It's funny that the NYT headline is "As Rents Rise, Artists Are Reviving the Idea of the Medieval Guild," as one of the primary functions of the medieval guild

It's funny that the NYT headline is "As Rents Rise, Artists Are Reviving the Idea of the Medieval Guild," as one of the primary functions of the medieval guild was rent-seeking. The closest modern equivalent of the guild is probably the illegal cartel. The term has a lot of baggage and I would not like to associate myself with it.