“It’s Voluntary”

Napoleon has expelled Snowball from Animal Farm with his pack of fierce dogs, leaving himself as the Leader.

The windmill that the mules and horses and sheep have built stone by stone over the course of a year has been blown over by a tremendous storm.

Fall is fast approaching.

To make up for the dwindling rations and the slipping windmill construction schedule, Napoleon announces that Sunday will become a work day.

It will be voluntary, of course. But “any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half.”

I frequently defend Uber and Lyft and Postmates and the like, citing schedule flexibility as one of the most incredible opportunities offered by app marketplaces.

But in order to make money, drivers for Uber have to drive during peak hours: the morning and evening commutes and the bars-are-closed rush.

Not much schedule flexibility when the demand dictates your schedule.

“Driving is strictly voluntary, but any driver who absents themselves from the morning and the evening will have his rations reduced by half.”