Bullshit Jobs

A Theory

De: David Graeber

Narrado por: Christopher Ragland

From David Graeber, the bestselling author of The Dawn of Everything and Debt—“a master of opening up thought and stimulating debate” (Slate)—a powerful argument against the rise of meaningless, unfulfilling jobs…and their consequences.

Does your job make a meaningful contribution to the world? In the spring of 2013, David Graeber asked this question in a playful, provocative essay titled “On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs.” It went viral. After one million online views in seventeen different languages, people all over the world are still debating the answer.

There are hordes of people—HR consultants, communication coordinators, telemarketing researchers, corporate lawyers—whose jobs are useless, and, tragically, they know it. These people are caught in bullshit jobs.

Graeber explores one of society’s most vexing and deeply felt concerns, indicting among other villains a particular strain of finance capitalism that betrays ideals shared by thinkers ranging from Keynes to Lincoln. “Clever and charismatic” (The New Yorker), Bullshit Jobs gives individuals, corporations, and societies permission to undergo a shift in values, placing creative and caring work at the center of our culture. This book is for everyone who wants to turn their vocation back into an avocation and “a thought-provoking examination of our working lives” (Financial Times).

Not a bullshit book.

This book is in no sense bullshit.

It is composed of detailed accounts from people performing jobs that they percieve as meaningless. Accounts that are explored and analysed by Graeber to a masterful degree. With quantitative data to back up his qualitative exploration David creates a powerful narrative where he estimates that about 50% of all labour in the west is unecessary. An estimate that paints a bleak picture of how our society functions and must produce work wether it is useful or not.

After feeling unhappy at my workplace for quite some time I just managed to put the finger on why. I learned that my job is almost completely bullshit, composed of advanced forms of box ticking and some duct taping. I won't say if this revelation is correlated or causal to reading this book. But I will say that I recommend the read to anyone that reads this review, their relatives and friends.

Required Reading

This book put into words what I have felt for years. David Graeber plumbs the noxious depths of a very insidious part of late-stage capitalism: a job that exists so that you can have a job that exists. It is no hyperbole to say that Graeber offers us up the real dystopia. So let's fight it.

Good start but the second half was forced leftist propoganda

While the first half was rather decent (some analysis was a bit off and it was clearly visible that author and/or people behind testimonies don’t have a clear grasp of some Industries or extremely complex processes) and I can mostly agree with analysis, the second half was completely unnecessary and should have been made into another book for pushing leftist ideas.
But the main point is clear - a lot of jobs are filled with fluff and could be optimized. However advent of collabotation and communication prevents it since someone always needs you.

Overrated

I am disappointed by the lack of evidence.
The ideas in this book are all interesting, but the evidence to support them are all only anecdotal episodes, and are not convincing enough. Also, you can't tell how these bullshit jobs are really pervasive, or how harmful they really are, because there's little study. I think this book has been overrated.

Great book that make you think

Great even if you disagree with Arthur. I would recommend too anyone. Read well too.