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> I think your advice falls into the "much easier to say (from a great distance) than do" category. What of it? You still don't allow people to remain in a sta

> I think your advice falls into the "much easier to say (from a great distance) than do" category. What of it? You still don't allow people to remain in a state of slavery when it is within your power to free them with just a phone call to the police. It doesn't have to be easy to do to be unacceptable not to do.

Chaebixi 9y ago
> it is within your power to free them with just a phone call to the police Maybe not. Sounds like the situation was in another country. Who knows if the police there would care or not. And applying the term "slavery" to the story in the comment is jumping to a conclusion that provides more moral clarity than there may actually be. We don't know enough to say if the situation is that of a shitty employer or that of a slaveowner, and our only source of information doesn't even know himself: > I will talk to this friend in person next time I'm in that part of the world, which should be soon, about this incident, and get the full story of how their housekeeper lives. I only say that to emphasize that this stuff, in reality, is probably a lot harder to deal with than some people seem to think.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- frandroid 9y ago
  > Who knows if the police there would care or not. That's not a reason not to call. > We don't know enough to say if the situation is that of a shitty employer or that of a slaveowner, and our only source of information doesn't even know himself: Well, if police were to check, all the "friend" would have to do is provide proof of salary and most everything would be fine if it was a mistake.
  - dismantlethesun 9y ago
    I think you're pretty mistaken in thinking any proof would be available or required. All these maids are typically paid in cash. Unless the person has bruises, or complains that they're not being allowed to leave---the police would ignore the situation. Compounding this effect is that most 'maids' are distant relatives in the western sense---being 3rd cousins or nieces through marriage to the hosting family. When push comes to shove, the host family just claims truthfully that they are all a single family, and the sleeping conditions of an adult who isn't being forced to do anything is really no ones business. --- As an edit. What I'm describing is the traditional lifestyle of West African maidservants. All maids are relatives, since no one trusts anyone who isn't related to them to live in their house. The world is a big place though. I wouldn't be surprised if maidservant lifestyles in Asian countries or Middle Eastern countries was much different. Middle Eastern countries even use foreign-born servants, something that'd be seen as the height of insanity in someplace like Ghana.
Mz 9y ago
You know, I have a life threatening genetic disorder. This is the root cause of my homelessness and the one thing I most need to get my life back is an online income adequate to support myself. I am an active participant on HN and I appear to be the top ranked woman here. I assure you, no one on HN is valiantly trying to help me solve my financial problems. In fact, I am routinely treated dismissively by people claiming they are not being dismissive and crap like that. Given that context, it is incredibly difficult for me to read the many remarks on HN in this thread by people claiming unequivocally that they would know the right thing to do by this woman sleeping on the kitchen floor and they would absolutely do the right thing when my experience suggests the exact opposite is probably true of most members here. Maybe some folks could get down off their high horses and quit making me just spastic today. It would be a kindness, though probably more of a kindness than most of the incredible hypocrites here are capable of. YEESH.
- obstinate 9y ago
  I'm sorry for your troubles. But being confronted, in person, with a situation that you think is domestic slavery and being asked on the internet for money by a stranger are two different things.
  - Mz 9y ago
    I'm sorry for your troubles. But being confronted, in person, with a situation that you think is domestic slavery and being asked on the internet for money by a stranger are two different things. I am not asking for money. And you are just proving my point.
    - obstinate 9y ago
      I'm sorry. I must have misinterpreted "solve my financial problems." Typically that's a euphemism for giving money. Forgive me.
      - Mz 9y ago
        ... the one thing I most need to get my life back is an online income adequate to support myself... I stated it as clearly as I know how, yet people routinely assume I am "panhandling the internet." Because prejudice etc.

Chaebixi 9y ago

> it is within your power to free them with just a phone call to the police Maybe not. Sounds like the situation was in another country. Who knows if the police there would care or not. And applying the term "slavery" to the story in the comment is jumping to a conclusion that provides more moral clarity than there may actually be. We don't know enough to say if the situation is that of a shitty employer or that of a slaveowner, and our only source of information doesn't even know himself: > I will talk to this friend in person next time I'm in that part of the world, which should be soon, about this incident, and get the full story of how their housekeeper lives. I only say that to emphasize that this stuff, in reality, is probably a lot harder to deal with than some people seem to think.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
frandroid 9y ago
> Who knows if the police there would care or not. That's not a reason not to call. > We don't know enough to say if the situation is that of a shitty employer or that of a slaveowner, and our only source of information doesn't even know himself: Well, if police were to check, all the "friend" would have to do is provide proof of salary and most everything would be fine if it was a mistake.
- dismantlethesun 9y ago
  I think you're pretty mistaken in thinking any proof would be available or required. All these maids are typically paid in cash. Unless the person has bruises, or complains that they're not being allowed to leave---the police would ignore the situation. Compounding this effect is that most 'maids' are distant relatives in the western sense---being 3rd cousins or nieces through marriage to the hosting family. When push comes to shove, the host family just claims truthfully that they are all a single family, and the sleeping conditions of an adult who isn't being forced to do anything is really no ones business. --- As an edit. What I'm describing is the traditional lifestyle of West African maidservants. All maids are relatives, since no one trusts anyone who isn't related to them to live in their house. The world is a big place though. I wouldn't be surprised if maidservant lifestyles in Asian countries or Middle Eastern countries was much different. Middle Eastern countries even use foreign-born servants, something that'd be seen as the height of insanity in someplace like Ghana.

Mz 9y ago

You know, I have a life threatening genetic disorder. This is the root cause of my homelessness and the one thing I most need to get my life back is an online income adequate to support myself. I am an active participant on HN and I appear to be the top ranked woman here. I assure you, no one on HN is valiantly trying to help me solve my financial problems. In fact, I am routinely treated dismissively by people claiming they are not being dismissive and crap like that. Given that context, it is incredibly difficult for me to read the many remarks on HN in this thread by people claiming unequivocally that they would know the right thing to do by this woman sleeping on the kitchen floor and they would absolutely do the right thing when my experience suggests the exact opposite is probably true of most members here. Maybe some folks could get down off their high horses and quit making me just spastic today. It would be a kindness, though probably more of a kindness than most of the incredible hypocrites here are capable of. YEESH.

obstinate 9y ago
I'm sorry for your troubles. But being confronted, in person, with a situation that you think is domestic slavery and being asked on the internet for money by a stranger are two different things.
- Mz 9y ago
  I'm sorry for your troubles. But being confronted, in person, with a situation that you think is domestic slavery and being asked on the internet for money by a stranger are two different things. I am not asking for money. And you are just proving my point.
  - obstinate 9y ago
    I'm sorry. I must have misinterpreted "solve my financial problems." Typically that's a euphemism for giving money. Forgive me.
    - Mz 9y ago
      ... the one thing I most need to get my life back is an online income adequate to support myself... I stated it as clearly as I know how, yet people routinely assume I am "panhandling the internet." Because prejudice etc.