Drift

Drift

This article focuses on how forms of work before have been faded. It's not like before that people had the same routine every day. Also, people were much more stable in jobs, unlike now that people seek for more progress and better jobs. They are not interested it in holding a job, they are more open to change constantly looking for a better future. Sennett thinks this a drastic change between the people from before and the people in the actuality. He also believes that the changes could be very positive because it helps to have a more dynamic economy.

According to Sennett work is like a scale that serves three things, to measure the success of individuals, to measure how time is changing and to measure the worth of each person. Before, people felt that the work was a way to feel safe and felt they were someone in society. People preferred to stay in the same job instead of changing. Enrico worked as a janitor for several years but thanks to that he could manage to have a house in the suburbs and support his family. In the reading I realized how the author compares the past with the present condition of people in the United States he even used examples to show how things have changed.

Sennett in his article wrote about Enrico and Rico, they are father and son. In his example he used them to reveal how the lifestyles of these two are very different. For example, Enrico was a janitor and his son Rico was a successful technology consultant and had a very agitated lifestyle. His talent helped him getting rid of a boring life and due to that he may have was successful in the most popular markets. Rico worked too much and he could not share with his children. Rico remember all the qualities that his father had taught him, and realized that nothing of what his father had taught him, he was using it with his children because of the lifestyle he was living. Even though Rico made much more money than his dad did his future was unpredictable because his duration in the work were very short.

According to the term "flexible capitalism" used by Sennett in reading, Rico was a victim of this term. "Flexible capitalism" describes how companies today are so willing to change very soon in order to adapt to the market. Today the companies do not provide long-term contracts but give you the opportunity to compete for better market opportunities. Rico was a man trying to keep up with market development, he was clear on what he wanted, about his safety, and how he going to success. Due to the many changes Rico felt very confused about his identity, changing from one job to another. Due to the many drastic changes and the lifestyle that people hold nowadays individuals have to change their character too often.

In conclusion, Sennett’s article was unclear. I think that he is writing from a capitalist point of view however is a little tricky because it is not clear whether this for or against capitalism.

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