Laziness Does Not Exist with Devon Price

Upstream

Politics, News, Society & Culture

4.9 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 3 August 2021

⏱️ 58 minutes

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Summary

We are currently living in an era dominated by overwork. Whether it's your punch-in, punch-out job, the side hustles and extra gig work you pursue to help make rent, the drive to produce and consume "content" during every waking hour, or the expectation to look a certain way and constantly keep up with whatever trends surround you — it's relentless. In this Conversation, we speak with Dr. Devon Price, a social psychologist at Loyola University in Chicago, explores these topics in their book, Laziness Does Not Exist, published by Atria Books. How have the concepts of "productivity" and "laziness" been manufactured and deployed by capital to cultivate pliant, profitable workers? How have the ideals of hyper-productivity encouraged not just willing but enthusiastic participation in the hustle-and-grind culture of modern capitalism? And what can we do to escape this prison? These are just some of the questions in this Conversation.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of Upstream was made possible with support by listeners like you.
0:04.6	We're currently raising money to support our next season of documentaries and conversations.
0:10.2	We have just a few days left to raise $2,000 in order to hit our goal.
0:15.9	To chip in and help us raise the money we need to keep this project going,
0:19.9	please visit upstreampodcast.org forward slash support. Thank you.
0:30.0	Instead of seeing our bodies and minds as us,
0:49.3	ourselves that we get to do whatever we want with and get to live however we choose,
0:54.4	we see our bodies and our brains as a means to an end that have to justify their own
0:59.7	existence and earn their own right to survive under capitalism.
1:05.2	And what that does is it imposes all kinds of values and assumptions and standards onto how
1:13.3	bodies and minds should be. And so what I really want to challenge people to do when they read
1:20.8	this book is not just take more breaks, take more naps, take Fridays off of work when you can,
1:27.6	though all of that is great. But really question what society has taught you about who you should be,
1:35.1	how you should live, and what you're supposed to value. You are listening to Upstream. Upstream.
1:42.4	Upstream. Upstream. An interview and documentary series that invites you to unlearn everything
1:49.2	you thought you knew about economics. I'm Dela Duncan. And I'm Robert Raymond. In this conversation,
1:56.0	we speak with Devon Price, author of Laziness Does Not Exist, published by Atria Books.
2:03.6	How has the concept of laziness been manufactured and deployed by the forces of capital
2:09.6	to cultivate ideal easily shapeable workers? How have the ideals of hyper productivity,
2:16.4	the sort of hustle and grind culture that has exploded in the last decade led to a new
2:22.3	neoliberal self with a tendency to commodify all aspects of life and not just willingly,
2:29.0	but enthusiastically participate in the rat race of modern capitalism? How does the adherence to
	...

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