Slaveships and Spaceships

I’ve been workin’ this slaveship

I ain’t made shit

I wish I could buy me a spaceship

And fly…

Craziness and media talk aside, this record off of Kanye West’s “College Dropout” exposes one’s relationship to his or her job. Articulated in this song is one’s frustration in the workplace by comparing his/her experience to that of slavery in a time where some may argue that we are in a time of “post-slavery”. Obviously, the institution of prison challenges this notion of post-slavery in addition to the lack of protection of workers’ rights for many migrant worker. The line, “I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly” addressing two main points in describing one’s sentiments towards one’s job.

First. Confinement: The use of the word “wish” in relation to buying a “spaceship” implies a feeling of confinement, both monetarily and with one’s time. Monetarily, in that the wages one is paid does not match the labor that one puts in nor does it allow the worker to achieve a healthy and decent living for his/herself and/or his/her family. Additionally, the time that one must put in for his/her wages consumes one’s energy and time to take action to improve his/her current circumstance. This notion of not being able to disrupt this feeling of confinement results in one simply “wishing”, an act that is divorced of any practical action that is conducive to improving one’s circumstance. Therefore, this feeling of confinement, emphasizes not only one’s frustration with the workplace but also a feeling of hopelessness by resorting to the act of wishing as a result of their experience.

Second. Escapism. Much like “wishing”, the want to “buy” a “spaceship and fly” implies one’s want to escape his/her circumstance. This act of escaping manifests mentally in the workplace as many often disconnect one’s emotions and engagement in their labor. Furthermore, because “spaceship” and “fly” are often not possible for everyday people, what is implied is a kind of delusion or insanity that their experience in the workplace has driven them to. Wanting to fly represents this notion of defying gravity or, in this case, poverty which functions so strongly under a capitalist system that people feel so hopeless. Moreover, capitalists and employers benefit greatly from the worker’s internalization of hopelessness, as workers do not see the hope in mobilizing to challenge working conditions, poor wages, and the unequal relationship between themselves and their employer. Thus, what is perpetuated and reinforced is the normalization of unequal distribution of resources and power. Jaded and depressed by this perception and their circumstance, the worker, as a way to cope, may often resort to vices that in turn may often lead to other issues and problems. What becomes possible to the worker is coping by mentally escaping through such vices, since physical escape seems to be not possible.

So What? By now, one should know that what has been articulated is not an analysis of Kanye West’s song per se, but rather a somewhat deeper look into the psychology of the worker. A kind of internalized oppression that many workers, whether they are aware of it of not, have internalized and passively accepted. I am not implying that quiting one’s job is the solution, for I am aware that many people have families to support. What I am especially concerned about in this age of capitalism is the kind of future that our children will have. In all honesty it has been difficult for me to envision a future opposite of the present, considering the prevalence of individualism as well as the psychological oppression discussed above. Thus, this realization like many, present itself with a challenge that moves towards action. A type of action that is urgent and occurring in institutional, psychological, and cultural spaces. What that action specifically is… is not exclusively my choice, but as always must come from the collective. The workers.