Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.05.2016, Blaðsíða 10

Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.05.2016, Blaðsíða 10
Paying Their Dues Bullshit jobs and bullshit in general Words ÁSGEIR H. INGÓLFSSON Photo JULIA STAPLES Years ago I met a fascinating American named Bill. I mainly remember two things about Bill. The first: He joked that despite being an artist he would probably only find fame through pull- ing out a shotgun at a McDonald’s. I had recently purchased a tape recorder and was mock-interviewing him when he told the McDonald’s joke. I forgot about it until I listened to it again in my room some days later. Time Magazine was in front of me—the issue in which the Columbine killers talked openly about how famous this would make them. I got the chills from the coincidence. But now I mostly marvel about those years when people still bought magazines, dictaphones had tapes in them, and you asked people for their email address in order to stay in touch. The other thing I remember about Bill was his e-mail address: paidmy- dues @ some long since defunct email provider. It seemed too ordinary for such a colourful character—which made me realize that there was a lot more to his words than I’d first thought. Long overdue How do you pay your dues? Thorough hard graft and working your way up through the system? By doing your bit for society and paying your taxes? By voting and protesting and being a proper citizen, partaking in society and democracy the best you can? That was probably the general idea, and in exchange you should get prop- er time to live your life and chase your dreams, with the remote yet realistic pos- sibility of making that dream your job. But then things started to go south, albeit in the most subtle of ways. Hard work was equated with money, and freedom with cash. And little by little, hard work paid less and less, and free- dom became a meaningless word. All of this means that we stopped paying our dues long ago, and have been paying their dues instead. You all know who they are: the politicians and businessmen who are rich enough and connected enough not to have to pay for what we pay for. You know, stuff like taxes and debts. Bullshit jobs—and bullshit in general We’re paying their dues over and over again, not just by paying their taxes and still seeing the welfare system slowly crumble, because they have made sure that our taxpaying money goes elsewhere. Yet that can be changed. First, we’ll have to topple the government. But this time, we must make sure we don’t stop there. We have to make funda- mental changes to society—changes that make the average working man free of debt, long working hours and bullshit jobs. Changes that make this a real democracy, where the citizens have more power than just one x on a ballot poll every four years, and aren’t too worn down by 40-hour weeks of drone work to use it. The technology for all of this is al- ready in place—and we have the riches too, if we only distribute them more equally. The adjustment won’t be pain- less, but we’re more ready for it than we assume—if we’re only given the chance. SHARE: gpv.is/dues OPINION The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 5 — 2016 10 Ever tasted fresh scallops straight from the sea? If not, "VikingSushi Adventure" is the right boat tour for you. Seafood doesn’t come any fresher than this! www.seatours.is tel. +354 433 2254 BOOK ONLINE AND SAVE 10% FAMILY DISCOUNT A bird & nature watching tour for the whole family all year round THE VIKINGSUSHI ADVENTURE TOUR Ever tasted fresh scallops straight from the sea? If not, "VikingSushi Adventure" is the right boat tour for you. Seafood doesn’t come any fresher than this! chance in downtown Reykjavík, and they made considerable efforts to find her. Not at all put off by being approached by a fan with his story of a daughter named after Ripley, she was charmed instead, agreeing to meet young Ripley in person. Which she did, even giving the young Ripley a handwritten card, signed, “Your alien godmother.” Prov- ing once again that Sigourney Weaver is an awesome human being. Filming in Iceland for ‘Fast 8’, the eighth movie in the Fast & Furious franchise, has inspired mixed reac- tions from Icelanders. While some have pointed out the revenue such filming generates for Iceland, the As- sociation of Filmmakers has expressed concerns about the filming’s environ- mental impact on the Lake Mývatn region and the working conditions of the crew. Further, we at The Grapevine have received a number of e-mails in- quiring about the sudden presence of military vehicles in Akranes, where shooting is also taking place, with some expressing fear and confusion about a military occupation—un- aware that these tanks and helicopters are all a part of a movie. Truenorth, the Icelandic production company be- hind the Icelandic shoot, has offered assurances that they took great pains to preserve the environmental integ- rity of Mývatn and employment terms have been on the up-and-up. Nonethe- less, Hollywood film crews would do well to remember that Icelandic film workers are watching closely. by Paul Fontaine NEWS IN BRIEF
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