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"There's a never ending supply of desperately poor people" There is such a thing as government-mandated conditions in most places even in the US (I'm not from

"There's a never ending supply of desperately poor people" There is such a thing as government-mandated conditions in most places even in the US (I'm not from the US but I'm not that stupid), and even if not, at a certain point people are better off doing nothing than being so badly abused, and there is always a better option below a certain level of mistreatment. This commentary is just-so narrative, not serious discussion. I'm bouncing out for some sleep, thanks.

imagica 6y ago
> There is such a thing as government-mandated conditions in most places even in the US ( Government-mandated conditions are on paper only, are often abused and the boundaries are always stretched out to the breaking point. > at a certain point people are better off doing nothing than being so badly abused, and there is always a better option below a certain level of mistreatment. You're underestimating the amount of rampant poverty and unemployment without benefits in the US. You're un
bostonsre 6y ago
What options does a warehouse worker or a package delivery guy have if they want to care for a family to the best of their ability. These jobs are tough but they pay slightly not than most. Going to work for McDonald's and earning 25k a year does not put enough food on the table. People grit their teeth and bare it because they have no other recourse or options. > This commentary is just-so narrative, not serious discussion. Why don't you engage in a discussion to try to see the other side's opinion. Shouting "It's a narrative" and plugging your ears is not some trump card that automatically wins an argument. Others and myself are not some socialist cabal secretly trying to take down capitalism. I get paid way too much for stuff that doesn't feel like a real job. I love capitalism but don't see why we can't have a softer flavor of it. It is tough on the bottom rung of society and companies like Amazon have the resources to make lots of people happy and content with their jobs.
- tomhoward 6y ago
  > Why don't you engage in a discussion to try to see the other side's opinion I've been engaging in discussion with the other side for over 20 hours and have written over a dozen comments, in a good faith effort to fully understand every other commenter's position. Hardly plugging my ears. > I get paid way too much for stuff that doesn't feel like a real job. I love capitalism For what it's worth, neither of those statements apply to me. I've never earned huge amounts of money, I work long and stressful hours for the income I make, and I'm deeply curious about different economic and social systems that can make life better for people, particularly those at the very bottom. The reason I engage in a discussion like this is to better understand what the real underlying issues are and what solutions are available. I get dispirited when the arguments come down to simplistic takes to the effect that it's all simply a matter of evil giant corporations paying too little and treating workers badly, and if they just paid people more and treated people more nicely everything would be better. That's what I mean by "narrative". It's a nice-sounding just-so story, but overlooks a whole lot of really important detail. After a 25+ year period in which I've studied business/economics at tertiary level, read/examined/contemplated economic and social issues very deeply for that entire time, been a business operator, an employee, a contractor and a volunteer in all kinds of different organisations at all levels and taken a deep interest in the issues for the most needy in society, I've come to understand there's a bit more to it than that. Please don't assume that if someone is asking questions and making points that challenge the explanation you've settled on, it has to be because they care less than you do about those who are not well off.

imagica 6y ago

> There is such a thing as government-mandated conditions in most places even in the US ( Government-mandated conditions are on paper only, are often abused and the boundaries are always stretched out to the breaking point. > at a certain point people are better off doing nothing than being so badly abused, and there is always a better option below a certain level of mistreatment. You're underestimating the amount of rampant poverty and unemployment without benefits in the US. You're un

bostonsre 6y ago

What options does a warehouse worker or a package delivery guy have if they want to care for a family to the best of their ability. These jobs are tough but they pay slightly not than most. Going to work for McDonald's and earning 25k a year does not put enough food on the table. People grit their teeth and bare it because they have no other recourse or options. > This commentary is just-so narrative, not serious discussion. Why don't you engage in a discussion to try to see the other side's opinion. Shouting "It's a narrative" and plugging your ears is not some trump card that automatically wins an argument. Others and myself are not some socialist cabal secretly trying to take down capitalism. I get paid way too much for stuff that doesn't feel like a real job. I love capitalism but don't see why we can't have a softer flavor of it. It is tough on the bottom rung of society and companies like Amazon have the resources to make lots of people happy and content with their jobs.

tomhoward 6y ago
> Why don't you engage in a discussion to try to see the other side's opinion I've been engaging in discussion with the other side for over 20 hours and have written over a dozen comments, in a good faith effort to fully understand every other commenter's position. Hardly plugging my ears. > I get paid way too much for stuff that doesn't feel like a real job. I love capitalism For what it's worth, neither of those statements apply to me. I've never earned huge amounts of money, I work long and stressful hours for the income I make, and I'm deeply curious about different economic and social systems that can make life better for people, particularly those at the very bottom. The reason I engage in a discussion like this is to better understand what the real underlying issues are and what solutions are available. I get dispirited when the arguments come down to simplistic takes to the effect that it's all simply a matter of evil giant corporations paying too little and treating workers badly, and if they just paid people more and treated people more nicely everything would be better. That's what I mean by "narrative". It's a nice-sounding just-so story, but overlooks a whole lot of really important detail. After a 25+ year period in which I've studied business/economics at tertiary level, read/examined/contemplated economic and social issues very deeply for that entire time, been a business operator, an employee, a contractor and a volunteer in all kinds of different organisations at all levels and taken a deep interest in the issues for the most needy in society, I've come to understand there's a bit more to it than that. Please don't assume that if someone is asking questions and making points that challenge the explanation you've settled on, it has to be because they care less than you do about those who are not well off.