Kropotkin was right all along.
What we need, is not a wage slavery system centered around what we earn; but a society based around what we need.
Comment on Flight attendant union leaders ‘ready to go to jail’ as Canada declares strike illegal
NeilBru@lemmy.world 2 days ago
I wonder what moral philosophy could justify imprisoning someone for refusing to work under the terms of their agreement. I suppose it’s the same premise used to justify slavery.
In my view, you can have expectations about people and the nature of work in my business, and I can have expectations about what and how I’m compensated, my rights, and my roles if I work for your business. If we don’t meet each other’s expectations, we go our separate ways. In no way, should either of us, nor the state, imprison us if we refuse terms, unless a party breaks the law.
The real question, perhaps, is, “when and why is it against the law to refuse to work?”
birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 day ago
NeilBru@lemmy.world 1 day ago
The right to contract is fundamental to our Constitution in the United States. It’s protected by the due process clauses in the 5th and 14th amendments. Though many disagree, the United States Constitution is, on paper, agnostic in terms of economic systems.
The question, for me personally, is do socialist or communist systems produce less corruption in capitalist systems inherently? My answer is no. I am of the opinion that neither arbitrary central planning nor complete laissez-faire economics are inherently more virtuous or morally sound than the other. Economic systems just like their political counterparts are susceptible to corruption in determining what individuals or societies “need”.
Immoral behavior by smaller groups within larger groups is a byproduct of human nature. No matter the economic system, the only way to reduce corruption is to build systems that do not concentrate power, be it the state, or a group of unscrupulous plutocrats that rig free markets in their favor once they’ve cornered them.
I contend that societies that perform the best (i.e., upward social mobility, positive outcomes in hunger, per capita income, life expectancy, infant mortality, and literacy rates) have hybrid systems between socialist and market economies with tightly regulated and enforced antitrust and consumer protection.
Political and economic power must not be allowed to concentrate in individuals, trading guilds, institutions, nor the state.
birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 day ago
Well, Kropotkin agrees with you in the last regard; that power should not be concentrated at all.
What he favours is a system such as yours, but differently. Trusts, which are inherently money-based, would be meaningless under an anarchocommunist system, as there is no money to speak of. A gift economy is one option, in where goods are directly given to one another without expectation of reward, and without a middle man such as money.
threeonefour@piefed.ca 2 days ago
Not showing up to work will never land you in jail (unless you're in the military). The strike being illegal means workers can be fired.
Unions can also receive fines for organizing illegal strikes. Union heads have gone to jail for organizing illegal strikes, but it's incredibly rare and hasn't happed in decades.
NeilBru@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I suppose the corollary to my question then is, “What are the traits that an organized strike must have that makes it immoral or harmful to a society enough to enact punitive legislation?”
Simply put, “Where’s the line?”, as they say. I understand military necessity, but Air Canada is a business, despite being publicly traded (as far as I know).
Soup@lemmy.world 1 day ago
The excuse is usually that whatever thing is too important for our economy, as with freight train conductors. But all that says is that the most important people also have the least labour protections and that’s fucked up.
I really don’t know why the government is so involved with Air Canada, and they can go fuck themselves here ‘cause it ain’t their business. You can still fly domestically in Canada, it just costs a lot more because suddenly demand is the same and supply is massively down.