5 ms·

True only if chattel slavery were the only kind of slavery. The ruling masters treat those who work "at will for pay" like livestock when the masters demand ta

True only if chattel slavery were the only kind of slavery. The ruling masters treat those who work "at will for pay" like livestock when the masters demand taxes, threatening violence upon those who withhold the protection money. The livestock are being milked with every paycheck. We definitely do not live in a system of chattel slavery, but that's only because chattel slavery is so much less efficient (for the masters) than farming those who are willing to repeat the mantra that we "are not being enslaved."

jessedhillon 13y ago
You know, when you guys speak in literal terms of "chattel slavery" and "masters" it becomes very hard to take any point you're making seriously. Get some perspective, or go full Godwin and compare everything to Hitler and the Holocaust.
- coldtea 13y ago
  >You know, when you guys speak in literal terms of "chattel slavery" and "masters" it becomes very hard to take any point you're making seriously. Very hard for the sheep, you mean.
- aidenn0 13y ago
  Did npongratz ninja-edit or did you and the other reply not actually read the comment? The post you are replying to specifically says that it's not talking about "chattel slavery" when it refers to the current system as slavery.
  - npongratz 13y ago
    No ninja-edits from me.
cinquemb 13y ago
Some people need directives from their friendly public institutions as to what slavery is and what can be construed as such. Some people would also be surprised to know that some colonists referred to themselves as slaves[0]… [0]: http://youtu.be/3EiSymRrKI4?t=9m22s http://youtu.be/3EiSymRrKI4?t=9m22s
dylangs1030 13y ago
"Chattel slavery"...I'm sorry, but what are you on about? This comparison doesn't reflect the current state of affairs in the United States. Yeah, the NSA did some shitty things that circumnavigated loopholes in the Constitution. But you still don't realize how good you have it. Being in a Western country like the United States is spectacularly better than living conditions on many other entire continents, and sometimes many countries on others. I agree we should fight the NSA on this. No doubt about this. But you're not convincing everyone of your point by comparing journalists and citizens to "chattel slaves"...come on now. Journalists are still afford a lot of protections, and incidents like this leak in the United States are still outliers. The very fact that this leak is an outrage, that we are not desensitized to this news, demonstrates the state of our society. We are afraid of it devolving, but it is presently many tiers above your implied quality of life. There is no slavery. There is virtually no indentured slavery, named or in practice. We still have a variety of liberties the KGB never expected themselves to have, let alone fought for. We are not anything like chattel slavery. It weakens your argument to try to argue otherwise.
- zero_intp 13y ago
  US Commercial Prisons
  - angusangus 13y ago
    Indeed. See eg. http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/18/prison-small-business-ent-manage-cx_mf_0818prisonlabor.html http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/18/prison-small-business-ent-m... and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/prison-labor_n_2272036.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/prison-labor_n_2272... Money quote: "Oddo also said that workers were provided enough water, but the prisoners didn't sip it slowly enough." Also for a sense of scope http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2008/07/what-do-prisoners-make-victorias-secret http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2008/07/what-do-prisoner... including this irrelevant but salacious detail: 'In 1997, a California prison put two men in solitary for telling journalists they were ordered to replace "Made in Honduras" labels on garments with "Made in the USA."'
- npongratz 13y ago

jessedhillon 13y ago

You know, when you guys speak in literal terms of "chattel slavery" and "masters" it becomes very hard to take any point you're making seriously. Get some perspective, or go full Godwin and compare everything to Hitler and the Holocaust.

coldtea 13y ago
>You know, when you guys speak in literal terms of "chattel slavery" and "masters" it becomes very hard to take any point you're making seriously. Very hard for the sheep, you mean.
aidenn0 13y ago
Did npongratz ninja-edit or did you and the other reply not actually read the comment? The post you are replying to specifically says that it's not talking about "chattel slavery" when it refers to the current system as slavery.
- npongratz 13y ago
  No ninja-edits from me.

cinquemb 13y ago

Some people need directives from their friendly public institutions as to what slavery is and what can be construed as such. Some people would also be surprised to know that some colonists referred to themselves as slaves[0]… [0]: http://youtu.be/3EiSymRrKI4?t=9m22s http://youtu.be/3EiSymRrKI4?t=9m22s

dylangs1030 13y ago

"Chattel slavery"...I'm sorry, but what are you on about? This comparison doesn't reflect the current state of affairs in the United States. Yeah, the NSA did some shitty things that circumnavigated loopholes in the Constitution. But you still don't realize how good you have it. Being in a Western country like the United States is spectacularly better than living conditions on many other entire continents, and sometimes many countries on others. I agree we should fight the NSA on this. No doubt about this. But you're not convincing everyone of your point by comparing journalists and citizens to "chattel slaves"...come on now. Journalists are still afford a lot of protections, and incidents like this leak in the United States are still outliers. The very fact that this leak is an outrage, that we are not desensitized to this news, demonstrates the state of our society. We are afraid of it devolving, but it is presently many tiers above your implied quality of life. There is no slavery. There is virtually no indentured slavery, named or in practice. We still have a variety of liberties the KGB never expected themselves to have, let alone fought for. We are not anything like chattel slavery. It weakens your argument to try to argue otherwise.

zero_intp 13y ago
US Commercial Prisons
- angusangus 13y ago
  Indeed. See eg. http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/18/prison-small-business-ent-manage-cx_mf_0818prisonlabor.html http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/18/prison-small-business-ent-m... and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/prison-labor_n_2272036.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/prison-labor_n_2272... Money quote: "Oddo also said that workers were provided enough water, but the prisoners didn't sip it slowly enough." Also for a sense of scope http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2008/07/what-do-prisoners-make-victorias-secret http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2008/07/what-do-prisoner... including this irrelevant but salacious detail: 'In 1997, a California prison put two men in solitary for telling journalists they were ordered to replace "Made in Honduras" labels on garments with "Made in the USA."'
npongratz 13y ago