NEET Spotlight: Sevarchy

This week I interviewed the author of the UBI article from last week, Sevarchy, a NEET from California.

NEETpride: How did you become NEET?

Sevarchy: I became NEET after college, when I applied to various jobs and had a lot of difficulty getting anything, so I just gave up on the idea and maybe decided doing something on my own but did not find any success. Instead, I got sick after college for 1.5 years which further killed my motivation to work. I could argue that I was NEET even during college, because I felt like I was not even going to college. I felt so distant from the college experience.

I think most students are NEETs but all in name. What exactly do you mean by that though?

I just low key felt college wasn’t for me, but I was just going because it was just the most normal path to take. I also felt a bit lost and did not know what to study, and just kept questioning what the entire point of college was. I’m sure in different circumstances, I would not have gone, like having rich parents with a family business. Everything’s a vicious cycle in a sense, a lot of people really look forward to go to school when they haven’t been to school in a long time, then realize after a week like “WTF did I get myself into?”

Would you consider yourself voluntary or involuntary NEET at this point?

I can’t go with either or, it’s a bit of both. Involuntary in the sense that I never really had the proper social skills for the job, and voluntary in the sense I can tell if I were to get a job, I would not last even a week. I’ve had a job before during college, and I quit after 4 weeks because I was suffering. I hated interacting with people and I just wanted to be alone. I also got that job without being interviewed. It surprised, they just called me in and I was working the next day. A lot of my troubles come with the interview process, but I am quite sure that I would not last long with most jobs anyway. I need a proper fit for the way I operate, and unfortunately society doesn’t seem to have anything to offer me.

Did you expect to become NEET growing up?

No, I did not expect to become NEET. I did not envision my life to be this way, but I am not exactly depressed about it. Because I know that working will bring its own set of problems like depression.

At this point, if you were offered a guaranteed basic income (at the poverty level) OR a guaranteed career-worthy job, which would you choose?

It’s a no-brainer. Guaranteed basic income. I don’t even believe in the traditional 9-5 clockwork system we have. I believe working should be like gigs – when you feel like working for pay, then you can do it. When you don’t feel like working, you should not be forced to work. I’m indifferent to being put at the poverty level. A job has it’s own set of problems.

What if the job put you squarely in the upper middle class (~$100,000/year)?

If the work environment respected the way I function and operate, and allowed for me to be who I want to be, then I would take the job. There’s always a point where I would consider a trade off. Perhaps in that case I could work for a few years and save up as much as possible to fund a future NEET lifestyle. And hopefully get really lucky with investments along the way. I just feel everything you do is actually work. Just existing forces you to work.

Do you think receiving a UBI would improve the mental health of NEETs? Or is there something to “work” that is key? Or is it solely about the social acceptability of NEETdom?

Of course it would improve their mental health. It’s quite simple, you have money, and now you have more options to explore. I am not the type of person who thinks people find purpose through work. That’s a position only held the rich to convince the masses that working is important. People find purpose through companionship, family, pets, friends, learning, and etc. Work is something undesirable that is done by most to do desirable things.

What do you think about Yang’s campaign so far?

I like how it is organically picking up and how he is connecting all sides of the political spectrum. I just wonder at times, if he would be able to sell the idea of basic income without the automation argument. Because he constantly brings examples of MLK and the founding fathers supporting the idea of UBI. That may have been a period where UBI wouldn’t have been economically feasible. Overall, his campaign relies on facts, logic, and hard numbers, so he should be able to get far and possibly even overthrow Trump.

I think the reason why he has to make the automation argument is that this country is still deep in the throes of puritanism. Honestly I think our culture evolving out of the puritan mindset is the only real obstacle to socially acceptable NEETdom. What obstacles do you think there are?

People just have to start realizing and seeing how easy billionaires have it, instead of shaming and looking down at others below them. The main obstacle is for the middle class to support each other and not shame each other, because everyone is getting dominated by the few at the top. They should also be more open minded with the real benefits of a basic income – there are statistics that do demonstrate it can do good.

