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An example from late 19th century Mexico: Tiendas de Raya. The drill worked like this. You live in a poverty riden rural area, and an "enganchador" (lit. hooke
by crpatino 12y ago
An example from late 19th century Mexico: Tiendas de Raya.
The drill worked like this. You live in a poverty riden rural area, and an "enganchador" (lit. hooker, but its kind or a recruiter) comes town and offers you a job elsewhere. You sign up and leave with this guy.
Upon arrival, you learn that you have to pay for the recruiter fee, which is always more than whatever money managed you brought with you for the trip. So your options are either debtors prison or ask your new boss for a single early payment. It's day one and you start in the red.
You are new in town, nobody knows you and will not do business with you unless you bring money upfront. That is, nobody except for "la tienda de raya" your bosse's personal side business, that is happy to extend you a credit line with your paycheck ("la raya") as warranty. Everything is more expensive there, but they will give you everything you need because you are "one of the bosse's men".
So, you are down the hole and digging. An extremely unusual degree of self control over a lengthy period of time is required to cut down your consumption enough so that you will sometime pay your debt. If you manage to do that, you will be able to shop at the same stores as normal people does, and benefit from it. But you will always have the temptation of going to the tienda de raya again for special one of purchases (like that special dress for your daughters wedding), or if the inevitable event of life set you back (like if you need to have a tooth extracted and end up short of cash before the next pay check).
And if you ever try to quit, or loose your job, it is debtor's prison again.
- ars 12y agoI think his proposal for a company town is that all that stuff is free. Daycare, longings, travel, food, medical care, all free (or more accurately included in your paycheck). The only things that cost are luxuries. Seems to me that would solve the problem you outline.
- dragonwriter 12y ago> Daycare, longings, travel, food, medical care, all free (or more accurately included in your paycheck). Or, more accurately still, the amount of those things that the company decides that you should get without paying extra replaces the bulk of your paycheck. Anything more you want you have to buy with the pittance that remains (or on credit), from suppliers you have access to given the travel, communications, etc., that the company chooses allow you access to through the companies "free" and paid services -- which, usually, means through the company itself. Which, of course, gives the company incentive to ensure that what is provided in the "free" allowance is inadequate. Company towns are near perfect walled gardens, and exhibit all the problems that walled gardens usually demonstrate.
- ende 12y agoIf you illegalize debtors prison (which it now is), one can just walk off and go elsewhere.
- crpatino 12y agoIt sound pretty Utopian to me. The problem with giving full control of the means needed for your own existence to some external entity (even a "Benevolent Tyrant"), is that when that entity begins making unreasonable demands you will be compelled to say "yes" under duress.
- zo1 12y agoIndividuals here make it seem as if the inhabitants of this town will be given the choice "work here and take what we give or die/starve/be broke"...as if it's a bad thing. Now, fine, sure, we all want to live in a nice world where people don't need to make such a choice. But we do it all the time when we live life. Every thing I do, and every choice I make, has an implicit "do this, or you will suffer" rationality behind it. I choose (and other things) to work so I will not suffer, so I can provide for my loved ones and have them not suffer. But you don't see me complaining about being held captive, or being forced to agree to work under duress. Of course not. "Sometimes I do what I want to. The rest of the time, I do what I have to."