3 ms·

They are scarce, and capitalism makes them more abundant at the cost of subjugation. Humans work endlessly to have access to things that, while scarce, were ava

by courtf 5y ago

They are scarce, and capitalism makes them more abundant at the cost of subjugation. Humans work endlessly to have access to things that, while scarce, were available in nature for free, often in superior forms. The world no longer supports the lifestyle of our ancestors, so there really is no choice but grind for currency in order to survive. There is evidence that nomadic hunter-gatherers had better nutrition, less disease, less violence, fewer children and "worked" far fewer hours per year than those in the agricultural and industrial eras. By comparison, it's not hard to think of those more modern lifestyles as a form of wage slavery. Work will set you free and all that.

slibhb 5y ago
First, comparing capitalism to Auschwitz is obscene. Second, nothing in nature is free. It isn't free for animals today: all of their energy is expended just staying alive. The Rousseauian view of hunter-gathers as living in Eden is nonsense. The death rate for children and mothers was horrifically high until fairly recently. Entire diseases, once deadly or debilitating, have been cured. If you want to go work on a farm, you can (and I know people who do). You can join some collective living arrangement, you can become Amish, you can live on a kibbutz. You can travel around the country picking up odd jobs and surviving perfectly well because food is so cheap. You're free to do what you like but what you choose to do is whine on the internet because you dislike freedom. There's plenty of room for improvement in the world. It's sad that people instead babble about "slavery" and "sugjugation," things they know nothing about.
- courtf 5y ago
  > First, comparing capitalism to Auschwitz is obscene. That phrase has been used before and after the holocaust to justify cruelty, but fair enough, it was in bad taste. Any thoughts on the obscenity of sending grandma to work the fields so she can afford her oatmeal? > Second, nothing in nature is free. It isn't free for animals today: all of their energy is expended just staying alive. Humans today work harder for their resources than hunter-gatherers did. Something is wrong with that. > The death rate for children and mothers was horrifically high until fairly recently. Again, it wasn't as high if you look further back. > Entire diseases, once deadly or debilitating, have been cured. One of society's great success, although again, these diseases only really started to spread once we decided to clump together year-round and slave away in the fields. > It's sad that people instead babble about "slavery" and "sugjugation," things they know nothing about. Good thing you're here to inform us all about how the people in the article, and forced labor around the world really need to shift their perspective and understand how good they've got it.

by courtf 5y ago

slibhb 5y ago

First, comparing capitalism to Auschwitz is obscene. Second, nothing in nature is free. It isn't free for animals today: all of their energy is expended just staying alive. The Rousseauian view of hunter-gathers as living in Eden is nonsense. The death rate for children and mothers was horrifically high until fairly recently. Entire diseases, once deadly or debilitating, have been cured. If you want to go work on a farm, you can (and I know people who do). You can join some collective living arrangement, you can become Amish, you can live on a kibbutz. You can travel around the country picking up odd jobs and surviving perfectly well because food is so cheap. You're free to do what you like but what you choose to do is whine on the internet because you dislike freedom. There's plenty of room for improvement in the world. It's sad that people instead babble about "slavery" and "sugjugation," things they know nothing about.

courtf 5y ago
> First, comparing capitalism to Auschwitz is obscene. That phrase has been used before and after the holocaust to justify cruelty, but fair enough, it was in bad taste. Any thoughts on the obscenity of sending grandma to work the fields so she can afford her oatmeal? > Second, nothing in nature is free. It isn't free for animals today: all of their energy is expended just staying alive. Humans today work harder for their resources than hunter-gatherers did. Something is wrong with that. > The death rate for children and mothers was horrifically high until fairly recently. Again, it wasn't as high if you look further back. > Entire diseases, once deadly or debilitating, have been cured. One of society's great success, although again, these diseases only really started to spread once we decided to clump together year-round and slave away in the fields. > It's sad that people instead babble about "slavery" and "sugjugation," things they know nothing about. Good thing you're here to inform us all about how the people in the article, and forced labor around the world really need to shift their perspective and understand how good they've got it.