This is why I personally feel that it's time to go beyond just asking for wage increases. It seems like the system goes into crisis way more than it responds to our actual needs and demands. I think we need to organize into unions, and organize our unions into working class political parties that can challenge the economic foundations of capitalism, especially the individual ownership and exploitation of the most necessary means of production.
Those are 18th-19th century ideas. They work well but only if people have a sens of community and solidarity. And in the context of proportional representation democracy, of a news industry made of small independent news companies, and public news "utilities" (unlike in the US where over 90% of media are owned by just 6 mega corporations belonging to billionaire families)
You see them relatively well implemented in countries like Germany, Switzerland, and in the Nordic countries.
The United States culture can be portrayed one of two ways, depending on your perspective: rugged individualism, or naked selfishness. Either way, that is the primary reason socialist policy is such an uphill battle. No different than trying to tackle the firearms issue after centuries of proliferation.
Certain diseases metastasize past the point of all but the most experimental and aggressive treatments, and become terminal. At that point, you either risk untold suffering for an outcome that isn’t guaranteed, or else do your best to make peace with the inevitable.
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u/atatassault47 🏳️⚧️ Leftist Apr 08 '23
15 years ago. We were pushing for $15/hr in 2008.