I’m reading (via AI) about how the working week (at least at some period in the middle ages) was only three days, and a serf could take his lord to manorial court over him trying to extend it to four days; apparently records show that serfs often won these cases.
Today, serfs wage slaves work five days a week, are pressured to work extra for free, and the rich win most legal cases.
The elites really did refine the system didn’t they?
Yes, this is a usual critique Marxists make against the Keynsians. Keynes predicted that since automation and essentially socially necessary labor time (to use Marxist jargon) was being reduced, people would have to work less. And nearly anyone’s estimate of labor productivity shows an extreme increase over the 20th century, so surely if markets are efficient and rational we should all be working 4 hours a week, since 40 hour work weeks were possible in the 30s and 40s. But because of the bourgeoisie hold the power and dictate average worker relations, instead of doubling labor productivity meaning everyone works half as much, instead half of the workforce is laid off and the remainder is paid the same wages. And marketing attempts to try to increase consumption rather than keep similar consumption levels with less labor going into it.