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> Former bound slaves are now employed as salaried servants, free to leave at any time. Except if they want to earn enough to feed their families, that is. I m
by Quekid5 6y ago
> Former bound slaves are now employed as salaried servants, free to leave at any time. Except if they want to earn enough to feed their families, that is.
I mean, I certainly have "issues" with the system we have, but at least most people get to choose their 'master' these days?
(Assumption being that there are multiple competing employers vying for the opportunity to employ 'servants'. Of course, if all 'masters' are equally shitty, the choice doesn't matter, but...)
- einpoklum 6y agoConcentration of capital is such that choice is effectively limited. This is particularly striking in a place like, say, South Africa (even though there it's post-Apartheid, not post-Slavery): Nearly all of the land and the large industrial and commercial enterprises are owned by white people. So, the black person who now has full political rights can choose which white proprietor to sell his labor power to.
- xiphias2 6y agoI believe you, but at the same time all countries have to go through the phases of development (and sometime regressions, like what's going on right now in the world) to get to better lives for people.
- Quekid5 6y agoIt depends a lot on where you live. It's not that bad where I live (EU, specifically Scandinavia), for example. Of course it goes without saying that we're generally quite privileged compared to a lot of the rest of the world. Anyway, my point was really just that at least there is a choice of "the least bad" rather than no choice at all. I realize that that may not amount to much.