treefrog

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treefrog ,

Well sure, if oligarchs paid fair, we wouldn't need unions.

But they don't. So we do.

treefrog ,

Big Labor is meant as a pejorative. They’re drawing parallels with Big Pharma and Big Oil on purpose. Fuck the NY Times.

treefrog ,

Oh nice catch!

treefrog ,

Capitalism is a domination based economic strategy that’s killing most of the life on this planet.

There’s also partnership based economic strategies that probably would be more in harmony with the earth as well as other human beings, like cooperatives, non-profits, and of course socialism etc.

So, I guess as far as domination based strategies go, Capitalism is very efficient. And offers a veil of autonomy that feudalism and slavery didn’t. But it’s only a veil. The rich get richer, the poor relatively poorer. And while the planet burns, most human beings are still slaves to their paychecks while the oligarchs call the shots.

I don’t see any benefit in this, but you do?

treefrog ,

It’s very efficient at extracting resources from the environment and working class. It’s more efficient than slavery and feudalism. That doesn’t make it a net benefit for either the planet or the working class.

And plenty of non-Western cultures had economic systems similar to socialism before we colonized them and forced capitalism down their throats. So no, your socialism must follow capitalism equation isn’t real. Sorry.

What Marx meant was if we don’t evolve past Capitalsm, we’re fucked. That’s what he meant by socialism must follow capitalism. It’s a moral must if we want the planet and species to survive. He wasn’t talking about causation.

treefrog , (edited )

First of all, you’re cherry picking one paragraph out of three while ignoring my point. Second, you seem to be doing so in hopes of creating a false dichotomy (technology is dependant on capitalism, it’s not) and a strawman (that all extraction is bad).

Non-captalist economic systems can certainly extract resources from the environment and they’re quite capable of producing new technologies without worker explotation. Capitalism is ruthlessly effecient at it because it ignores things like negative externalities while passing them onto local governments, workers, and consumers. Ruthless being the keyword here. In fact, I’d say it’s inefficient and simply irresponsible.

If you want to argue that the economic system we’re all watching literally destroy most life on this planet has some benefits the burden of proof is on you. List the benefits and compare them to other systems. If the benefit is that it’s better than slavery well, you’re basically comparing two diseases to each other and saying the benefit of disease A is at least it’s not cancer. If my Dr used language like this I’d fire him.

Capitalism is a disease on this planet. Diseases don’t have benefits. Only worse choices. Feel free to prove me otherwise, but you’ll have to do better than tired right wing and neo-liberal talking points. I’ve been through them to many times, sorry.

treefrog ,

Okay, I don’t know the logical fallacies by name. I do know when someone isn’t arguing in good faith and being dismissive. I do know when they’re resorting to passive-aggressive personal attacks, too. So, I’m just going to restate my argument that you continue to dismiss, in plain English, not for you, but for anyone else that comes across this.

Capitalism is a primary contributing factor to global mass extinction that is currently taking place. That’s comparable to a disease. Its competitive advantages are not showing to be beneficial because they’re based on negative externalities. In the long wrong (i.e. right now), those negative externalities are proving to be destructive, rather than beneficial, for almost everyone that lives on this planet. Its advantage is that’s irresponsible. It’s aggressive. Most of the life on this planet is not benefiting from this aggressive behavior. And, there were, and still are, less aggressive options.

I may not know all my logical fallacies, but I do know economics.

And you’ve done nothing to change my mind because ultimately you refused to engage with the argument in good faith.

'There's almost nobody left': CEO of Baldur's Gate 3 dev Swen Vincke says the D&D team he initially worked with is gone, due to Hasbro layoffs ( www.pcgamer.com )

I assume that somebody, somewhere, has done the detached corporate penny-pinching to make this all make sense on paper. But this is a disastrous move from a consumer goodwill standpoint. If you have the CEO of a studio which handed you a major commercial success publicly mourning the depth and scope of your layoffs, something's...

treefrog ,

Reminder for DnD fans that supporting indie publishing houses is an option.

Due to the OGL fiasco last winter there’s now several non-Hasbro 5th Edition systems developed or in development that use either CC or the ORC license.

I’m personally waiting on Tales of the Valient (formerly project blackflag) and have copies of the Advanced 5th Edition books as well. But I’m sure there’s more out there.

treefrog ,

Actually a fairly enlightened take if you read beyond the headlines.

