9.11.2007

Will I become a worker of alienation?

Question #1: Discuss your hopes for a happy work life. How do you plan to avoid the forms of worker alienation described by Fromm and Fraser?

In a world where people are dealing with work as if it’s their only life line, I never thought about how I personally would deal with the stresses and responsibilities that come with it. I never even thought about my happy hopes for my future work life. My main goal for the past four years has been to study hard, get good grades, be involved and figure out how to pay for 120 some thousand dollars in tuition. At this moment in my life though, when I am in my first semester of senior y
ear, staring up at those big bad employers and preparing myself for every job fair in a 25-mile radius I never thought to ask – how will I avoid worker alienation?


Worker alienation or alienated labor is when a person “sells” themselves to a company or job in order to make a profit. It is very rare nowadays for people to stick with the ideal of craft and enjoy or even love their workings. Erich Fromm clearly states what the ideal of craft is in saying that:
“There is no ulterior motive in work other than the product being made and the process of its creation. The details of daily work are meaningful because they are not detached in the worker’s mind from the product of the work. The worker is free to control his own working action, The craftsman is thus able to learn from his work and to use and develop his skills in its prosecution (1980, p. 229).”
Despite the definition of what the ideal of craft should be, activities like auto mechanics, woodworking, sewing and painting have lost their “hobby” appeal and have become a process to produce a product. Thus, talent is wasted with the notion that time is money and having a hobby that can produce money is better spent doing so than for just sheer pleasure.



My boyfriend has somewhat broken this barrier between alienated work and the ideal of craft however by pursing his passion to make money. Jared is a crazed car fan and loves everything to deal with it. He could care less whether he ends a project covered in dirt, oil and grime (although I do). After a year out of high school though, and no idea what he wanted to do with his life, he finally made the decision to go to school – but for what? He was never a “book-smart” person, so he decided to attend Lincoln Tech, down in Indianapolis, IN, to pursue his love of mechanics. Nevertheless, although Jared is pursuing his dream of working on cars for the rest of his life, he does make a great point in saying – “No matter what you do, you need money to survive, thus in order to survive, I have to go to school to make a descent wage.”

When looking at the grand scheme of things, I don’t think that you can actually enjoy your work until you have become a “master” in it (via going to some sort of educational institution). The jobs that I worked all throughout high school and even up to now have been alienated work. Did I really enjoy working in a kitchen and washing dishes? No, however I made a good profit for my work and was able to use it towards my future schooling. Thus, by first involving myself in alienated labor, I was then able to afford to reach my goal of non-alienated labor, or at least I hope so.

For some people who attend an educational institution their main goals are to make money, be the first in their family to succeed or complete their parent’s major. I however came to Saint Mary’s with the notion that I am going to learn about something I enjoy, understand and want to be a part of. If I wanted to continue on with alienated labor in my life, then I wouldn’t have chose to be a Communication major. Instead, I would have chosen Business or Chemistry, two majors which I have zero interest in. By making the conscious choice to participate in something I love, I am taking that first step away from alienated labor and beginning to get closer to the ideal of craft.

However, as I stated, choosing my Communication major was only the first step away from alienated labor. In order to continue to avoid it, I must pursue my passion for the sheer enjoyment, not the dollar value. In spite of this, in a society like the United States, unless you are satisfied with living under the poverty line you must somehow work under alienated labor. I will never be able to fully work with my passion, unless I am truly lucky. Instead, I will most likely have to settle for a job that is somewhat in my passion realm, but also good paying.

In the end, I honestly don’t think that I can completely avoid the forms of worker alienation described by Fromm and Fraser. Because as clearly stated in Fraser’s article, White-Collar Sweatshop,
“In some industries, the norms – everyday expectations about just how much time people spend at the office each day – have become so extreme that a twelve-hour workday can seem positively lightweight. As the culture of overwork spread across the United States, inflexibility high demands like these began to seem like a badge of honor, at least from the business world’s perspective (2001, p. 22).”
Instead, I can push myself to find a job that I love and enjoy as well as make a profit for my work. Will I run across stresses in my job?, most likely (and especially since I always feel stressed out). How I deal with those stresses as well as the responsibilities that come along with an entry-level position however, can make or break the situation. In my mind, as long as I find a job that I am completely satisfied with, it doesn’t matter whether or not a company is “making a profit off of my able-bodied work.”

Here is an example of people enjoying their crafts and still getting paid: