Wage Slavery & Anticapitalist Slavers

[@piccalillipit9211]

*I USED TO WORK WITH ABUSE VICTIMS* I was often stuck by the fact that a middle-class victim was often trapped in a psychological prison by the abuser, whereas the working-class victim was trapped in a far more *real* financial prison. I could coach the middle-class victim to see their circumstances differently and to leave [and they did] but you can't coach a poor person to get in a car they don't have and leave.

[@gregvs.theworld451]

I know it's a moot point to take this "critique" seriously since it's only ever said as a trhought terminating cliche by bad faith actors, but this is why the "If you hate capitalism so much, just fucking leave." line pisses me off so much. Yeah sure I would genuinely love nothing more than to go to some place where I'll be treated far better and have a much higher chance of upward momentum than America, but are the asshats spouting that line going to turn up to pay for the fucking plane ticket I need to go to New Zealand of Canada or some other place in Europe?

[@gking407]

Thank you, this is very often overlooked. People seeking therapy need to know their therapist is going to take into account all of their client’s life circumstances.

[@brandonmorel2658]

Basically, the problems of the working class are material, not Freudian, Jungian or Lacanian. Too bad we have been tricked to think it's individual responsibility that defines our lot in life, not the capitalist system of exploitation.

[@piccalillipit9211]

@@brandonmorel2658 This is why the govt in the UK has such a problem at the moment. You can tell people the working class are poor cos they are lazy and feckless, and the middle class will believe it cos its a compliment to them. They are BETTER than that. But now the middle classes are starting to feel the pinch and shatters the glass floor below them "IM NOT lazy and feckless and IM starting to struggle - so its REAL, this crisis is REAL. My god imagine how bad it must be for poor people if IM struggling" as son as it reaches the middle class the lie is shattered.

[@emilianosintarias7337]

People should be suspicious of narratives around domestic abuse. Recent studies shows that just because people advocate for victims does not mean they know even the basics about is a phenomenon, and some are very biased. For example, studies the same abuse reports where race/sex etc was revealed shown to the general public vs. as shown to advocates, the public called abuse as abuse regardless. Also, since the leading type of abuse is bilateral, IE 2 violent people found each other, it should be a red flag that we keep seeing abuse victim as one role and abuser as the other as the most common way of framing IPV.

[@LL-ye9zm]

Slavery in America was never abolished, it was renamed. The new name for slaves in the current times is, THE WORKERS.

[@RikLeedsMusic.77]

Nailed it...and with this there is no arguing...just a straight fact 👍

[@lucyferos205]

Nobody is skinning workers to turn them into shoes or using a bullwhip to paralyze them for several days in ways that leave lifelong scars. Yes, workers are abused, but it's really nothing like chattel slavery.

[@j03Biz]

The haves, and the have nots. When they eventually own everything, that includes us. Unless, we leave.

[@M4-Z3-R0]

I though they were called prisoners

[@XenoSeid]

@@j03Bizit’s “the have nots” and “the have Yachts” now actually.

[@marciamartins1992]

Slaves had their food and shelter taken care of. A wage slave is now in a very precarious position the average salary barely covers food and shelter.

[@rskl8083]

Correction it doesn’t barely cover, it doesn’t cover. Period.

[@dieselphiend]

America has the largest welfare system on the face of the earth.

[@G.Bfit.93]

​@@dieselphiendno

[@dieselphiend]

@@G.Bfit.93 It's over $1.2 trillion dollars per year. Guess where it comes from?

[@G.Bfit.93]

@@dieselphiend other people have govt healthcare and much more substantial govt stipend in terms of unemployment and food assistance

[@courtneymeyers82]

Cooking your own meals definitely makes a difference, frozen veggies and fruits are great way to cut costs. Also, rice, beans, potatoes will fill you up and are still affordable, add in a little protein, rolls, you got yourself a nice meal. Oatmeal and pancakes, those are cheap meals and fill you up. Dollar tree saves you a lot of $$$ Going to garden this spring, can't wait to grow my own food and get a solar generator, even catch some rainwater After living in a car for over a year, very grateful for this tiny home camper near the moutains, peaceful. My health has improved greatly already

[@MongoGamer]

I felt freedom like no other when living from my van but I decided to go see my elderly mother instead of pay my bills and it got repo'd. Legally homeless but living with my GF and her sister now illegally I'm their apartment. Hoping to get another car even a small one to live in soon.

[@DellikkilleD]

yeah, no. I like to enjoy my meals, and nothing tastes better then fresh meat.

[@DellikkilleD]

@@MongoGamer how are you illegally livng in their apartment? dear gods, do they know you are there? are you living in the attic secretly?

[@MongoGamer]

@@DellikkilleD lol only the landlord doesn't know

[@ApexRevolution]

​@@DellikkilleD Nothing tastes better than fresh marlboros but I quit smoking.

[@QuantumCairo]

To adress a minor point covered, "we live in a far better condition than before; we dont work as long and cant be fired at a moments notice". Unfortunately I live in a "right-to-work" state and was told directly to my face by the HR Head "you know we can fire you at any time right". She did this to my face, on two seperate occasions, then fired me for having a "disrespectful outburst" in a meeting. I was then forced to explain my actions, I explained my recent Autistic diagnosis and the fact that I felt threatened in the meeting. Even if you know nothing of autism, know that in a tramatic meltdowm moment for an ASD person to talk through it and explain themselves that takes a lot! I was then badgered further for my outburst and told, "youre very high functioning for an autistic person. I have a family member whose autistic, so youre high functioning". I was terminated immediatedly, no write ups or procedures followed. Just terminated like a passing thought. Theres no legality to be had, we are currently in some very dangerous slave labor times...its just veiled SLIGHTLY better with even more people brainwashed... And she didnt even use the "right-to-work" fear tactic correctly in my opinion given the phrase definition... P.s. I come to find out weeks later when applying for unemployment the employer was trying to contest me receiving money too which effectively locked me out of any claims to assistance. They want you to be subserviant, then if youre no longer needed they toss you aside expecting you to get nothing further. This is the reality.

