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Comment by consteval | Hacker News Reader

These "X has it worse" arguments are tiresome and lack any sort of rigor.

There's modern day slavery in the world. Today. Even in the US we have compelled labor - it's a whole thing in the Georgia prison system. Those McDonald's burger flippers are essentially slaves, and I bet you didn't know that.

But if we subscribe to the ideology of "X has it worse" nothing would get done, ever.

The reality is even in seemingly prosperous industries workers, laborers, DO NOT have equal leverage in negotiations. Not even close. What you're describing is relying on the generosity of the corporations who employ them. A fine strategy, but hardly sustainable. They, too, can look to improve their situation.

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> it's a whole thing in the Georgia prison system. Those McDonald's burger flippers are essentially slaves, and I bet you didn't know that

The prisoners yes, the McDonald’s workers absolutely not. The avg McDonald’s worker tenure is quite short and having briefly been one, I can assure you it’s nothing like slavery. Get a grip.

"Those McDonald's burger flippers" refers to prisoners being forced to work in McDonald's, not all McDonald's workers

https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/mcdonalds-kfc-burger-kin...

https://apnews.com/article/prison-to-plate-inmate-labor-inve...

> Get a grip

I'd suggest you be more curious when others are confident about injustice in the future.

> the McDonald’s workers absolutely not

Absolutely yes, it's a whole program for coerced labor. Like I said, I bet you didn't know about it because this shit is absolutely under the table in regards to our media.

But yes, we do, to this day, have prisoners who are mostly black forced to work for well under minimum wage in private businesses, such as McDonald's, Wendy's, Golden Corral... sounds a lot like slavery when you put it like that.

It sounds like slavery because it is:

> Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

People act like the US abolished slavery but it instead institutionalized it and then later (of course...) privatized it.

You're 100% right, but I avoided touching on this more deeply because if you make any mention of institutionalized or systemic racism then a lot of people will stop listening.

Right, I got downvoted for my comment (with no rebuttal). People get uncomfortable when you point out the truth. Oh well, they can keep getting butthurt and I'm going to keep spewing anti-establishment comments.

>What you're describing is relying on the generosity of the corporations who employ them

No i'm not. I'm highlighting the market forces within a competitive, highly paid job market.

These people have options. Other industries, not so much.

we need class solidarity regardless of industry / perceived level of exploitation. all workers have a common interest regardless of industry, income level, working conditions, skill, etc.

Everyone has options, always.

But when all options suck equally, that doesn't really help.

People working minimum wage at fast food restaurants are not "essentially slaves".

McDonalds pays the "owners" of the prisoners, not the prisoners.

Prisoners who don't take this "opportunity" to be sold out to mcdonalds get punished.

They're prisoners compelled to work.

If they don't work, they won't get parole. If they call out or otherwise don't work their 40 hours, they get reprimanded. They lose "good time" - no phone calls, no visits, no outside time, etc.

They don't earn minimum wage - much less, because the prison garnishes half of the wage for the opportunity to be forced to work.

Parole rate in Georgia is about 8%, and it's a tough on crime state. Their parole rate should be around 80%, but it's not. Getting 25 years for possession or other non-violent crimes, you have no choice but to participate in the South's modern-day slavery.

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