What are your opinions on socialism/communism?

I think they are valid political views that may have not worked before in a less technologically advanced world. I think being collective and communal is important within a country anyway, so I do not view either of them negatively.

Let’s zoom in a little more on your personal life. After you wake up, how do you spend your day?

It’s a bit volatile. I do not really have a set schedule. I do different things every day. Sometimes I can be very depressed, and sometimes I can be very happy. A few things I definitely do is listen to music and take a walk outside.

That’s healthy. What about hobbies?

Hobbies include video gaming, at times analyzing markets, reading about ideas online regarding society, listening to music, taking a walk, exercising, and sometimes literally doing nothing. Nothing is something worth doing at times. I think life would be far worse in a job or career that I do not enjoy.

So being a social pariah and living with your parents doesn’t drag you down too much?

I do wish I had a girlfriend at times, as that would basically make my NEET life more complete, but unfortunately, all girls have no respect for NEETs, or at least average to ugly NEETs. It doesn’t drag me down, they still love me either way even if I decide to annoy or torture them. If they also find my living conditions shameful, part of the responsibility is on them. A lot of things in life come down to the hand you’ve been dealt.

I disagree that women care about whether or not you have a job. Like it or not, women are getting better educated, starting more businesses, and having more stable careers than men these days. Women seem more willing than ever to have “kept men” for boyfriends.

I don’t think I exactly meant that. In a lot of cases, one is NEET for being socially anxious, or extremely introverted, or having some form of mild mental illness that may have been unchecked. A huge portion of NEETs falls into that category. I don’t think we’re at a point where all girls would be happy with a NEET, since what leads to being a NEET, is typically being unfit for the social environment to begin with.

Great talking to you! Anything you’d like to plug?

Nope, I’m good.

Sevarchy on UBI

Editor’s note: Another NEET I met on reddit, Sevarchy, contacted me recently to discuss UBI. He had a lot to say about it and eventually I asked him to compile his thoughts into a guest article. He’s getting a NEET spotlight next week!

I’ve always agreed with the idea of a universal basic income. The arguments against it always seemed terrible to me. I remember even discussing this a while ago with a few people and they vomited the typical counterarguments like how some people won’t have incentive to work or how there will be inflation. The worst is when they just directly tell you to “get a job” or assume you are lazy. I really hate average people who tend to empower themselves by looking down at others who are just not as financially successful. They rarely ever see how those at the top live their lives. From a billionaire’s perspective, we are all peasants, and generally this minority class does the least work and gets the most reward. They typically just press buttons behind a computer then take multiple vacations a year on their yachts. But average people don’t want to see from their perspective, and instead just shame everyone below them. Strangely, this minority class gets the most free stuff out of all the participants in the market, yet most of the population shames the unemployed along with welfare recipients. We seriously have truly reached a point where UBI should be implemented and it’s gaining some traction with this new democratic candidate. I thought he would just get quickly dismissed, but that’s surprisingly not happening.

My personal arguments for a basic income are simple. First of all, everything you do is actually work. Just existing forces you to work and a lot of things you do in life actually intersect with paid jobs. Being a consumer is work. In a market, a seller needs a buyer and a buyer needs money. Often times buyers do not have money for things outside of their control. Also, even the act of purchasing a good or service requires some basic understanding of it or some establishment of trust, and educating yourself and even thinking is work. The government also can take potential work away by issuing regulations, and often times they don’t compensate for this. A UBI is also important so people can sometimes buy overpriced products with inflated profit margins anyway. It can give people more negotiating power when they feel goods are overpriced. From a humanistic perspective, basic income is also important so it gets rid of poverty and gives people more security. I personally often walk outside and get asked by money from homeless people when I am currently jobless myself. I think this is quite a serious problem for a first world country, especially considering we may have the means to pay for a basic income at this point in time. A basic income is also useful because it can get rid of the middleman in a somewhat broken welfare system. I think a flat $1000/month policy is just way more efficient. Another interesting point to consider, is how people can spend money and buy goods at any given moment – 24 hours within the day – but practically no one has the option to actually make money through real labor at any given moment, which is quite strange. Also, in a more practical sense, is it truly fair for a government to issue financial aid to single mothers, or to people with disabilities, or to families below the poverty line, but not reward healthy people through a monthly check who are contributing to society? A basic income sounds very reasonable and it’s a great thing to consider arguments without even talking about how automation will strip away millions of jobs in the future.