[@gh0s1wav]

Yeah that's why you don't allow anyone to get too much leverage on you. You attempt to have a multitude of clients so if one client is an asshole you can block them and still have a bunch of other clients that'll pay you. That's the game. Even if you own a business this is the best route. If you own your own business and 75% of your business comes from one client than guess what? That client basically owns you. He didn't bring that up in the video but I believe that slavery really is just the relationship between provider and client. You can escape as long as you don't give them too much power.

[@clipkut4979]

Under capitalism, you're a disposable object. It's the way of thinking of psychopaths.

[@woulfhound]

I live in ontario and its amazing to see the war over worker rights between our government and our auto manufacturing corporations. My personal trainer once told me a story about how his uncle was cheating a client of theirs for almost a month. His uncle has a flooring business and he got a contract from one of the major auto manufacturers in onatrio to fix the floor in one of their factories. He told all of his employees that they had to work on the weekends even though the factory manager told him that they could work during the week. One day my trainer who was working for his uncle at the time was asked by the factory manager why they could only work on weekends and he told the manager that his uncle said that the manager would only allow them to work on weekends. So my trainer goes to HIS employer, his uncle, and asks him why hes making them work on weekends. His uncle basically said that its his right as a business man to do whatever he wants in order to make money. My trainer quit not long after that revelation and started his own personal training business.

[@RikLeedsMusic.77]

Not sure this sounds like "better than before" there bud...js

[@QuantumCairo]

@@RikLeedsMusic.77 the only better I'm seeing honestly is whoever the person in question is, they don't own ME. Now all the avenues of survival that surround me, maybe for now, but at the very least they don't own ME as a person. Unfortunately as someone who is only fourth generation removed from slavery I'm here to tell you this is the only allowance that has been made. My grandmother told me how her grandmother died in slavery, chained. Her mother struggled with sharecropping so that she (my grandmother) could afford better. My grandmother was a housekeeper/ cleaner in the 30s-60s so that my mother could have better. I know what wage slavery looks like because it's been in my family for generations...

[@dylandutson1626]

Every day I am re-radicalized 😤

[@brandonmorel2658]

As you should.

[@shaft9000]

Perhaps one day you will bother to learn economics and not be so susceptible to "radical" charlatans that are more about neutralizing you into a functionary in an equation than changing anything that you or I want for the better. Good luck.

[@youtubesucks1499]

Everyday people like me take your share because we work.

[@Rexorazor]

Keep up Monkey.

[@coreyrachar9694]

@@youtubesucks1499 Lol that's the spirit! Be prideful of your exploitation. Drink the koolaid!

[@got2kittys]

I have often thought that one of the cruelties around slavery in the U.S. was that freed people, with no education, few possessions, no money, often illiterate with only basic skills were turned out on the road, families and all to fend for themselves. Turned out to a hostile society, to suffer starve and wander until they found a way to keep things together.

[@namedrop721]

Thats one reason the US government gave them initiative programs to help ‘settle’ (kill off and claim) lands they didn’t want Native Americans to keep with the promise of their own land Disgusting and clever, using the people they already used against the people they were still busy killing openly

[@carly582]

Hey thanks for writing that, it really made me think and got my brain working

[@youtubesucks1499]

And if you look at that time, they learned to be self reliant.

[@3Torts]

...that is a romanticized popularized dream, but not completely untrue. There is plenty of material from humans that were slaves describing their experiences as freemen.

[@davewhite756]

They weren't.

[@thecitizen49]

"Slavery was never abolished, it was only extended to include all the colors." - Charles Bukowski (1920-1994)

[@tomhancock8184]

Thank you for taking the time to discuss this issue.

[@zetectic7968]

In the 1980's Thatcherism in the UK push the idea that only losers didn't own their home, that rent was wasted money. They deregulated the financial markets & allowed banks to provide mortgages with less savings ( a deposit) than the traditional Building Societies that imposed conditions i.e. had to be a regular saver for at least 2 years & had to have a minimum deposit of 10-20%, the multiple of the man's wages was limited to x3 & a wife would only get 0.5% if working. Banks on the other hand would offer higher multiples treating husband & wife the same & never ask the question the building society would of "do you intend to give up your job to start a family?" Many people didn't realise that they would over a 25 year mortgage pay back 3 times the value of the house to the lender or thought this was good to get on the property ladder. A house became and asset to be traded to get a bigger house & a larger mortgage rather than a home. So people became indebted & had to rely on good fortune to increase wages & good health plus security of employment to prevent foreclosure, the loss of the house & all the money they had paid monthly over time when the property was repossessed by the lender who would then sell it to another mortgage holder. The European Union brought in "The Working Time Directive" that limited employees hours of work to 48 hours per week averaged over a 2 week period. The right-wing government allowed an opt-out in the UK for managers. This led to many companies redefining workers as managers & those who refuse to sign the paperwork & accept the new job title being demoted or fired under the guise of restructuring the department. In the 21st Century we have seen the rise of the gig economy & "independent contractors" whereby workers have been stripped of their hard won rights & forced to accept low pay & longer hours just to keep a roof over their heads. The condition of a wage slave has become ever present as the social safety net is cut back & birth rates drop not by choice but due to economic necessity.

[@John-gx2ry]

👏👏👏

[@gh0s1wav]

I don't think it's that's straight forward. I work in the gig economy and I like it better than working full time at a corporation. There's a steep learning curve because everyone's been conditioned to work the 9 to 5 but it's very possible to live a nice life while doing freelance, especially if you are highly skilled. The truth of the matter is that it's about power. For instance I worked this warehouse gig once. The work was HARD but since I didn't work there when it came time to leave I just left and never went back. I didn't have to worry about a manager being on my ass. Or about any of the bs that comes with being owned by a company because I have other routes of income. If that was my only route of income they would have WAY more leverage on me and I wouldn't be able to do all that much about it. So yeah it's about power. It's about navigating it all in a way where you don't allow anyone to have so much leverage over you that you're doing backbreaking work just to survive.