“No employee ever wakes up and says, ‘I’m so excited. I made another penny a share today for Panera’s shareholders,’” Shaich told Business Insider in an interview. “Nobody cares. You don’t care whether your CEO comes or goes.”

He goes on to talk about how therapy helped him better empathize with himself, customers, and employees.

The ‘today’ in the headline I think is the click bait and something the author is indirectly putting in this guy’s mouth.

treefrog ,

The guy quoted actually said ever. Today I think was click bait on the part of the author.

And I went in expecting to find another asshole CEO tbh

treefrog ,

He’s not the current CEO and I have no idea if he’s still involved in decisions at Panera.

What the hell is this shit? Instead of pushing for the return to traditional pensions, capitalism is celebrating the idea that Millennials and Gen Z may simply never be able to stop working. ( www.cnbc.com )

Traditionally, retiring entails leaving the workforce permanently. However, experts found that the very definition of retirement is also changing between generations....

treefrog ,

So much propaganda in this article.

Knowing you won’t be able to retire, and making plans accordingly, is acceptance of the situation.

It’s not a fucking preference.

treefrog ,

For sure.

A some people do just like to work.

But I think most people would prefer to do their own things, work on their own projects and hobbies, instead of someone else’s.

Acting like it’s a preference to work past retirement, instead of a the financial reality for most of us, is such a load of horseshit I was tempted to write a complaint to the editor that this wasn’t published as an opinion.

treefrog ,

Define freedom of movement?

Because last I checked, moving a family was expensive and far from free. And last I checked, capitalist’s were still leveraging this lack of financial freedom to exploit workers.

So, I think the authors use of language was spot on personally.

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  • treefrog ,

    It’s their products causing it. Cutting down on gas burned because we focus on more people working from home is focusing on big producers.

    Ask yourself this, aside from real estate investors, who is most likely to lobby against legislation that incentives work from home? Car companies (Elon already is) and gas producers I’m sure are on the list right?

    treefrog ,

    I believe, distributed power is cheaper. Smaller transformers, less drain on the power grid, etc. etc. In other words, I think it’s less efficient, especially in the summer when body heat becomes a negative rather than a positive factor.

    And offices aren’t often great at adjusting thermostats when people are out of the office. So that larger space is often being heated/cooled 24/7

    treefrog ,

    This is Elon’s argument. My auto workers have to drive to work so you should too!

    Oh, and keep buying my cars while you’re at it!

    treefrog ,

    I’d love if my commute to work was shorter because my neighbors get to stay home. If gas prices were cheaper because my neighbors get to stay home. If my environment was cleaner, because my neighbors get to stay home.

    Worker solidarity is not a zero sum game. Quit drinking the capitalist Kool Aid

    treefrog ,

    I hear you about the articles bias towards personal responsibility when tackling an issue that is structural.

    And my point stands. Elon, for example, has come out heavily against WFH because fewer people will be driving his cars. In other words, WFH is bad for the car and oil/gas lobbyists and good for the planet.

    If governments started offering incentives for WFH, it would be one way of turning off the tap.

    treefrog ,

    There whole log into our server drm bullshit turned me off.

    Haven’t played a Ubisoft game since 2020 when that open world greek mythology game was out. And now I avoid there products.

    treefrog ,

    That pastor may want to reread the Bible. Jesus was a rabble rouser.

    treefrog ,

    The Jewish theocracy was involved in his murder. So, he apparently said and did a lot of things they didn’t agree with.

    treefrog ,

    True

    treefrog ,

    Plus the planet is burning.

    Heat saps energy. Despair does too.

    Bernie Sanders Champions 32-Hour Work Week With No Loss in Pay ( www.commondreams.org )

    As part of his Labor Day message to workers in the United States, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday re-upped his call for the establishment of a 20% cut to the workweek with no loss in pay—an idea he said is “not radical” given the enormous productivity gains over recent decades that have resulted in massive profits for...

    treefrog ,

    A lot of people are struggling with inflation already. A 20% pay cut is not an improvement.

    treefrog ,

    Because 95% of them are on the corporate dime.

    treefrog ,

    The unicorn comment makes me think you’re being a sarcastic ass.

    The rest of your comment is 100% doable. At least, lots of other countries are doing it.

    treefrog ,

    They’re using a lot of the same arguments the right uses to attack minimum wage and it’s generally untrue.

