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Alienation and McDonaldization of Labor
The excerpt offered for analysis discusses the working conditions at Amazon warehouses and the corporations general attitude toward blue-collar labor. The situation at hand can be investigated from two perspectives the Marxist alienation of labor and Ritzers McDonaldization. According to Marx, alienation of labor stems from the detachment of self from its attribute and the loss of control and agency over the work process. The present passage contains some of the indicators of such alienation. Marx put forward the idea of Gattungswesen, or species-essence, which comprises a persons humanity, innate potential, and strife for self-development. As seen in the passage, Amazon warehouse workers are denied their humanity (Gosse, 2020). They have to do repetitive, mundane, timed tasks, and even their biological urges such as bathroom breaks are closely supervised. The second indicator is the alienation of workers from each other. They do not interact while fulfilling their responsibilities because their actions are tracked. Moreover, they even express hostility and do not shy away from stomping on each other to get ahead.
McDonaldization is a concept that was developed in the 1990s and refers to the rationalization of work, production, and consumption. Like alienation of labor, McDonaldization has four distinct markers, two of which can be found in the passage. Firstly, the work at Amazon warehouses is characterized by the calculability of labor. Amazon workers are judged not based on subjective criteria but objective, quantifiable metrics. For instance, they have to scan goods fast, and if they stumble, tardiness is reported. Another remarkable trait is a control that is reflected in the deserialization of workers. Warehouse employees need little to no special training or ability to do their work. Because of that, they are disposable and can be replaced the next day with a new employee.
Reference
Gosse, J. (2020). Humans are underrated: Art and labor after amazon. Media-N, 16(1), 1-3.
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