[@zetectic7968]

@@gh0s1wav Well good for you. I note you don't say what you did/do as a freelance, so it is hard to judge the relevance of your comment. I had a friend who was a freelance photographer, did varied work & got photos regularly in national newspapers. The problem was they would never pay him on time or claim they hadn't used a photo until he showed it to them. I saw similar with self-employed plumbers & electricians who were always being paid 2 or 3 months after a job plus constantly being asked to lower their prices. The only ones I saw doing better were architects & building surveyors. therefore I think your experience is an outlier and not what the average person has out in the real world because if they were great at selling themselves or their product, were a good contract negotiator then they would be working in the gig economy or freelance.

[@3Torts]

LOL.

[@FrancesDLaurentis]

Rent is pissing your money away every month, it is for broke ass losers

[@artpiratecollage]

This is awesome, I have two collage art pieces on the subject of wage slavery.

[@mrwojna]

How can I see them?

[@ArthurGraham-vy1ze]

I'm very releived to observe that more young people are moved to expose and discard false dichotomies. I'm proud of being gen-x but the current generation is far wiser than we ever were.

[@Swell_Vibrations]

My mother carries the same sentiment. She says she’s proud to be part of the generation that produced Gen z. She thinks we’re very insightful, reflective, responsible and temperate. I think that Gen x contained a big chunk of really great parents.

[@davidgreenwood6029]

idk i think this guys an idiot. he mentions abolish wage slavery but after this entire video, there is no conception of what that would even look like. He makes the example in the beginning of us not being free from our need for water, admits thats ridiculous, then basically just describes the same thing. He feels people deserve to not have to make a living. thats a nice feeling. Nothing more.

[@RedEyeification]

They're not wiser.Is just an illusion.

[@fromeveryting29]

@The-NightwatchYou care about the issues that REALLY matter, don’t you? You haven’t fallen for a manifactured moral panic by the far right that is suspiciously similar to nazi propaganda at all, right?

[@jamesdaniels6741]

​@The-Nightwatch these kids are way smarter than society gives them credit for. You see the world as male or female first and human second, where as they see it human first, period. They are confused byproducts of multiple misinformed generations, but I find their compassion and fair mindedness refreshing. Maybe if you actually spoke to them instead of quickly passing judgement you might find yourself suprised.

[@ieatlolz]

Great video! I think the one point that is missing here is that even if you successfully start a business or find a way to subsist aside from wage labor, one's direction in life is still dictated by the need to make a living. Unless you are so financially secure that you can pursue any project you like, you will still be forced to exercise your freedom within the narrow constraints of capitalist survival and profit - and likely rely on exploiting other people or the environment. If people's needs were met and each person was free to direct their labor and energy as they see fit, people could play to their strengths and pursue the projects that are most necessary and meaningful for both individuals and the collective - an impossibility when the exercise of freedom is restricted by profit!

[@CastmanDan]

What I don't understand about arguments against "the narrow constraints of capitalist survival" is what is unconstrained survival? People's basic needs won't go away. Someone will work the fields, prepare and distribute food. If not ourselves, in some each-for-themselves daily toil for survival, we will be in a community, slaves to one another by whatever non-wage based social contracts we come up with.

[@kev3d]

" and likely rely on exploiting other people or the environment" Exploiting other people? Or trading with them? You give them some money (or something else in trade), they render a service or produce a product for you. How is this in any way "exploitative"? As for the "environment", do you know of a way to eat that doesn't require land, air, or water? "...people could play to their strengths and pursue the projects that are most necessary and meaningful for both individuals and the collective" Who defines what is "most necessary and meaningful" for the "collective"? We are not collectively hungry, we don't think collectively, we don't collectively enjoy the same music or architectural style or outdoor activities or anything else. Even ardent fans of a given thing, say baseball, will disagree about the best teams, players etc.

​@@CastmanDanautomation

[@snailcage]

@@CastmanDan​​⁠That’s why you let those workers democratically control their labor and all it produces. Somebody will do those jobs, and many people LOVE those jobs. They just need to receive 100% of the value their job produces as their wage, and have a prominent and powerful voice in how and why they do what they do. Then over time as those jobs get automated, you give the entirety of the value that that automation produces to the people who previously were working those jobs. Or, maybe they keep working that job alongside the automation in order to make even more money.

[@dieselphiend]

"narrow constraints of capitalist survival and profit " Are little more than the narrow constraints of survival as dictated by nature. This would be obvious if you did not feel hunger, did not feel cold, being wet never bothered you, being naked never bothered you, you could sleep standing up, and you were entertained by nothing. There is no system in which you don't have to work to survive, at least until machines do everything, which is something only capitalism can create.

[@federicosavorani6320]

I just want to support your content, it's extermely well put together and interesting, so much that i fear it will not reach as many people as your art videos, but at the same time, it's maybe more important

[@freelancerwick5418]

Such a beautiful and easy to understand content. I wish you protect this content and no abuser in any form could bring it down :)

[@sophiaisabelle027]

We will always support this channel. They have the best insights.

[@brandonmorel2658]

@@alfwok That doesn't sound so good. . .

[@jaylucas8352]

Hopefully he can build enough capital through advertising and monetizing his wonderful videos to create an economic system of workers to help build and film his video empire.

[@gregboi183]

The right to choose one's master is only a benefit if there is a better master to be had. There are no better jobs available to us, we can merely choose which devil to serve

[@Hiatus-Humanus]

Indentured servitude is a much better defining phrase, that's why in America there's a social security minimum age (which seems to rise every few years now) with the implication that one day you'll retire, that day, rarely comes on time if at all.

[@PoolGuy-im4nc]

So, he "was" against slavery until he realized there are White slaves? WOW.... Told y'all slavery is just an antiwhite pretext.

