I drink your milkshake! a metaphor for capitalism

[rickyb]

Chomsky Quotes‏ @quotes_chomsky 1h1 hour ago




It's worth bearing in mind how radically opposed (so-called libertarianism) is to classical liberalism, they like to invoke, say, Adam Smith, but if you read Adam Smith he said the opposite - the claim is that he was opposed to government interference in markets, it's not true

 

[rickyb]

what id like to bring up is what has been the historical relation between incomes and mortgages / rents? and what has happened to debt after real wages stopped rising in canada in 1989?

it partly seems like debtors are taking too much money and that they shouldnt be allowed to. and lenders are lending too much and they shouldnt be allowed to.

michael hudson has some good critiques of mortgage debt to incomes these days, and just on the general economy.

One in three Canadians can’t cover bills amid ‘debt trap’: Survey - Article - BNN

One in three Canadians can’t cover bills amid ‘debt trap’: Survey

Thirty-three per cent of respondents to the MNP survey, conducted by Ipsos, admitted to being stretched beyond their means on a monthly basis, marking an eight-point increase since MNP's last survey in September. Meanwhile, almost half (48 per cent) of respondents said they only have a $200-buffer to cover their obligations.

Canadians' increasingly-strained pocketbooks is giving rise to self-reflection, as almost four in 10 respondents to the survey admitted they regret the amount of debt they've taken out in their lifetime.

 

[rickyb]

Chomsky Quotes‏ @quotes_chomsky 24h24 hours ago




Take say, Adam Smith; I mean, Adam Smith at the time, he's the icon, you know, for "libertarians", he was considered to be a dangerous radical at the time - because he was pretty anti-capitalist, it's sort of pre-capitalist era, but he was opposed to it.

 

[rickyb]

his pro worker control / anti capitalist radio program is now on almost 100 stations.

he mentions the roughly 400 million in corporate welfare the state of alabama gave to an auto company. compares swedens minister of labour who says "i protect workers, not jobs" when referring to automated truck driving which is going to unemploy 4 million workers in america.

talks about how republicans cut taxes on the rich this year, and next year will cut programs for everyday americans.

mentions what the UK government is doing to encourage worker control of jobs. UK is going in a very different left wing direction compared to the US which went far right with its rigged election for donald trump.

he says business is not investing in america because workers are already practically maxed out on debt and wages are stagnant.

 

[rickyb]

the head managers of my province came for a visit the other day and said no one is allowed to leave early anymore regardless of how slow it is, because of the CBA.

so i cant really figure out why they dont want to save money aside from my theory that they want workers to hate the union and this is one way to do it.

 

[rickyb]

i think its comical how teamsters is fighting to prevent advance of technology which liberates workers from doing mundane jobs like delivering packages at UPS.

 

[Catatonic]

i think its comical how teamsters is fighting to prevent advance of technology which liberates workers from doing mundane jobs like delivering packages at UPS.

Luddites.

Lud·dite

1. a member of any of the bands of English workers who destroyed machinery, especially in cotton and woolen mills, that they believed was threatening their jobs (1811–16).
   • a person opposed to increased industrialization or new technology.
     "a small-minded Luddite resisting progress"

 

[rickyb]

Luddites.

Lud·dite

1. a member of any of the bands of English workers who destroyed machinery, especially in cotton and woolen mills, that they believed was threatening their jobs (1811–16).
   • a person opposed to increased industrialization or new technology.
     "a small-minded Luddite resisting progress"

its true; UPS workers jobs are at threat, and if they are automated the company will benefit not the workers.

 

[Catatonic]

its true; UPS workers jobs are at threat, and if they are automated the company will benefit not the workers.

UPS workers jobs are at threat if a new technology that decreases the cost to produce a service is not implemented.
UPS is only in business today because of the applied technologies UPS has implemented over the years.

 

[1989]

i think its comical how teamsters is fighting to prevent advance of technology which liberates workers from doing mundane jobs like delivering packages at UPS.

I think it’s comical how you talk about issues that you have no experience or information about.

 

[vantexan]

i think its comical how teamsters is fighting to prevent advance of technology which liberates workers from doing mundane jobs like delivering packages at UPS.

So that they can be relegated to poor paying jobs that aren't easily automated?

 

[rickyb]

So that they can be relegated to poor paying jobs that aren't easily automated?

they should automate all jobs

 

[rickyb]

I think it’s comical how you talk about issues that you have no experience or information about.

i delivered packages

 

[Operational needs]

they should automate all jobs

So, how do you propose people make a living..... you know to eat, pay rent/mortgage, etc?

 

[rickyb]

So, how do you propose people make a living..... you know to eat, pay rent/mortgage, etc?

well exactly. after too many jobs are automated, which is coming especially after they automate truck driving, then we might have a hard conversation about how capitalism works.

or people will just be serfs.

 

[Jkloc420]

well exactly. after too many jobs are automated, which is coming especially after they automate truck driving, then we might have a hard conversation about how capitalism works.

or people will just be serfs.

wrong

 

[rickyb]

in this episode, chris hedges interviews a professor from columbia journalism who went undercover at UPS competitor amazon warehouse during peak

amazon preys on hiring old people. they work 10 hour days. they walk 13 miles a shift. it damages their bodies.

in some warehouses, the temperature reached 110 degrees and amazon was too greedy to turn on a/c or open the doors. ambulances would wait outside for when workers passed out. some of the workers died months after.

amazon gives out painkillers. it uses jedi mind tricks like positive psychology and customer service to maximize its greed.

the workers make at best $11,000 before they are laid off.

but dont worry; all of this is justified: the workers democratically voted for these conditions. its not like they were taking orders or anything.

jeff bezos is the richest man on earth. it has nothing to do with his workers being poor.

 

[Operational needs]

well exactly. after too many jobs are automated, which is coming especially after they automate truck driving, then we might have a hard conversation about how capitalism works.

or people will just be serfs.

Exactly what? You didn’t answer my question. Call me crazy but it seems ludicrous to have a hard conversation AFTER the jobs are automated. Everyone will have starved to death by then.

 

[Operational needs]

in this episode, chris hedges interviews a professor from columbia journalism who went undercover at UPS competitor amazon warehouse during peak

amazon preys on hiring old people. they work 10 hour days. they walk 13 miles a shift. it damages their bodies.

in some warehouses, the temperature reached 110 degrees and amazon was too greedy to turn on a/c or open the doors. ambulances would wait outside for when workers passed out. some of the workers died months after.

amazon gives out painkillers. it uses jedi mind tricks like positive psychology and customer service to maximize its greed.

the workers make at best $11,000 before they are laid off.

but dont worry; all of this is justified: the workers democratically voted for these conditions. its not like they were taking orders or anything.

jeff bezos is the richest man on earth. it has nothing to do with his workers being poor.

Or they could have just quit...

 

[rickyb]

Exactly what? You didn’t answer my question. Call me crazy but it seems ludicrous to have a hard conversation AFTER the jobs are automated. Everyone will have starved to death by then.

alot of jobs have already been automated and weve only just started talking about capitalism.

the environment is already very far destroyed.

so its conceivable that things will get much worse before they get better.