Yeah. Marx called it formal vs. real freedom. All the people are free to sleep under the bridges or at a five star penthouse. But some are forced to sleep under the bridge and only a few have means to exercise the freedom to enter the penthouse.
Asterix did a great bit on that. Slaves are freed and put to work for money, but suddenly they owe for food, housing, clothing, infrastructure etc. and are just as much slaves as before. In fact, they go back to being slaves because then they don't have to worry anymore.
Which is why I plan to fuck off to a mountain, and play dead.
Wage slavery. The US is one of the worst offenders. By binding your healthcare to your employer and having next to no worker protection laws, the loss of your job might cause homelessness or death. Is that really a choice? Work or die? And with stagnating wages who has the financial security and time to fight for their rights?
This is of course by design.
Slavery evolved and took on new names, but never disappeared.
How much do you have saved up, that you're willing to tap into so that you can live for yourself and others, and not a paycheck? How long could you just exist before the debt becomes crushing? That's the length of your leash.
Retired people who live comfortably are basically 'off leash' but still confined to the yard. Some people have a 1-2 week 'leash'. Some may have saved up enough to have a 6-12 month 'leash The rest are the 'i could stop working whenever I want, but refuse to' or 'man I'm so fucking far in debt that I'll never be able to stop fucking working'
Most people will never be able to stop working because I'm a slave based economy, a slave must earn it's food every day, and it's bed every night.
The idea that you have to earn a living means you dont deserve to live.
I get what you're saying, but I think it'd be better phrased as 'the system' (rich people) don't want you to live.
The system is designed so that you must prove your worth every day, and provide more profit than you take in wages, every day. It was designed to exploit you for everything you have to offer.
If you continue to adhere to the same system, your best case scenario is to be 'allowed' a peaceful death after a lifetime of doing everything 'right'.
I often hear that phrase from parents. Its not entirely rich people reinforcing the system. Until everyone has stopped being capitalism-pilled, we're cooked.
Eh, yes and no.
People often don't really appreciate how much freedom they have until it's taken away.
But even with no money at all, I have a bike, and I can ride it as far as I care to in any direction I want (well, at least until I hit a border). And that is so much more freedom than I've had at other points in my life.
It's like having health insurance but you can't afford the copays. Then you don't really have health insurance do you ?
“It is difficult for me to imagine what ‘personal liberty’ is enjoyed by an unemployed person, who goes about hungry, and cannot find employment. Real liberty can exist only where exploitation has been abolished, where there is no oppression of some by others, where there is no unemployment and poverty, where a man is not haunted by the fear of being tomorrow deprived of work, of home and of bread.”
This is freedom under capitalism
Everyone here should remember the story of Damocles. One of the things I enjoy about being poor is that I have nothing for people to steal. I don't worry about muggings, carjackings, home invasions, kidnapping. When you have money, a line starts to form to take it from you.
Yup. I remember a friend and I discussing various forms of freedoms: Freedom of speech, religion, privacy, etc. We tried to rank them by importance, and while I cannot remember our conclusions, I remember "Economic freedom" to be among the most important ones.
A person should have disposable income and freedom to spent it how they want.
i like to think it’s not “disposable” income that is spent on things required for life, hunger, house, health. those things should be provided. and those industries not allowed to profit. and be owned by the workers.
we must also demand enough free time to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Unironically what natives of the Great Lakes region have been saying about the "civilized" western way of life for centuries.
Slavery is not being denied the ability to earn wages.
Slavery is being denied the ability to save.
The USA you're free to do whatever you like as long as it's these few specific things we believe are economically beneficial to the leaders but not you.
Sounds a bit extreme. What about all the things you can do for free? Also, the world needs cheap things to keep everyone spending. I’m pretty sure there will always be at least something even the poor can afford.
its by design, politicians billionaire class intentionally instigated this way so people dont start pondering about politics, rising up against the aristocrats.
It is tricky, yes.
If you happen to be able to participate in events that are free however, you have more options.
It is difficult for me to imagine what "personal liberty" is enjoyed by an unemployed person, who goes about hungry, and cannot find employment.
Real liberty can exist only where exploitation has been abolished, where there is no oppression of some by others, where there is no unemployment and poverty, where a man is not haunted by the fear of being tomorrow deprived of work, of home and of bread. Only in such a society is real, and not paper, personal and every other liberty possible.
Just let me exist in the middle of bumfuck without an adress, with the stuff I aquired (or even without it).
Go to the library and read a book on Zen or something. You can't be free until you renounce material desire.
Actually, just go to the library. Depending on where you live, you'll not just find all kinds of books, there may also be audio book, board games, console games, game consoles and computers you can just use.
There might comfortable furniture and coffee, you can go there just for the mood or the peace.
Got kids? There might be a whole section just for kids. It may include toys or even a play-area.
There might a whole wall of post from people who wants your attention on something. There's probably a few about free activities you could join.
You have stumbled onto one of the most fundamental criticisms of modern capitalism, freedom & plenty for the few. It's better than a hereditary feudal system in that upward class mobility isn't categorically forbidden, but the reality for the vast majority of people is that actually moving up is not possible because the game is still rigged to produce almost exactly the same results as the old system.
The economy is designed to keep you locked into working for the rest of your life under stress. Freedom is only given to capitalists because that's how the system is designed.
I will also dissent on this. I've been homeless. I've lived in a rural subsistence community in West Africa where everyone lived on $1 a day. Material items and money do not define freedom.
Your premise is based on a wealthy materialist American mindset. Billions of people, every day, grind just to survive, and yet can still find joy in their lives. A lot of times that's through basic human connection. Visit any of the poorest places on the planet, and it doesn't take much to get people to stop and take notice and smile. To experience joy. Joy is free. Freedom is the ability to have your own emotions, thoughts, and feelings.
Before you get all up about someone keeping them down to prevent some Marxist paradise, please keep in mind that rain-fed agriculture is a gamble many people play with their lives every day. A large, large number of humans grind against the weather. Not as slaves to anyone else.
And, rest assured, there are wealthy people who are miserable and wear "golden handcuffs" because they are stuck doing something they don't love to maintain an above-average standard of living. Fuck - how many of those stupid Housewives shows are there, filled to overflowing with wealthy people showing you in grotesque detail how money and material trap people in pain and emotional suffering, exploited like an emaciated lion in a zoo.
What can YOU do for free to enjoy your freedom? Here's a fun one, go dumpster diving! You'll find cool shit! Some of it you can sell - that's free money, my guy! You can forage for herbs and food, that's always fun once you know what to look for. Oh, you can make hooch from the stuff you find! You can plant the seeds of rotten tomatoes and start a garden. Go with a friend and you might just enjoy yourself. Or go volunteer at a place that feeds the homeless and talk to the people there and get an idea of how much freedom some of them have exactly because they have changed their mindset. Freedom doesn't mean acceptance by society. It's not 1:1 that you are free and loved or free and appreciated, or free and wealthy or free and even fucking smart. But you can taste freedom and realize that only you can bestow it on yourself.
You and you alone own your actions, thoughts and words. What are you doing with them?
Maybe freedom as in financial freedom? I feel trapped cause of trauma and stuff but there's layers.
A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.
Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.