[@ApexRevolution]

What the actual fuck are you talking about

[@yuchitairans2-035]

My favourite anarchist art channel ❤

[@saturationstation1446]

totally unrelated comment but it came to mind while watching this video so im leaving it here - i worked as a groundskeeper for a fairly large apartment complex (300+ units and the hundred or so acres around it) and was able to determine that around 4 - 9 million pounds of litter gets dropped on the ground across the united states every single day. if you want to know why the earth climate will totally collapse, its because we moved too much of its stuff too far too often.

[@fromeveryting29]

Animal agriculture is BY FAR the most destructive force on the planet, in every aspect, according to the science. It occupies nearly 1/3 of all land, has deforrested nearly half the worlds forrest, emmits far mote methane, nitrus oxide (strongest climate gasses) than anything else, pollutes oceans to make ocean dead zones, emmits more greenhouse gasses than all transport combined, kills off biodiversity, leaves masses of plastic in the ocean from fishing, and robs the climate of any chance of capturing the gasses and healthing through the mass destruction of wild nature and trees. We simply cannot have a sustainable climate without ending animal agriculture asap. Humans do not need to eat dead animals or breastfeed from cows for excellent health. In fact, those who eat little to no animal producs live the longest and have the least disease. Eating animals is killing us, killing animals, killing earth.

[@davidwong723]

STORM THE CAPITOL

[@j03Biz]

Yo this was helpful and I totally dig it. I will check out more over time before Patreoning but keep doing your thing. The world needs your view and information.

[@hhwippedcream]

Fabulous intro! Looking forward to your take!

[@hhwippedcream]

Dudex you get it and cover all the context. I dig it.

[@spocktiberius2456]

I would also add that a wage slave is an individual who has less of an ability to bargain for the conditions of his employment than the employer. It’s why unions have all but been dismantled by corporate entities.

[@3Torts]

...Corporate entities are PPPs. Daddy Government is your Master, not other citizens.

[@spocktiberius2456]

@@3Torts -Governments run on money. Money in America is now privatized (Fed Reserve and banks). Corporations have more influence over public policy than ordinary citizens do. Corporate Lobbyists spend more time on Capitol Hill than regular Joes. They have the ear and purse strings of our representatives in Congress, therefore, government is beholden to corporate interests.

[@3Torts]

...Lol Public Private Partnerships are not a Government beholden to Corporations. Neither large private co-operations nor the Government are beholden to the other... However, when the Government controls the Reserve, the printer, the regulations, the laws, the taxes. The Government is walking the dog, but regardless the point is moot. Money Printer goes brrr and these two entities are like blades on a pair of scissors at this point. Public Private Partnerships can only exist with Daddy Government is in the mix. We live in a USSA style culture run by Oligarchs and Oligarchies. There should be a separation of Economics and State, imo. Freedom to practice. If the people don't control their* mediums of exchange, then they are not free and Daddy Gov/Oligarchies are in control. The consumer's one job is literally to regulate the market. Daddy needs to kick rocks with the 50+ 3 letter bureaus and synthetic theft presented as moral charity. We haven't had a free or Capital based market since 1971 and more realistically since 1913. We live in a subsidized, domesticated, standardized environment and to pretend otherwise would be delusional. People really wonder why our culture is standardized and blame evil corporations while ignoring subsectors like music/entertainment for example. Even our music is regulated and standardized via PPPs... (see Telecommunications Act of '96) Cheers. @@spocktiberius2456

[@davidwong723]

STORM THE CAPITOL

[@crosses101]

Wait. If a wife was the servant of her husband, then wouldn't the husband also be the servant of the wife being that he doesn't financially gain from her labor, but she does from his?

[@marielanomade]

She frees him from the work of caring for the home and raising the children. If you're in my culture, she's also in charge of managing finances. So her contribution amounts to housekeeper, cook, nanny, nurse, teacher, and accountant. He frees her from some labour outside the home and he frees her from work inside the home.

[@akiram6609]

What do you mean he doesn’t financially gain from her labor? Have you seen the cost of childcare, housekeeping, personal assistants and personal chefs? If the stay at mom dies, the husband will have to replace what she does by outsourcing these tasks and that takes money. He is saving a lot from his wife taking on those household and childcare tasks. Not to mention that by staying at home, the wife is taking a hit on her own career since those gaps in her resume seem to scare many a potential employer if she chooses or has to find outside employment. The opportunity costs are not trivial. Being financially dependent on another also makes her vulnerable. If you give someone the power to feed you, you also give them the power to starve you.

[@crosses101]

@akiram6609 U're just proving the point. U're viewing only from a post-modern perspective. Do u realise we spoke in past tense? Also U're assuming a 1st world perspective as well. Just as in the past, these tasks aren't particularly expensive due basic supply and demand, there's more supply than demand. U're also assuming the wife doesn't also benefit from performing these tasks as well. U speak of gaps in resumes and such as if women entering the workforce didn't devalue labor, which stagnated her husband's wages. Once again, basic economics of supply and demand. When women entered the workforce it only has ever ultimately benefitted employers and the government. Employers got cheaper labor and the government doubled its taxable population. The reality is prior to women entering into the workforce, none of ur points were valid. On another note, why do u see serving a boss necessarily being better than a husband? Isn't the employee still dependent on the employer or the government for her livelihood? In modern times, with the rise of single mother homes, those are statistically the worst living conditions for both the women and the children involved. The reality is, it's not entirely obvious that the majority of women have improved their quality of life by leaving their stay at home roles to enter the labor force. It's NOT obvious at all.

[@crosses101]

@marielanomade Seem my response to the other person. Also, what culture are u from?

[@marielanomade]

@@crosses101 I'm from Québec, Canada. It's heavily matriarcal. Wifes/ mothers make all major decisions regarding children (pick their school, and for mixed families, pick their religion and native tongue). Women are expected to budget the household and handle taxes. Not all families are like this, but the expectations are there, on top of child-rearing and housekeeping.

[@richardvennel9679]

As long as we Must Work, we are Not Free. (J. R. “Bob” Dobbs)

[@urban8499]

I would simply like to say, you put together a very great argument and presented it very well. For an argument such as this, dealing with significant topics, it’s extremely important to create a very balanced, objective, and neutral argument and to present it well, all of which you have done. 👍🏻

[@joecliffordson]

I would not call this balanced. Instead it is weighted to one side. Guess which one?

