( I love this, and leaving random note here for future convo topic: the difference between organizing against (platform, bosses, etc...) and organizing for...our organizing efforts can also be outside of the labor/overlords binary, to build something different, mutualist. )
As socialist feminist, I care a lot about this topic-- for a Canadian perspective check out https://rabble.ca/economy/unionizing-freelancers/ and https://rabble.ca/feminism/new-report-shows-policy-makers-continue-to-neglect-self-employed-women/. While self employed folks here have more rights and benefits than our American cousins, its still lacking --for no good reason other than self employed people don't identify as such except at tax time. The entreprneurship industrial complex makes self employed "entrepreneurs" feel shame for asking for same rights --soemtimes because of Horatio Alger "I don't need benefits/I do it alone" anti- govt support bravado.
Oh thank you for the Canadian angle! And I think you're spot on—some of the research I've been doing on platform labor talks about how the "entrepreneurial orientation" is used to distract people from how their labor is being exploited and/or how the problem might be the platform rather than the "entrepreneur"
So true---we (99% entrepreneurs) are the surplus and latent labour pool Marx talks about---and don't know it. For the most part! Love your work Tara and keep it up!
A great conversation to have! We saw a bit of this here with the Substackers Against Nazis movement. Only the tiniest wins, but it was a good example of how creators on this platform can organize together.
( I love this, and leaving random note here for future convo topic: the difference between organizing against (platform, bosses, etc...) and organizing for...our organizing efforts can also be outside of the labor/overlords binary, to build something different, mutualist. )
Yes, put that on the list 🤓
Or to put another way... if our efforts are just towards a better etsy, we're sunk!!!
As socialist feminist, I care a lot about this topic-- for a Canadian perspective check out https://rabble.ca/economy/unionizing-freelancers/ and https://rabble.ca/feminism/new-report-shows-policy-makers-continue-to-neglect-self-employed-women/. While self employed folks here have more rights and benefits than our American cousins, its still lacking --for no good reason other than self employed people don't identify as such except at tax time. The entreprneurship industrial complex makes self employed "entrepreneurs" feel shame for asking for same rights --soemtimes because of Horatio Alger "I don't need benefits/I do it alone" anti- govt support bravado.
Oh thank you for the Canadian angle! And I think you're spot on—some of the research I've been doing on platform labor talks about how the "entrepreneurial orientation" is used to distract people from how their labor is being exploited and/or how the problem might be the platform rather than the "entrepreneur"
So true---we (99% entrepreneurs) are the surplus and latent labour pool Marx talks about---and don't know it. For the most part! Love your work Tara and keep it up!
A great conversation to have! We saw a bit of this here with the Substackers Against Nazis movement. Only the tiniest wins, but it was a good example of how creators on this platform can organize together.