They don't understand. We built these machines so that we can work more.

The Ancient Greeks weren't actively trying to turn the strawberries in your fridge into a SaaS subscription.

I am from now on referring to local produce clubs as "Strawberries As A Service". Thank you.
This actually points to the root of the problem. You couldn't do that kind of retail subscription nonsense in ancient times because the bookkeeping, identity management, and fraud prevention would have been a nightmare. Since we found out how to automate all of those problems away, here we are.
- Sort of, my point is really that there are new kinds of work that were not really conceivable at the time, most of which has no direct influence on whether you're fed, clothed, housed, and healthy. (Indirectly is another matter, North Korean's wisest minds centrally decide what really matters and look where that gets them... Not a 3 day work week)
Shit should be free, or cheaper at least, if you're poor, trying to draw blood from a stone is how the poor stay poor and the elite fall to pieces and lose their entire hierarchy

Because the Greeks you hear about were the aristocracy. You don't hear how some estimates of the population breakdown were more than 80%-90% slaves.

Just like how you hear of the 300 Spartans, but not the several thousand Thebians, most of whom were slaves, who also defended the pass.

Not to mention all the thespians

This is what I mention when I'm covertly pushing "radical" ideas such as 4 day work weeks. We have all of these technological advancements - Why can't the workers see some of those benefits instead of them being funneled to the top in the form of extra profits?

Try 30 hour week. It's superior to 4 "days" of random length. I had a couple of Philippines based contractors on my team who had 4 day weeks, but they still needed to work 40 hours
We almost had a 4 day work week implemented at my job, but some Big Brain said "NO! We need to be shipping 5 days a week!"
90% of the time we don't ship things out on Friday...
You should focus more on the orgies and figs.
- Going to take this into account... I may have been approaching this the wrong way
Stop pushing the idea of four day work weeks. Begin promoting the idea of three day weekends.
I bet you'll start getting different responses.
- Fuck that. 4 day weekends.

And still half of us can't even afford figs

*probably way more than half
And there are five of us who can afford figs for everyone forever, but decided to use that money to lure underaged teens for orgy outside in some secluded islands.
- Sounds like a good bargain for figs! Where?

welcome to crapitalism

I mean, precisely because of that people indeed now do have fig orgies outside. Just don't count workers as people.

We invented the idea of currency and that ruined everything. Until we invent a replicator we are stuck working.

LoL. Currency has nothing to do with scarcity.
Currency is an invention of necessity. It permits bartering at a much greater scale. It's been a feature of pretty much every society, ever.

Maybe we just found out that figs are kinda mid.

Fig newtons however
- Get your fig-newton-eatin-on.
Figs are way better than apples which are very popular for some reason. They're at least as tasty as a banana. I actually think the average fig is better than the average strawberry. Too many big bland strawberries.
- You haven't had the right apples. Some types of apple are the perfect mix between sweet and sour and very aromatic and fresh. Most apples however tastes like water, just chewier.
  Again what you call the average strawberry is just the bland industrialized abomination that we get: tasteless no flavor whatsoever. Real strawberries can be considered the kings of the fruitkingdom. Just like the lion in the king of the jungle the humble strawberry is the king of the fruit isle.
  Figs, on the other hand... even at their best they are... "alright I guess"
Fresh figs are the okay-est.
Dried and preserved figs? Now we're talkin'.

I mean the rich people are eating figs, on their yachts, on their way to their winter home, to go skiing with their family.

Yeah..

Or eating figs on their private plane on the way to an island for....an orgy ....

…and then ordering their slaves to bring them another flask of wine

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- So you're saying we should have maenads chase them down in a forest, rip them apart by hand, and eat then?

I use.my machine that can do the work of 100 people to make shitty jokes online.

... To be completely completely fair, the Greeks with power treated a substantial amount of their population as machines, forcing them to perform labor and submit themselves sexually to them, and presided over a system that might have actually viewed the eventual goal of society to be elevating the people of my City to not lives of indolent leisure & carnal pleasure through subjugating countless others...

When I went freelance, it was hard not having a boss at first, now I'm totally into it. It took around a year for me to get everything to where I felt good about it. I think a lot of people don't realize that the uncomfortable feeling of not having a boss usually doesn't last forever. The people who liked working from home probably get it. We are taught to have bosses from a very early age.

Not having a more senior person to go to when you get stuck could be a problem.

capitalism, my comrade.

Tbh sounds like an improvement compared to their slave system
- It is but it still sucks.

To be fair it’s like 30 degrees outside so the orgy might need to be postponed

That's what bath houses are for!
What better way to warm up than being under a mass of sweaty, writhing bodies?
Well its a bit warm but it should be fine.

They also had slaves to do the manual work 😬

Hey some of us still find time for orgies.. some of us are paid to do so. And figs are always delicious.

To be fair 1/3 of women don't die in childbirth, 1/2 of children don't die before they are ten, we have weed and booze they could never have dreamed of, freaken chocolate and aspirin, and you are highly unlikely to become a sex slave. It was paradise for a very small fraction of the population and rape/slavery/castration for the rest.

Still I could go for an orgy and some figs if anyone is in the mood.

Just sounds like you don't understand how to use technology. Fig-stealing whores have the Greeks beat.

If we weren't working what would we be doing

Seriously? Art, fishing, playing cards with friends, travelling the world, visiting galleries and museums
Though there's a little truth in the saying idle hands are the devil's tools. There would be more vandalism too.