[@maidin5747]

The saying that you have to work for an employer forever is not true but was planted in you through education. There are thousands of freelance and one person jobs you can do. Be a plumber or lawyer or whatever. I started a home restoration business from practically nothing. I would buy tools as the job required, then started buying some advertising. I never sought to exploit workers to earn millions but i never had to be employed. Iam not excessively smart or anything, just that i think for myself no matter how many times i am told something. Employment never made sense to me. Now im closing to 50, i am happy with the way i went.

[@crystalparker100]

Great points. Well presented and a great conversation starter. Thank you.

[@spocktiberius2456]

In a capitalist system, the capitalist doesn’t exist without the laborer because the workers are also the consumers. Both are necessary for the system to work. The problem with such a system evolves around the level of comfort each party experiences. The optimum balance of such a system is one where both parties are satisfied with the their level of lifestyle. When one or both parties are unhappy with their lifestyle problems ensue. The goal of capitalism should be to ensure that all parties are at the very least comfortable with the lifestyle they experience. The standard should be set at a level all can reasonably agree upon.

[@TrailBlazer5280]

I really appreciate this conversation, though its pretty hilarious hearing the pro slavery view sometimes and how out of touch it is. What I appreciate though is that often those arguments still make real observations about life and economics, or offer a perspective that we should consider even if we do outright think its wrong. It makes me wonder what does Adam Smith say about these things? What does Marx say? People may be surprised to discover that what these two observe are very similar, though their conclusions are very different. So i do support learning from those we may disagree with and this was an awesome presentation on the subject. It feels like slavery because we cant ever get out of living paycheck to paycheck, we can't ever own property, we can't ever escape the system of having to do what another tells you to do to survive. Its that general feeling that you don't really have a choice and won't ever get out. That may not really be true honestly since a lot of people do get out eventually, but a lot don't and work until the day they die. Whats most frustrating is the argument about money is often done using theory instead of reality. The theory that its a free market and if employees are unhappy they can leave and the employer will be forced to improve pay or conditions otherwise they will not have employees. But claims like that are true only sometimes. In reality as we all know the company has significantly more power and leverage. When you quit a job you no longer have money to pay for life necessities. When they lose an employee they merely miss out on a portion of production and money. The stakes are nowhere near the same and thus the playing field is not set for true competition. Until the public can have conversation based on the reality the topic will never progress.

[@gregorynuttall]

Wow this was very insightful. Thanks for the time and effort you put into this.

[@breaktide251]

Can't belive I haven't seen this till now thank you for your work

[@michaelkaruza490]

I really liked the bit at the end where you show that wage slavery at least provides an exit. You will always need someone to provide money/lodging for you until you become financially independant. The whole point of capitalism is to let as many people as possible break out of that cycle. One very minor counter point, working for yourself isn't technically freedom either by your definition. You still need others to give your goods value and provide compensation for them. So really it's just another way to sell your labor. Even if you go build a honestead and are entirely self-sustaining, you have to pay the government in the form of taxes; which you need money for, which means you have to trade labor/goods for money. Essentially, we will never attain true freedom. We can only decide where on the spectrum between freedom and security we want society to run.

[@HyperboreanJim861]

Slavery was not predominant in the North. And if anyone is attacked on a collective scale through corpratism it's Westernkind. Not Africankind.

[@AnthonyLongboarding]

One of the best channels on youtube, keep up the good work 🦀

[@mchjsosde]

Video is very educational. Also your hair looks wonderful

[@geigertec5921]

It is the duty of the proletariat to seize the means of production by purchasing shared ownership of the corporation through stocks and then reinvesting the dividends.

[@Fudgeyum2122]

Based as fuck lol

[@davidwong723]

STORM THE CAPITOL

[@davidwong723]

@@Fudgeyum2122STORM THE CAPITOL

[@RenShotwell]

Oooh! This is so so interesting! Again, thank you for all you do. Always so interesting. Always learning something new.

[@BobBob-ft6up]

Canvas pleasee I got work tomorrow!😭✋🏽 (great video!) will be joining Patreon

[@davidwong723]

STORM THE CAPITOL

[@stevedoetsch]

Good analysis. It goes to show the nuance involved in property and authority is far more grey than a simple black and white dichotomy. This is what the Bible understood, and why Jesus didn't condemn slavery outright. Despite the superficiality of atheist condemnation, it seems a person is almost always in a master/slave relationship and freedom involves choosing who you want to be your master.

[@kdubs3]

I worked on Wall Street as a young man on the trading floor at a major brokerage. I remember the first time I saw two armed security guards escort a man sitting next to me to HR and then out the building. He had worked there for about 30 years and had done nothing wrong. He simply was not needed anymore, salary could be replaced with lower one. That was the first time I realized what was being talked about here. I went on to work as a director of leasing in several new luxury high rise buildings in NYC. Several years no increases in salary were given despite record profits. Moral of the story, don't get involved in wage slavery. Look to work as a sole proprietor, small business owner, licensed professional, independent tradesperson, or freelancer to name a few. Once you accept money for your time, they've got you and it's very hard to pull out of it when you have bills to pay.

[@CodeBonYT]

An business owner goes to work every day hoping he makes some money. An employee goes to know knowing they are. Its not nearly as one sided as you suggest. Most businesses fail and many entrepreneurs go back to being employees because its an easier and more predictable life.

[@TheCanvasArtHistory]

If you see this, it means I'm streaming right now on Twitch! Come hang out!!! twitch.tv/germinaal

[@LongDefiant]

Looking forward to this!

[@intellectually_lazy]

vaping and smoking are bad in different ways. one may or may not be worse than the other, but one is taxed so highly, for so long now, the government relies on their sales as much as tobacco companies. this is also a metaphor, if you follow

[@sariahlace5944]

I'm always ecstatic,when I come across videos/info,like this I wish for those of us who are,acutely aware of the injustice,and inhumane system of capitalism,could escape it. 8 hours a day,when you commute to and from the prison job,only to arrive home,to prepare to go back,to the prison job,being overjoyed,when you,get time out from prison cell 8 hrs adds up to a lifetime,of imprisonment.

