3 ms·
There is indeed slavery today with rape, murder and physical control - so I don't think the term "modern day slavery" is accurate save for some explanation as t
by claudiawerner 7y ago
There is indeed slavery today with rape, murder and physical control - so I don't think the term "modern day slavery" is accurate save for some explanation as to what the "modern day" part means. Language doesn't necessarily work in a linear way - it's entirely possible for "slavery", "modern slavery" and "modern day slavery" to all refer to different concepts. Someone else in this same comment thread even uses the term "old-school slavery". Nevertheless, the term "wage slavery" has gained increasing usage, and comparisons of the wage system to slavery go back a long time, even when the plight of slaves was evident at the time. Keep in mind that the author of this quote was an ardent abolitionist too:
>The only difference as compared with the old, outspoken slavery is this, that the worker of today seems to be free because he is not sold once for all, but piecemeal by the day, the week, the year, and because no one owner sells him to another, but he is forced to sell himself in this way instead, being the slave of no particular person, but of the whole property-holding class.