Re: The joy of actual numbers, was Democracy

In comp.os.linux.misc D <nospam@example.net> wrote:

Last, but not least, what is work?  I'm sure that if you measure
_effective_ work, you'll find the difference between a medieval
peasant and a modern american far smaller, when coffee breaks,
smoking breaks, vacations, are deducted.

There is also a huge difference between 8hrs on a computer shuffling
electronic paper back and forth vs. 8hrs tending a farm's fields and
animals because those very fields and animals are all that stand
between you and starvation come the middle of Februrary when snow and
ice abound, but little plant life grows.

Even modern jobs that are considered "manual labor" by today's
standards in the US are quite different vs.  the mideval peasant who's
very survival into next summer depends upon being able to squeeze, and
preserve, enough food to survive through the long cold winter.

Now, if you mean "time spent actually doing work", well the pessant
likely spent more time actually doing "work".