[@3Torts]

...lol. Imagine believing we live in a Capitalist system while living in the USSA or any one of the lesser SOcialist nations. Domesticated dork.

[@gh0s1wav]

Have multiple routes of income so that no one has so much leverage over you that you become their slave.

[@andyroobrick-a-brack9355]

At that point, you're dedicating the vast majority of your time to multiple slave owners. Mobility between slave owners is still a form of slavery. Complete independence is key.

[@psikeyhackr6914]

So the question is raised: Who owns the land and how did they get it? What does Adam Smith have to do with Capitalism? If you search Wealth of Nations for 'education' you will find Eighty Occurrences. Smith wrote "read, write and account" multiple times. The United States could have made "accounting/finance" mandatory in high schools since Sputnik. How often have you heard economists suggest any such thing?

[@fatjoesatan]

anarchy and the golden rule ! you politely twisted my brain with that ... excellent !

[@dtcdragon7164]

I’m going to be honest, I much preferred the shorter, more brief art analysis videos you made before. Don’t get me wrong these videos are great in their own way, but there was just something spectacular coming on KZbin weekly to learn something new about art. Still love your though, keep it up.

[@3Torts]

...Should have stayed in his lane. Socialists are rarely able to do so, however.

[@noheroespublishing1907]

"21st Century Workers are completely fine and emancipated... Contemporary Workers have the best living standards in the history of humanity, they have access to food from all over the world, house themselves, have children who can go to school and not have to work until they're at least teenagers, they have access to incredible technology, they can retire at decent ages... We're far from the worker who toiled sixteen hours a day and who could be fired at any moment." In some places, but definitely not in the Global South.

[@Eclecticompany]

I think you and @renmakesmusic would have an engaging discussion. Money Game Part 2 may interest you. He doesn't copyright, so it would be possible to play during a livestream without fear of a strike.

[@GiorgiMamaladze]

this is a masterpiece

[@RaptureHead1993]

Self employed or working as a employee we are all spaces to the market. Always gotta make money to survive.

[@kkop4982]

True

[@spocktiberius2456]

You know a system is inherently flawed, if one party of that system would never want to be in the position of the other party of that system. The capitalist and the labor are codependent. If they both need each other, is it fair that one feel as though they are less than the other? An economic system works at its optimum level when all parties feel equally valued.

[@warset322]

Could you please come back to the old topics of art you used to cover in your videos? You had the best flow and I just cant find another creator to speak abt art the same way as you do.

[@wretchedabyss1394]

If you can be enslaved while earning income, then what defines slavery? I think slavery is defined as the absence of Authority over one's Responsibility. There is this tone-deaf cry for people to assume responsibility over this or that, you see this in the work place, as a bill to one's character always sent by people who seemingly relish at the chance to divorce Authority and Responsibility. Simply put it rests within our social hierarchy that people desire to do this for social status. AND THAT is the true prize. I've heard arguments that the slavery ends with automation. I don't think so. There is something profoundly evil in the hearts of men, that drives them to lord over others. And I think it rests within man's relationship with Civilization.

[@CameronDC-Grimes]

"I want a nation of workers, not thinkers" - John D Rockefeller

[@davidwong723]

STORM THE CAPITOL

[@DrAnarchy69]

The wage slave concept is central to understanding why, like my union the IWW, I seek to abolish the wage system (that is the abolition of money and markets)

[@FarfettilLejl]

And what would you replace them with?

[@chrishoff402]

They had this problem fixed in the Old Testament in the time of the Judges. The two biggest problems with modern capitalism are the concentration of wealth into the hands of an ever smaller minority and the accumulation of debt. The real current problem isn't wage slavery, its debt slavery. Currently fewer than 100 people on planet earth possess more wealth than the poorest 50% of humanity. At the same time the financial industry is sitting on $2.5 Quadrillion(2,500 Trillion) in debt, deficit and unfunded legal liabilities. If you look in the Old Testament, what you see is that when ancient Israel was founded, every man was given his own equal share of land. Every 50 years Israel would have a Jubilee year, when all debts were cancelled, and all men returned to the land of their fathers, which is to say, any land purchased in the prior 50 years was only leased out, and the lease expired in the jubilee year, the original family that owned the land retook possession without having to pay the lease purchaser. So ancient Israel didn't just have a time stamp currency, they had an entire time stamp economy. One other feature was that all slaves were freed in the Jubilee year. There was no king in the time of judges, it was called judges because judges were either elected or appointed at the local level, each property was the owners private kingdom, each man possessed his own independent means of production because he was a land owner. The hereditary priests were responsible for caring for the poor and the sick, they received a 10% tithe from the population, which is far more reasonable than our modern tax system where close to half of all wages go to paying taxes. Not only was there no king or royal family, there was no standing army, no government bureaucracy, as mentioned, each landowner was his own ruler of his own little kingdom, so he was his own boss, his own master and a slave of himself and no other unless he made a lot of very bad mistakes or had a long string of bad luck. Apart from that, so long as he didn't get drunk and gamble away his property, he would not fall into wage slavery or debt slavery. What ever misfortune caused him to lease out his land to cover expenses, either he or his children would retake possession in the Jubilee year. The Nation was ruled over by the Supreme Being, there was no parliament or republic, the laws couldn't be altered, so life liberty and property were safe from any legislature in session. They had to screw it all up of course.

[@uzefulvideos3440]

Classes do not exist in a liberal society. There is simply a gradual degree of worth of property, that can be freely exchanged, which makes the type of property meaningless.

[@oldtimeoutlaw]

We have all been wage slaves for the last 150 years. It’s true when goods on the outside do up 10 percent and your wages go up 2 percent. Doesn’t take a phd to tell you the working people are screwed! Bottom line.

