Daily Bafflements

• Forget about the United States for a moment. France has accorded its workers “the right to disconnect,” that is, French companies of a certain size have to negotiate a protocol with employees, so that work does not habitually spill over into free time. In The Baffler’s latest print issue, Jacob Silverman looked into Slack’s contribution to overwork, by being so addictive. “The recurring lament of the slacklash is, roughly, ‘I wish I could change, have more self-control’—a refrain that could not be more different from, say, ‘An injury to one is an injury to all.’”

• The Associated Press reports that Finland’s center-right government is trying out universal basic income, in an attempt to defeat unemployment. As one agency employee asked, “Will this lead them to boldly experiment with different kinds of jobs? Or, as some critics claim, make them lazier with the knowledge of getting a basic income without doing anything?”

• RIP, John Berger.