• gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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      14 days ago

      Before unions were a thing, if a workforce wanted a raise, it was traditional to say “hey boss, give us a raise, or we’ll burn your fucking factory down”

      • Olgratin_Magmatoe@lemmy.world
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        14 days ago

        And now that they’ve made unions all but illegal, we’ll eventually return to that trusted tradition.

        Either we settle things collectively and politely, or we settle things not so politely.

        • Serinus@lemmy.world
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          14 days ago

          This was the whole purpose of our founding fathers.

          Kings were getting beheaded. They knew enough that if they didn’t want to watch their backs constantly, they needed to spread power thin.

          It’s the point of good faith in government. It goes back to the Code of Hammurabi. We have these laws so that we can all mostly agree on how things should be handled in a reasonable way.

          When people can’t rely on laws and justice, eventually blood spills.

          These people have been so intent on gathering money and power, they haven’t realized why the founding fathers did the exact opposite.

          • Olgratin_Magmatoe@lemmy.world
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            14 days ago

            When people can’t rely on laws and justice, eventually blood spills.

            Agreed. It’s pretty much just a question of how long “eventually” is.

          • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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            13 days ago

            I thought the purpose of the US founding fathers was to gain power to prevent the British government from having a say in abolishing slavery. Also so they could ignore the treaty the British made with the Indigenous peoples living to the west of the 13 colonies. They wanted that land and didn’t like those assholes in London preventing westward expansion via genocide.

            These people have been so intent on gathering money and power, they haven’t realized why the founding fathers did the exact opposite.

            You might be surprised about how consistent they are with the “Founding Fathers” by saying some nice words about “freedom” while their actions say the opposite. The American Revolution didn’t fundamentally alter things (slavery existed before and after the revolution) it only changed who was in power. Pretty words on a paper didn’t give people freedom. It was people voting, unionizing, and oh yeah, a bloody civil war that brought freedom. And then even more voting and unionizing and protesting for over a century.

            The US is a weird place not too dissimilar from the society depicted in 1984, just with Big Brother replaced by Founding Father. Founding Father isn’t watching over you. Founding Father was hypocritical slave-master that would have more in common with the likes of Elon Musk than they would ever have with you.

            Writing nice words about freedom while acquiring wealth from the work of slaves, isn’t that consistent with Elon Musk?

            • JcbAzPx@lemmy.world
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              13 days ago

              Most of the founding fathers wanted to abolish slavery, but they also knew they needed the economic power of the southern states’ cotton trade and that they would be virulently against ending slavery. They kicked that can down the road, but laid the groundwork that eventually led us there for the most part.

              • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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                13 days ago

                Most of the founding father fucking owned slaves.

                Elon Musk writes about rights and freedoms. Thomas Jefferson wrote about right and freedoms. Elon Musk is shit to the workers he gets his wealth from. Thomas Jefferson got his wealth from slaves. Elon Musk sexually harasses his female workers. Thomas Jefferson impregnated his slaves.

                Elon Musk and the other billionaires are being 100% consistent with the Founding Fathers you idolize. This is why arguing that these billionaire assholes aren’t “in keeping with the Founding Fathers” is so weak. Deep down we all know that these guys are acting exactly like the Founding Fathers. It really makes sense for so many people to think Trump, Musk and all the other scumbags are like the Founding Fathers because they actually are. They just aren’t like the mythologized Founding Fathers that you believe in. But the Founding Fathers you believe in never existed.

                The actual people were just a group of rich slave masters that wanted to take away more land from indigenous people. They wrote some nice words about rights and freedoms to fool people into being willing to die to serve their interests. Which is exactly what MAGA is all about isn’t it? Rich people talking big about rights and freedoms to get people to support them having more power.

                • JcbAzPx@lemmy.world
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                  13 days ago

                  You may want to freshen up on your history. Ending slavery was a huge debate right at the beginning. They chose poorly in the end, but not for no reason.

                  Also, there’s a reason the only person you could come up with for your silly comparison was Thomas Jefferson. He was probably one of the most flawed of the founding fathers. Though he’s still a significantly better man than Musk on the whole.

                  • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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                    13 days ago

                    George Washington also owned slaves. As did most of your Founding Fathers: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/sep/10/arlen-parsa/evidence-shows-most-47-men-famous-declaration-inde/

                    The founding principles of the USA were around rights and freedoms for land owning white men only. Everyone else were meant to serve them. Which is more consistent with the principles of Elon Musk than with your principles.

                    Though he’s still a significantly better man than Musk on the whole.

                    Thomas Jefferson literally owned slaves. Elon Musk offered to buy a horse for an employee to get a handy, while Jefferson raped his slaves. Jefferson was way more “flawed” than Elon Musk is.

      • Damionsipher@lemmy.world
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        14 days ago

        Molotov cocktails remain a cheap and effective workforce bargaining tool. 2nd amendment silenced handguns just got added to that tool belt.

    • Chocrates@lemmy.world
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      14 days ago

      Eh I think it does us a disservice to call the rich idiots. Sure some are, but strips agency from them for the real damage they do.

      Elon is at least smart enough to turn his emerald slave money into billions.

      • Infynis@midwest.social
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        14 days ago

        That’s not a sign of intelligence, it’s just that he had so much money, he could afford to fail a bunch of times, so he could get lucky every once in a while

        • HessiaNerd@lemmy.world
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          14 days ago

          And this pattern holds across a shitload of rich people too. Singers who could afford to not have to have that waitress job and just focus on promotion. ‘Entrepreneurs’ who got ‘small’ ‘loans’ to start their 10th business that finally hit. Real estate moguls who had actual intelegnt people bring them plans they rubber stamped and claimed to be brilliant businessmen.

          They are rich so they must be smart is the biggest pile of bullshit.

      • qarbone@lemmy.world
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        14 days ago

        They’re dumb, not handicapped. An idiot is still culpable for the damage they do. We’re all just lucky they aren’t smart enough to effect their malice.