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It suddenly occurred to me that the idea of enslaving a class of people under the promise of the "American Dream" is the modern rehash of when the British would
by yomly 10y ago
It suddenly occurred to me that the idea of enslaving a class of people under the promise of the "American Dream" is the modern rehash of when the British would put Indian soldiers in the vanguard and promise any who survived immediate promotion to officer rank.
The dream of life-changing remuneration motivated the soldiers to fight, meanwhile the British seldom, if ever, had to pay out.
NOTE: I cannot remember where I heard this and a quick check for a citation failed me. If anyone could verify (perhaps it wasn't the British and Indian...) please do!
- nradov 10y agoThis wasn't unique to India but the British army did use what they called a "forlorn hope" as the first wave in attacking a fortress. Most were expected to die, but the survivors were often promoted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forlorn_hope https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forlorn_hope
- ethbro 10y agoAs exploitive as it sounds, given that someone had to attack in the first wave at least this seemed to match the rewards with the risk?
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- mannykannot 10y agoI think you have to look at it in a broader context - who was going to benefit from the fighting?