points by tfrancisl 5 days ago | 0 comments
> Uber drivers are welcome to no longer drive for uber if they don’t enjoy the experience.
This is obviously a fallacy under our current economic system; workers are not "free to choose whatever job/occupation" they'd like. Their circumstances (material conditions) dictate what they can and cannot do for work, and in some places, driving for Uber is about it, at least for a part time gig that can fit around a primary job (since many Americans at least must work in excess of 50 hours a week to afford food and rent).
So, instead of punching down and saying "man, just get a better job" we could recognize the realities of the world and hope we can make the conditions of drivers better. Uber, or a system like it, at least if we are forced to have car-centric infrastructure, should be a net good. At the moment it is not.
[–] Dylan16807 4 days ago
[–] cowlevel 4 days ago
Things existing generally can't be ignored as their mere existence can have higher-order effects. For example your landlord can now raise your rent higher and say "why don't you just drive Uber to pay this", and even if he doesn't actually say that, people's extra Uber income still raises the average amount that people can pay for rent, which raises the amount that landlords can charge for rent and still fill their apartments.
It should have more protections too, I'm not arguing against those. I just think "it's the only job some people can get" is often a bad argument. And it's often used to perpetuate bad systems.