    In places minimum wage has gone up, we haven’t seen staggering unemployment or inflation compared to similar places without minimum wage changes.

    Going to a 32 hour work week should spur the job market if employers want the same number of work hours anyway. And more money and free time for the 90% is good for economic growth as we’re the ones who spend money rather than hoarding it.

    So, I suspect the reason most people aren’t bothering to argue is that this same conversation has played out so many times for so many of us that we can’t be bothered with tited talking points being rehashed.

    treefrog ,

    Yeah, I can see in those specific situations. Cost of living tends to be high in areas with a lot of technology jobs though so I don’t know.

    I’m not those people so I can’t speak for them.

    treefrog ,

    There’s been studies showing shorter work weeks produce more. People work better when they’re less stressed/happier/less tired.

    Sorry if that reeks of populism. I think you’re point of view reeks of authoritarianism tbh.

    Because science shows less is more, when it comes to work and school. The only reason to continue the 40 hour work week is so capitalists can keep workers in their place.

    And that’s not right.

    treefrog ,

    I’ll have to read those studies more closely. And I hear you on the truck driver argument. That said, I’m sure less stressed/less tired truck drivers cause a lot fewer accidents. Which may have an impact on insurance premiums for companies that are in that business.

    I guess my point is economic impact can be measured in various ways and it’s possible that everyone working less (and the 10% paying the other 90% of us a fair wage), will be a net benefit for society and the health of the individuals in society, and thus, a net benefit for the economy.

    As a non-office worker (worked in food service my whole life), I’ve seen the direct effects on mental and physical health caused by being overworked and under paid. And those negative effects certainly spill over into the quality of service, as well as the potential for a accidents at work.

    I know that’s anecdotal, but I think it also is a very reasonable observation that passes the common sense test anyway.

    treefrog ,

    Fair enough.

    treefrog ,

    Just more than ironic.

    Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

    treefrog , (edited )

    Right to work doesn’t apply to contractors. You have a contract.

    If you get deactivated without cause, sue.

    edit: Right to work lets employees be fired without cause. Contracts can’t be breached as easily so deactivation without cause isn’t legal. Suing is easy. File a complaint with your state labor board or department of labor. The gig corp will want to settle so precedent doesn’t get set in court and lead to a big class action.

    I did this to Instacart when they violated state labor laws They asked to settle. Mediation is next week so no idea yet how much they will settle for. 40k is the average for these types of cases.

    edit 2: I was mixing up right to work with at will employment. My point stands though. Contractors aren’t employees and can’t be terminated without cause. Deactivating a contractor when they haven’t done anything to violate the terms of the contract is a breach of contract .

    treefrog ,

    I sued Instacart over violation of state employment laws.

    Lodged a complaint with the state and Instacart asked to settle in mediation

    Cost me nothing and I didn’t even hire a lawyer.

    treefrog ,

    It does more than that. It lets you quit and be fired at will.

    This doesn’t apply to contractors and gig jobs firing contractors without cause is a breach of contract.

    treefrog ,

    Right to work allows employment at will. Meaning you can be fired without cause.

    My point is it doesn’t apply to contractors and deactivating someone without cause is a breach of contract.

    treefrog ,

    Okay.

    My point was contractors cannot be fired at will, even in right to work states where regular employees can be.

    So, deactivating gig workers without cause is a breach of contract. Which you can easily sue for. And these assholes know they’re wrong, so they will want to settle out of court. You don’t even need a lawyer.

    treefrog ,

    It’s actually easy. I sued Instacart for something similar.

    Lodged a complaint with the state. Instacart asked to settle. Didn’t cost me a dime.

    They know they’re in the wrong. It’s cheaper for them to settle. Even if they have billions they don’t want a big lawsuit. If they lose a lawsuit instead of settling out of court it sets precedent that could end their whole gig economy bullshit in a big class action.

    treefrog ,

    Thanks. I will check out the link and I appreciate the kind correction.

    “We’ve Changed the Game”: Teamsters Win Historic UPS Contract ( teamster.org )

    Today, the Teamsters reached the most historic tentative agreement for workers in the history of UPS, protecting and rewarding more than 340,000 UPS Teamsters nationwide. The overwhelmingly lucrative contract raises wages for all workers, creates more full-time jobs, and includes dozens of workplace protections and improvements....

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