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I recall Chomsky saying something along the lines that this position was a common position of most proletariat in the late 19th century. I am sure he has source
by asgard1024 12y ago
I recall Chomsky saying something along the lines that this position was a common position of most proletariat in the late 19th century. I am sure he has sources to back this up, but I don't know those. So I would be wary to designate that as an "illogical" and not a cultural thing.
- k1m 12y agoTwo videos of Chomsky making this point: 1. Recent interview with Chris Hedges: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwRf5HHm2Mo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwRf5HHm2Mo 2. Older interview: http://www.tubechop.com/watch/2860018 http://www.tubechop.com/watch/2860018
- _delirium 12y agoIt used to be a common position of American proto-libertarians as well, in the "individualist" tradition, like Lysander Spooner. There's an old American 18th/19th-century ideal of having your own tools/land/freedom and not having your labor subordinated to a boss/master/government/lord/duke/company/whatever. Even Abraham Lincoln had a very tepid defense of wage work. He argued that working for a wage wasn't slavery or serfdom, in response to southern claims that northern workers weren't free men either. But his argument boiled down to: yes, wage-workers aren't truly free men for now, but since they are paid and not legally compelled to stay, they can save up money and eventually become their own masters, therefore their subordination to a boss should be regarded as merely a temporary condition that they will be able to escape from.