I hope this entire course is like this. But no, I don't think it would happen again.

I'm Here!

Don't forget about me. I'm here. I've been crazy because of reading which is easily surpassing my capacity. With that, I don't have time to frequently update this blog. I've been wavering between "Oh, I should drop one of the classes" and "No, you can make it." So far, I've stuck to the latter. So, I've been crazy. Arrrrrgh!

Too Heavy To Sit On

Finally, this morning, I collected a box YO sent me for Oshogatsu. The box contains mochi (rice cakes)! Ohhhhhhh, how should I eat these?! I'm so obsessed with this delight problem of how to consume them. Thanks, YO! This is a great gift at the daunting, depressing beginning of the term.

As a Japanese, I tried to make an Oshogatsu feeling with this rice cake. Actually, I tried to put a grapefruit on the rice cake to make the stereotypical kagami-mochi, but as you may imagine, of course, it didn't work. A grapefruit is too huge to sit on. Nay :(