4 ms·

> I don't know exactly when we decided that serial killers in suits are perfectly acceptable to us, but even the companies themselves who allow this sort thing

by zasz 7y ago

> I don't know exactly when we decided that serial killers in suits are perfectly acceptable to us, but even the companies themselves who allow this sort thing to happen are rarely punished enough to offset the gains they made exploiting their customers. I mean, that's how America's been since the very beginning. First we had slavery, then we had corporations getting away with killing workers through heinous workplace negligence, e.g. the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. I'm not saying it's good that this has always been so, or that citizens should be apathetic in the face of repeated sociopathy, merely that realizing that the country's always been like this is a necessary step for understanding why the serial killers in suits seem to have so much power.

aaomidi 7y ago
It's amazing because in all of these examples the general public has not given a crap about these incidents. Protesting slavery was extremely difficult. Protesting the workplace got you labeled a communist or socialist. And now when we protest against climate change or ask for more workers rights or BLM people are generally against it.
- input_sh 7y ago
  Almost as if there's a group of people giving a huge amount of money to the pundits to criticize any progress that's a) not directly driven by profits or b) might negatively affect on their own profits.
- magashna 7y ago
  Well, we did have a civil war over that first example.
  - aaomidi 7y ago
    The civil war was about slavery, but it wasn't because the general public hated slavery.
dunnevens 7y ago
I understand the pessimism. I feel it deeply myself these days. But people do care. Labor fought like hell in the second half of the 19th century & early 20th century. Sometimes literally fought with workers being beaten or gunned down or falsely imprisoned. But in the end, they won much of what they wanted. Ended child labor, got 8 hour days, two day weekends, workplace safety, fairer pay. Other causes have had similar successes. The cause of abolition (or at least unease about slavery) was enough to elect Lincoln in 1860 despite Lincoln not appearing on the ballots of the entire South. Which, of course, started the process & war which ended slavery. Abolition won, albeit in a very bloody way. I think it's not a case of people not caring. It's a case of people care enormously but they feel powerless and they feel alone in their caring. This goes on until that day when they realize they're not alone.
- autoexec 7y ago
  > It's a case of people care enormously but they feel powerless and they feel alone in their caring. It's interesting that we live in the most connected age ever where creating, building, and coordinating social movements has never been easier or more possible yet the labor movement and unions are dying, consumer protections and regulations are inadequate, privacy protections are nonexistent and constitutionally protected freedoms are flagrantly ignored and bypassed. I'm not sure what the problem is, but it seems like every social movement and organization that fought for the rights of the average person up until around the time of the free speech movement got much more accomplished while overcoming much more than we'd have to deal with now.

by zasz 7y ago

aaomidi 7y ago

It's amazing because in all of these examples the general public has not given a crap about these incidents. Protesting slavery was extremely difficult. Protesting the workplace got you labeled a communist or socialist. And now when we protest against climate change or ask for more workers rights or BLM people are generally against it.

input_sh 7y ago
Almost as if there's a group of people giving a huge amount of money to the pundits to criticize any progress that's a) not directly driven by profits or b) might negatively affect on their own profits.
magashna 7y ago
Well, we did have a civil war over that first example.
- aaomidi 7y ago
  The civil war was about slavery, but it wasn't because the general public hated slavery.

dunnevens 7y ago

I understand the pessimism. I feel it deeply myself these days. But people do care. Labor fought like hell in the second half of the 19th century & early 20th century. Sometimes literally fought with workers being beaten or gunned down or falsely imprisoned. But in the end, they won much of what they wanted. Ended child labor, got 8 hour days, two day weekends, workplace safety, fairer pay. Other causes have had similar successes. The cause of abolition (or at least unease about slavery) was enough to elect Lincoln in 1860 despite Lincoln not appearing on the ballots of the entire South. Which, of course, started the process & war which ended slavery. Abolition won, albeit in a very bloody way. I think it's not a case of people not caring. It's a case of people care enormously but they feel powerless and they feel alone in their caring. This goes on until that day when they realize they're not alone.

autoexec 7y ago
> It's a case of people care enormously but they feel powerless and they feel alone in their caring. It's interesting that we live in the most connected age ever where creating, building, and coordinating social movements has never been easier or more possible yet the labor movement and unions are dying, consumer protections and regulations are inadequate, privacy protections are nonexistent and constitutionally protected freedoms are flagrantly ignored and bypassed. I'm not sure what the problem is, but it seems like every social movement and organization that fought for the rights of the average person up until around the time of the free speech movement got much more accomplished while overcoming much more than we'd have to deal with now.