[@bgiv2010]

Lack of wages isn't what defines slavery any more than having a wage defines freedom. Do you feel free? Here's the thing: slaves can totally earn wages. Isn't debt repayment the reason for most slavery, at least according to those who wouldn't mind returning to that institution? I always ask people, "how much would you need to get paid to accept being enslaved?"

[@marshall4439]

Marx discussed this in conceptualizing surplus value. Every wage worker and every slave worked part of the day “for themselves” (that is, to cover the cost of their wage or room/board, respectively) and the remainder is harvested by the owner. And depending on cost of living, the wage worker has significantly more of their labor value taken than the slave. Marx did not disqualify the differences in physical liberty that exist between to two, but did draw the comparison to show how much better, arguably, wage slavery was for the owner class than slavery was.

[@Shadow-b3t9e]

Where there's a will there's a way.❤

[@Proctophile]

Genuinely interesting arguement, well done Shawn

[@jonathangarner876]

Very informative video and great thought exercise. It seems capitalism provides an avenue through which some folks will be slaves and others will choose to prosper. I thought that was the point! It’s effectiveness has been proven over and over. Some are proactive, believe they can experience a better life, face their fears and experience prosperity. But others assume they deserve “their rights,” without the responsibility. They play the victim, point the finger, cry oppression and as a result create the very realities for themselves and those around them they claim to hate. In fact, couldn’t it be concluded that it’s why we currently have “the rich.” Because at some point, whether it was they themselves or one of their distant ancestors that started the wealth in their family, somebody at some point had to choose to no longer be poor.

[@roachandroll5150]

You should read creature from Jekyll Island as well as tragedy and Hope for the synopsis tragedy and hope 101

[@alexasobu7592]

With love from Texas!

[@glrpo1252]

wit love from yo mama

[@danletras]

Awesome vid. Thx.

[@captaingreenbud6610]

Things I have been thinking about for quite a while, don't forget about the term debt slavery, which in my thoughts is the slavery that is used the most these days

[@Enzo012]

So wage slavery is something kind of similar to slavery in the Roman Empire where slaves could eventually buy their freedom?

[@celiacruzazucar6630]

Only as a birthday gift to thier child who have wished thier slave be free.

[@TheLoneLlama]

@@celiacruzazucar6630that is not how it worked in Rome

[@UndeadAlv]

I've been thinking so much about the current state of economy and how hard it is often to be valued even if you have a lot to offer. Is there any modern economic theory that proposes something different? I ask to you if you've read something like that, as I'm not versed in this topic whatsoever

[@ajiththomas2465]

How about socialism? And I don't mean the right wing strawman of the caricature of "Socialism is when the gubermint does something" or any authoritarian framework like the Soviets, CCP, etc. I mean socialism as it is originally intended, as in economic democracy, workplace democracy, worker co-operatives. As in workers owning the means of production. As Americans, we value democracy in everything except the economy and workplace. Why is that? We subject ourselves to authoritarian workplaces where we have no say and we are lorded over by a manager or boss that we didn't elect. In a worker cooperative, the workers all own and manage the workplace. They elect their managers and vote on company policies and workplace policies rather than having it be dictated to them by a single person. Look at Mondragon. Maybe search this type of stuff up. Also, never forget this in regards to the massive wealth inequality and how the existence of billionaires is an abhorrence. 1 million seconds is 12 days. 1 billion seconds is 30 years. Billionaires are parasites.

[@CMT_Crabbles]

@karanraj8930 “Nothing is preventing you” does not automatically make something easy or even possible to do. There is nothing stopping you from being a billionaire or astronaut. And did you disagree with anything he said orrrr?

[@gking407]

@@ajiththomas2465thank you those are the same points I make constantly as well. Adults are more like children when it comes to understanding the difference between a million and a billion.

[@gking407]

@karanraj8930you found your way into lefty conversation only to crap on it, lol. Congrats

[@kev3d]

@@ajiththomas2465 "As Americans, we value democracy in everything except the economy and workplace. Why is that? " Because majority rule doesn't work for economic matters. Should the janitorial staff have an equal vote on the new engineering specs? Should the accounting department get an equal vote on what the art department is doing? As a society, why should we collectively vote on, say, our favorite beverage? It is far better to let Peter to choose Coke, Paul to choose Pepsi, and John to choose Dr. Pepper...or Orange Juice, or Milk, or whatever. Democracy is good for things like deciding on public expenditure, but not much else. "We subject ourselves to authoritarian workplaces where we have no say and we are lorded over by a manager or boss that we didn't elect." You voluntarily chose to work there. And you can leave. So you elect a manager...then what? For how long? What about the 49% who didn't vote for him or her do? And you know what? You are free under capitalism to form any number of ownership models and run the business as democratically as you like. Profit sharing, co-ops, stock options, sole proprietorships, LLCs, freelancing/consulting, sales commission models, and so on. Who knows? You might be very successful. "I mean socialism as it is originally intended" Intended by whom? The racist and Antiemetic Marx? And let's not forget the idea that he popularized: "From each according to ability, to each according to need" This is the essence of slavery. After all, a slave is expected to give maximum output according to his or her ability, but is given only the bare minimum to meet the needs required to keep them from dropping dead. The only difference in Marx's mind is that the "collective" is the slave master, and not a single individual.

[@PvblivsAelivs]

It is my observation that when someone says something is "obviously true," it is not obvious, that instead he is spouting the approved belief of some group. If something is truly obvious, it doesn't need to be said. You have a very long-winded intro that is really only intended to convey the message "I hold approved beliefs, don't just shun me." I am going to remind you that slavery goes back to the dawn of recorded history. If you are going to tell me that most of humanity saw themselves as villains, you show that you are untrustworthy.

[@davesiegal3592]

'Animal Farm' by Orwell comes to mind.

