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"'86, in the south? Let's not be racist and assume the labor was Chinese - surely it was 95% recently freed black slaves paid almost nothing + 'free' prison lab

"'86, in the south? Let's not be racist and assume the labor was Chinese - surely it was 95% recently freed black slaves paid almost nothing + 'free' prison labor. (/s, a little)." It's not what you said

lazide 1y ago
I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what I said, actually. [https://www.train-museum.org/2019/02/18/black-railroad-jobs/ https://www.train-museum.org/2019/02/18/black-railroad-jobs/] Which part do you think I didn’t?
- firesteelrain 1y ago
  I made a more nuanced and historically grounded point, whereas your post was a sarcastic oversimplification. So no — you didn't say what I said. I emphasized the diversity and complexity of postbellum labor in the South; you gave a glib summary that oversimplifies it as mostly “recently freed black slaves paid almost nothing + ‘free’ prison labor.”
  - lazide 1y ago
    Your point is flat out misrepresenting the situation. Especially by listing White workers first. At that time, the only white workers in the south who would have been moving rail and driving spikes would have been on a prison work detail or in a similar severely legally compromised situation. Even getting white workers to couple cars didn’t happen until much later.
    - firesteelrain 1y ago
      Again, you didn’t say what I said. I described a complex labor force with various roles and racial backgrounds. You gave a sarcastic oversimplification, and now you’re shifting to a narrower historical claim that contradicts your own original tone. “Even getting white workers to couple cars didn’t happen until much later” That’s an overstatement. While Black workers were indeed disproportionately given dangerous roles like coupling cars in the South, it wasn’t unheard of for white laborers - especially poor or immigrant - to do that work too The labor structure wasn’t as racially absolute as you’re implying

lazide 1y ago

I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what I said, actually. [https://www.train-museum.org/2019/02/18/black-railroad-jobs/ https://www.train-museum.org/2019/02/18/black-railroad-jobs/] Which part do you think I didn’t?

firesteelrain 1y ago
I made a more nuanced and historically grounded point, whereas your post was a sarcastic oversimplification. So no — you didn't say what I said. I emphasized the diversity and complexity of postbellum labor in the South; you gave a glib summary that oversimplifies it as mostly “recently freed black slaves paid almost nothing + ‘free’ prison labor.”
- lazide 1y ago
  Your point is flat out misrepresenting the situation. Especially by listing White workers first. At that time, the only white workers in the south who would have been moving rail and driving spikes would have been on a prison work detail or in a similar severely legally compromised situation. Even getting white workers to couple cars didn’t happen until much later.
  - firesteelrain 1y ago
    Again, you didn’t say what I said. I described a complex labor force with various roles and racial backgrounds. You gave a sarcastic oversimplification, and now you’re shifting to a narrower historical claim that contradicts your own original tone. “Even getting white workers to couple cars didn’t happen until much later” That’s an overstatement. While Black workers were indeed disproportionately given dangerous roles like coupling cars in the South, it wasn’t unheard of for white laborers - especially poor or immigrant - to do that work too The labor structure wasn’t as racially absolute as you’re implying