3 ms·

Debatable but irrelevant. You don't need too many people striking against essential services to grind entire cities to a halt. And that's how solidarity starts:

Debatable but irrelevant. You don't need too many people striking against essential services to grind entire cities to a halt. And that's how solidarity starts: locally. Now will we do that? Seems doubtful. People long lost thst solidarity to begin with in lieu of this hyper individualistic digital scape.

bigyabai 2y ago
So, name your "essential" digital services. Uber drivers start protesting and scabs are automatically hired at reciprocal rates. Self-conscious software engineers take a stand and get replaced by yes-men happy to subsume a six-figure salary to spy on users. Defense contractors start... oh who am I kidding, those places self-select for the least upstanding individuals. You get the picture. You can't blame half these people either, most of them just want food on the table same as you or me. Relying on class consciousness to revolt against tyranny is like relying on a drogue chute to stop you 10ft from hitting the ground. It's fatalism predicated on the lie that things now are the worse than they've ever been.
- johnnyanmac 2y ago
  I wasn't limiting myself to digital services in such statements. But sure. Software engineers get replaced and services stall for months in the meantime, if not years. That's the power workers hold if they can all stand up and push against corporate. >You get the picture. You can't blame half these people either, most of them just want food on the table same as you or me. I'm blaming everyone and no one at the same time. It's a prisoners dilemma, and if everyone struck for even a few days it'd be over in surprisingly quick cadence. The dock workers strike barely lasted 2 days, for instance. But the alternatives make everyone lose out, and people are very risk avoidant, even if they boil in the pot as a result.

3 ms·

Debatable but irrelevant. You don't need too many people striking against essential services to grind entire cities to a halt. And that's how solidarity starts:

by johnnyanmac 2y ago

bigyabai 2y ago
So, name your "essential" digital services. Uber drivers start protesting and scabs are automatically hired at reciprocal rates. Self-conscious software engineers take a stand and get replaced by yes-men happy to subsume a six-figure salary to spy on users. Defense contractors start... oh who am I kidding, those places self-select for the least upstanding individuals. You get the picture. You can't blame half these people either, most of them just want food on the table same as you or me. Relying on class consciousness to revolt against tyranny is like relying on a drogue chute to stop you 10ft from hitting the ground. It's fatalism predicated on the lie that things now are the worse than they've ever been.
- johnnyanmac 2y ago
  I wasn't limiting myself to digital services in such statements. But sure. Software engineers get replaced and services stall for months in the meantime, if not years. That's the power workers hold if they can all stand up and push against corporate. >You get the picture. You can't blame half these people either, most of them just want food on the table same as you or me. I'm blaming everyone and no one at the same time. It's a prisoners dilemma, and if everyone struck for even a few days it'd be over in surprisingly quick cadence. The dock workers strike barely lasted 2 days, for instance. But the alternatives make everyone lose out, and people are very risk avoidant, even if they boil in the pot as a result.