[@intellectually_lazy]

before they invented race, they practiced on the irish. i live in the northeastern united states. except for those straight off the boat, we're all part irish here, for thousands of miles around, even our blacks and indians (but probably not actual indians, for a generation or two, excepting, you know, the english were there a while too, and they bring their irish with 'em)

[@rhino9964]

John William Waterhouse - The Mermaid (1892) / Would you consider doing an episode on this? / Love your channel. 😊

[@StonesAndSand]

In most every case, at-will employees are free to leave anytime and go anywhere they desire. Too often, it's the comfort of the status-quo, or "golden handcuffs" that keep them bound.

[@intellectually_lazy]

according to the lie of the tragedy of the commons, a private owner has more incentive not to overuse their land, and yet since private ownership became the norm destructive exploitation has grown to a rate which threatens us all, and maybe all life, excepting, idk, tardigrades

[@RilianSharp]

you said slaves don't have wages by definition, but that's not true. the legal slavery in usa included wages, just not enough to live and no choice to leave.

[@calebbridges4748]

I gotta put this vid on a list for later.

[@greg9069]

I worked like an Egyptian slave operating my first go as a personal trainer in a cheap gym.. my revenue was $3000 a month, I made about 20% of my sales in a paycheck, the rest of the revenue seemingly disappeared, we need new equipment and maintenance on most equipment and it never happened.. the entire time I was there, so regardless of The excess revenue they got from a successful training program, none of it was reinvested. Shameful, I suffer everyday in chronic pain because I degenerated my body making it work, when I could have just bought the equipment myself 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@chuckit5592]

Why didn’t you? You have the freedom to do that.

[@gerrystevens9041]

we ourselves need work...civilisation depends on the energy of all its citiizens. i get your point. but see no alternative. just ensure upward social mobility and people would work twice as hard and be happy too. if nobody works at all they will all be perfectly free corpses. [starved frozen and etc]...

[@beyondher]

It will never be the same because you can get a bit ahead in capitalism with very little to begin with - if you work steadily in a job and save some money to start a side hustle like an ecommerce store (eBay). You absolutely need an education of some sort to achieve this though, even if that’s self education. But a lot of money can come through the internet whilst working from your living room, or even bedroom.

[@coolfan777]

This is a reason why society radically and counterintuitively needs more technology rather than less technology (including society needs more pollution eradicating technology)

[@Greenlantern957]

Every time I watch a video like this…I’m reaffirmed in my feeling that my way of life has little to zero to fear from the “radical left”…..thanks

[@intellectually_lazy]

i believe capitalism begins at he same point in history as the western european age of colonialism and the north atlantic slave trade, about that same time race and racism were invented to justify the dehumanization necessary to such a system and manifest still in the on-going genocide against people of african descent, and other "black " and "brown" people. to this day. there were fore runners to all these but together the led to the nightmare dystopia of today. i in no way mean to minimize the particularly cruel system of the north atlantic slave trade by saying this. there is more than one intolerable thing in history. i also intend to clearly state my belief that forced pregnancy and military conscription are also forms of slavery

[@aglimmerofhope5321]

You say labor “has no choice”. That’s what qualifies one as a “slave”.

[@Pimp-Master]

I can't watch a video where the anticipated audience is a gaggle of snowflakes who shudder at concepts like slavery itself. I'm not a modern moron largely because I grew up at a time of freedom and responsibility. I don't expect someone to assume that I'm so weak that information is detrimental to me. Shame!

[@kiyoshifujino4453]

Glad i found the channel

[@groveavenue]

My family told me that if I studied hard I would by and by get into a well paid profession and become well off. Alas! In the real world the professional institutions that have the power to give qualifications to students maintain blacklists of students with powerful enemies who want to suppress them. They stop taking examinations when they realisze they are barred by blacklist. They are then back at the beginning. What can they do? Nothing :)

[@user-iv3yy2up9v]

The invisible hand comes to mind. I believe if everyone just try to do what’s best for themselves without breaking the laws we all agree to follow, then most outcomes will be positive. I think the only role government legitimately has is when two parties have an arrangement that negatively effects a third with no permission or compensation. The need for good regulation is key but it is a double edge sword. If your not careful you run the risk of killing the golden goose. I admit that may be the only way to avoid disaster but I’d rather not start back in cave man days to find out.

[@T1Oracle]

Chattel slavery involved brutal beatings, physical and psychological torture, murders, sexual assault, rape, forced incest, infanticide, etc. Wage slavery sucks, but it's nothing close to chattel slavery.

[@ReiPlush_MH]

Although the exact details of work may arguably be better in modernity, the nature of said work is miserable. Working in a field for 5 hours with a 3 hour break is significantly less miserable than having a corporate job where you sit in an office all day and then go home and worry about shit you need to do tomorrow (or have your boss hound you rest of the evening).

[@jamesgrow2463]

I’d argue that the way we commoditize each other is equivalent to dehumanization. Corporations also do this with “Human Resources” - as humans are just another commodity on their balance sheet. In fact, that’s what it is, since humans can be laid off and eliminated from a balance sheet.

[@jercasgav]

Taxes make a person more of a slave than their wages. We are currently losing 50%+ of our incomes to all forms of taxation, and we were perfectly capable of running govt and society before the income tax was started in 1913 (income tax was not given fully to the middle class worker until WW2 to "help" pay for the war). When I pay taxes I don't have a say where my money goes, and it goes to programs that I will never benefit from, while my own basic needs do are not taken care of first (I pay for others to have health care before I can even fully afford my own). We don't live under capitalism right now in the USA. We live under a socialist crony-capitalism oligarchy hybrid. I want the govt smaller and out of my life, NOT bigger. When has bigger govt ever been in the interest of the little guy? It is a false pretense to enslave us. Companies would have a much harder time making us their slaves if they did not have the help of the govt passing laws in their favor.

[@jameskellam2980]

Quit halfway through. Seems to ramble on without making a stance and defending it. One minute he sounds like he is anticapitalist, the next he seems to be defending it. In the end I just quit caring what was being said.

[@kalem1527]

Sounds like a skill issue. Complex issues require complex thought I guess.

[@bzxshor67mpts]

Join a industry Union and your interests are more likely to be protected.A union helped me a lot. With out one I would be on the scrap heap.

[@singularseeker]

Excellent.....