3 ms·

Except those things didn't work. Well, I guess child labor did in the short term sense. However, slavery, feudalism, aristocracy, and fascism were all remarkabl

by namlem 5y ago

Except those things didn't work. Well, I guess child labor did in the short term sense. However, slavery, feudalism, aristocracy, and fascism were all remarkably inefficient, and only able to maintain their existence through force.

flandish 5y ago
"Well, I guess child labor did in the short term sense." It's still working, in the global south, to make products shipped and sold all around the global north... but those of us in the north just don't see it; we no longer see children shuffling off to work, because, thanks to Capitalism's profit-over-people ideals, the labor force that has "disgusted" the consumers in the north (child labor) (and therefore properly threatened the profit of those companies using child labor) has been moved to the south... and those consumers in the north don't really "care" that a bunch of brown and asian children are doing the work now.
- namlem 5y ago
  Yes, it is a problem, however it's not completely being ignored. For example, Canada successfully pushed for provisions to the CPTPP to push Vietnam to ban child labor.
PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
You actually believe that the contemporary industrial order can be maintained without force? The current order of things is massively contigent on vast amounts of potential and actual force, both intra-nationally and internationally. The deployment of police against striking workers or anarchist activists, or the military against countries that threaten to disrupt the order ... these are as much a part of "the system" as the psychological manipulation of desire to maintain consumption.
metabagel 5y ago
Slavery was very efficient. Slaves were fed and sheltered at low cost and produced outsize yields and profits. It was a heinous, evil, but efficient system. The Civil War was fought precisely because slavery was so profitable.
- 8note 5y ago
  Slavery continues to be very efficient, especially with mechanization. It's just moved out of the US. Eg. shrimp farming
- namlem 5y ago
  It's efficient for the slave owners, but not for the economy as a whole, as the slaves are unable to build up human capital and shift into more productive work.
avgcorrection 5y ago
Whatever we are doing now actually works the least, given the existential threat of climate change (Anthropocene). It is indeed efficient—all too efficient.

by namlem 5y ago

flandish 5y ago

"Well, I guess child labor did in the short term sense." It's still working, in the global south, to make products shipped and sold all around the global north... but those of us in the north just don't see it; we no longer see children shuffling off to work, because, thanks to Capitalism's profit-over-people ideals, the labor force that has "disgusted" the consumers in the north (child labor) (and therefore properly threatened the profit of those companies using child labor) has been moved to the south... and those consumers in the north don't really "care" that a bunch of brown and asian children are doing the work now.

namlem 5y ago
Yes, it is a problem, however it's not completely being ignored. For example, Canada successfully pushed for provisions to the CPTPP to push Vietnam to ban child labor.

PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago

You actually believe that the contemporary industrial order can be maintained without force? The current order of things is massively contigent on vast amounts of potential and actual force, both intra-nationally and internationally. The deployment of police against striking workers or anarchist activists, or the military against countries that threaten to disrupt the order ... these are as much a part of "the system" as the psychological manipulation of desire to maintain consumption.

metabagel 5y ago

Slavery was very efficient. Slaves were fed and sheltered at low cost and produced outsize yields and profits. It was a heinous, evil, but efficient system. The Civil War was fought precisely because slavery was so profitable.

8note 5y ago
Slavery continues to be very efficient, especially with mechanization. It's just moved out of the US. Eg. shrimp farming
namlem 5y ago
It's efficient for the slave owners, but not for the economy as a whole, as the slaves are unable to build up human capital and shift into more productive work.

avgcorrection 5y ago

Whatever we are doing now actually works the least, given the existential threat of climate change (Anthropocene). It is indeed efficient—all too efficient.