Another interesting perspective that crossed my mind in support of a basic income years ago is how humans should simply have a higher degree of freedom. Humans are apex predators, and if we compare ourselves to other animals who are on top of the food chain – like lions – we can see how they live their lives with a certain degree of freedom, and hunt and gather as needed. They live in an arena of abundance, and from their perspective, everything is basically free, and it’s just up to them to have enough motivation to get up and pursue their food as needed. Their “work” is fun because they literally evolved to do it and they do not really work on a set schedule. All human beings should have a higher degree of freedom compared to these animals, yet we live in a 9 to 5 clockwork system which is just very unnatural, especially for young men and women. Yang has even talked about how he wants young folks to travel across states to find work, and he realizes that a basic income will allow young folks to do this. This somewhat ties into my comparison with humans and lions – humans can now be given the ability to explore more options, and live a bit more naturally. Although we are not exactly lions, we do need a higher degree of freedom and the opportunity to explore and be more adventurous. And in truth we ought to be living exponentially better than wild animals, not merely keeping pace with them.

If you’re 18-34 and you’re fiscally liberal, would you actually care much about health care, free college, or a $15/hr. minimum wage? In this age bracket, we are generally young and healthy so we are not worried about our health that much. Free college can still be obtained if you’re poor enough through the Pell Grant or maybe by going to a community college then transferring over. A $15/hr minimum wage won’t be enough especially in the coastal states where the cost of living is much higher. Instead of making $10/hr in California, an extra $5/hr isn’t really going to be enough. So why not go with the more extreme and correct policy of a flat $1000/mo. basic income? What’s college really getting you these days? If you do not study a STEM based field or go all the way for a graduate degree, your chances of a decent paying job is still quite low. It also takes a bit of luck getting a good job and you need connections in most cases. In reality, free college, a higher minimum wage, and free health care is all just noise and nonsense. If you check the mortality rates in USA for ages 18-34 it’s just really really low and college has lost most of its value. If you check the graduation rates these days, it is quite low.

UBI should not be dismissed so quickly anymore. There are a lot of people who do work and get paid nothing for it. And there are a lot of people who do barely any work and get paid an amount they don’t deserve. I think the future will challenge the idea of “work” itself, and if we factor in the coming wave of automation, where millions of people will lose jobs, UBI makes a lot of sense. To try and dismiss UBI by stating that it may cause inflation may have been a somewhat decent argument a decade ago, but less skilled labor will eventually be substituted by robots, so the value of the dollar won’t really go down. Basic income will also pay for itself considering people will be healthier and less stressed, so there will be less health care costs and less crime. The invisible hand within the market will automatically react and make adjustments. If businesses feel that they can overcharge for goods since they realize people have extra spending money, it will only take 1 business to lower their prices and attract consumers. There will not really be inflation as everything will naturally adjust based on these market forces.

I’m part of the Yang Gang. I actually donated for the first time in my life to a politician. Andrew Yang will probably not win, and I thought he was a joke of a candidate when I read about him and watched a video about him 2 years ago, but he seems extremely intelligent, and unlike Trump, is a successful entrepreneur who did not bankrupt several companies. I also like how he calls the basic income a “Freedom Dividend” to appeal to more richer folks who buy and sell stocks, so they get convinced as well. It truly is a fair libertarian policy, where regardless of how much you make, you still receive a form of payment from the government. Hopefully Yang is the one who overthrows Trump – anybody else defeating him is just going to give us nothing.

In conclusion, I’ve been telling people who don’t give a shit about politics the following – Do you want bullshit? Or do you want bullshit plus $1000/month? I’ve made my decision, and hopefully I convinced you too.