What do you think about “nomads,” who may be seasonal employees who choose to live in a vehicle and move around, rather than live in a conventional house?

Background
Winner of the Academy Awards for Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture in 2021, Nomadland portrays the lives of itinerant workers from Amazon’s seasonal Camperforce warehouses and other seasonal jobs, who make a living by moving from place to place in the American West. The film is loosely based on Jessica Bruder’s journalistic investigation of the lives of Amazon’s seasonal Camperforce employees in her book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century (2017). Alec MacGillis’s Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America (2021), explores the dark underside of the economic and social systems that impact these workers, and the hidden wealth and power of those who run companies like Amazon, along with the implications of this wealth and power for American society. Wilfred Chan’s article, “What Nomadland Gets Wrong About Gig Labor” (Vulture, 2021), analyzes the aspects of the “gig” or seasonal labor experience that the film Nomadland leaves out and explains why, according to the author, this is a harmful and/or negligent treatment of the topic.
After reading the introduction to unit 2 abd the chapters by Bruder and MacGillis, respond to Questions #1-2 in a few sentences each, as a “free-write” to warm up to the topic. Respond to Question #3 in at least one full P.I.E. paragraph, citing quotes from Bruder’s chapter and optionally citing quotes from MacGillis’s introduction.
Free-write brief responses to Questions #1-2 (1-2 sentences per question). Write at least a full paragraph in response to Question #3, citing quotes for support.
In your view, what are the positive and negative consequences of companies like Amazon who have achieved enormous control, power and wealth, in terms of their effects on the U.S. economy, consumer spending, and workers’ rights? What is your own experience with Amazon and/or other large tech companies?
What do you think about “nomads,” who may be seasonal employees who choose to live in a vehicle and move around, rather than live in a conventional house? Are they victims of an exploitative system, or free-spirited non-conformists who are choosing a different path for themselves, or perhaps both?
What do the chapters by Bruder and MacGillis show us about the experiences of nomads who work in the “gig” economy, and the practices of Amazon? Cite at least two quotes from Bruder’s chapters, and you are encouraged to cite quotes from MacGillis’ Introduction.

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