[lbo-talk] Why Is America So Violent?

[Miles Jackson]

Doug Henwood wrote:
> On May 13, 2007, at 12:52 PM, Miles Jackson wrote:
> 
> 
>>In the U. S., it's an irrefutable fact that the average worker is
>>working far, far more than the average worker in previous generations
> 
> 
> Is that really true? The 40-hour week was a major victory for the  
> working class - in the 19th century, the workweek was a hell of a lot  
> longer. Americans may be working more now than in the 1950s or 1960s,  
> and certainly the population as a whole is working longer (for pay  
> that is) than then. But that was an anomalous period in many ways, so  
> it all depends on what your point of comparison is.
> 
> Doug

Yes, I agree, work conditions have definitely improved since the 19th 
century for most workers.  However, it is strange that the technological 
innovations of the last 50 years have occurred alongside significant 
increases in household wage labor hours.  Remember the SF from the 50s 
and 60s?  Robots were going to do all the work!

Miles