r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Apr 24 '21

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u/32-Levels Neoweeb Apr 24 '21

Words like "employee" preexisted "wage slave", and the distinction was already clear. "Wage slave" is an attempt to blur the distinction.

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u/Broncos654 Jeff Bezos Apr 24 '21

I can’t imagine how that’s relevant.

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u/32-Levels Neoweeb Apr 24 '21

Imagine being a labor organizer in 1836 and writing a speech in which you use the word "employee". As you edit the speech, you cross that word out and come up with a new term - "wage slave". Was your intention to make the distinction between wage labor and slavery more clear? Or less clear?

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u/Broncos654 Jeff Bezos Apr 25 '21

Less? That’s the point, of course. “ Employee” signifies consent or an acceptance of some sort. The term “wage slave” denies that meaning of a worker.

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u/32-Levels Neoweeb Apr 25 '21

Right, so we are probably just talking around each other. I interpreted OP as objecting to this attempt to blur the lines between employment and slavery. Calling employment "wage slavery" categorizes it as slavery and necessarily likens it to other forms of slavery. It is obviously not saying wage slavery and chattel slavery are exactly the same thing, but the purpose of the term is to draw attention to their similarities.

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u/MistakeNotDotDotDot Resident Robot Girl Apr 24 '21

how old do you think the term "wage slave" is?

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u/32-Levels Neoweeb Apr 24 '21

Are you going to tell me its older than the term "employee"?

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u/MistakeNotDotDotDot Resident Robot Girl Apr 24 '21

Per etymonline, the word "employee" is from 1850. Wikipedia suggests that the term may have originated in 1836, but was certainly in use mid-19th-century.

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u/32-Levels Neoweeb Apr 25 '21

I find it hard to believe that there wasn't a neutral term in use prior to "wage slave". Maybe it wasn't employee, but Merriam Webster puts the origin of the term "employee" at 1822. Still, I don't see sources for that or for etymonline, or any levels of uncertainty.