Know your enemy
Know your enemy
88 comments
-
-
Some people don't seem to understand the meme and think this pie represents a companies whole revenue. This pie represents the revenue generated from an individuals labor. The current glaring issue with capitalism is that people think your employer is entitled to a slice of the labors pie. Your employer is entitled to Zero percent of the revenue you generate from your labor! But sadly the only reason the imaginary line in the stock market goes up is become employers and "investors" have stolen your value. While the meme is over simplified it's accurate. Also your bosses/CEOs labor value is far lower than they would have you believe.
Shop local, give money to co-ops, unionize your work place, unionize your living space (renter unions are a thing.), volunteer as often as possible, give leftovers to the homeless if you regularly don't eat your leftovers, VOTE, attend town halls when able, get to know your neighbors even if you don't speak the same language or have a rough past with them, I can go on but these things can help at the local level and prevent the race to the bottom we're currently stuck in.
-
Eh, actually there are arguments to be made for the employer being entitled to a share of the value, yes.
They provide the materials, the tools and machinery, the designs that are being made (assuming some sort of manufacturing company for this example). They also carry the risk (unless of course they are a corporation, the ridiculous entity created to reap the advantages of personhood while avoiding all its responsibilities and drawbacks).
So, a slice of the pizza should be for them, but certainly not 7/8.
-
They provide the materials, the tools and machinery, the designs that are being made (assuming some sort of manufacturing company for this example).
Other workers made the materials, the tools, the machinery, and the designs. If the owner did they occupy a class position as a worker and owner.
They also carry the risk (unless of course they are a corporation, the ridiculous entity created to reap the advantages of personhood while avoiding all its responsibilities and drawbacks).
The risk that they might be a worker if their venture fails.
-
No the employer is entitled to the value of the product or service. They are not entitled to the value created by their workers.
Your Second argument is false as well because they don't get to pass on manufacturing and designing cost to the workers! That cost should be passed onto the customer. Your argument is lie that workers should have no work without the benevolence of their employers. If their work is so meaningless that the owners are entitled to the workers pie then way do the owners need them at all? It's the reason why corporations always threaten to replace workers with machines or outsourcing but never actually do it. It's because the true value in a for profit company is how much value you can steal from the lowly workers. In the machine threat, hiring a electrical, robotic, and software engineers cost more than 1000 minimum wage workers. But they can't steal those engineers value because they are well educated and know their value. It's what the 100% of the GOP and 50% DNC hate education. Education prevents exploitation... As for outsourcing all workers are catching onto the theft and are fighting back as well. Add in shipping costs, bad pr, taxes, and time, no way outsourcing will grow like it did in the 80s/90s/2000s.
-
-
All I can say is The Big Brain Economists have said that "the labor value theory is absolutely bunk and has no basis in reality." Along with "only marxists believe this drivel."
I'm not A Big Brain or an economist so I can't say why they say these things, but I have seen a lot of pushback on this concept. I think it all comes down to the "agreement" we make when we accept a job, not that we have a choice. "Not working" is only an option for those that are already rich.
-
-
YES
I know my enemies
They’re the teachers who taught me to fight me:
✔ Compromise
✔ Conformity
✔ Assimilation
✔ Submission
✔ Ignorance
✔ Hypocrisy
✔ Brutality
✔ The elite-
-
Genious comment.
-
-
Reminder that while the labour theory of value can be practical to understand certain aspects of society, it is still culturally biased and not "objectively" true.
What creates value can only be answered in a cultural framework.
-
I'm not following what you specifically mean.
Could you provide an example of when the theory fails due to a culture's differing views of value?
-
There's not even academical consensus what value actually is, AFAIK. Do preasts add value to anything with their labour? If not: Do social counsellors? What if a priest acts as a counsellor? Ask different economists with their theories of value and you'll get several answers.
Economic theories aren't as rigid as theories from the natural sciences or mathematics. They are dependent on the culture in which they are perceived. A non-capitalist society would have different theories or value (or none at all) than we do.
This guy can explain it properly, I'm not an economist and kinda regret making that comment.
-
-
A reminder that the labour theory of value is not a marxist concept. When people wave their hands around and say "labor theory of value isn't objectively true!!", they're shadowboxing a ghost.
Value != price
-
But I have moved 8 tons of dirt from location A to location B. Who else is going to do it? I deserve compensation for my task.
-
-
You guys have pizza left?
-
You can't afford food?
-
-
don't forget insurance
-
Sir, this is a Wendy’s. And that is a pizza. And you know damn well you ate it yourself.
-
It's not really stolen if I've agreed to share it for a price
-
The main argument is that we are in a system of people who are way more powerful than us, and have largely taken away our options until we agree. We're facing widespread protests and international strikes right now because we don't like the options they've given us, and we're trying to change the system.
Just because somebody takes away your options until you agree, doesn't mean they aren't forcing you. Just because you happen to be satisfied with what you have, doesn't mean that something better is not being denied from you, even though it is possible for you to have it.
-
-
Yeah this meme assumes you're given the totality of your labor value when you aren't as a wage slave, the majority of your labor value is stolen by the same company paying you the crumbs
-
You've misread the meme. It is claiming that
the majority of your labor value is stolen by the same company paying you the crumbs
-
-
The point of this graphic is that you should dedicate your labour to doing something that you love and also benefits your community.
My wife and I were just talking about this topic and we landed on the Jessie Eisenberg movie VIVARIUM. It's ab allegory for being trapped in our dystopia where there are forces at work trying to oppress us with useless labour. The fact is, currently, the only choice we have is to discover work that is meaningful for us -- personally. My job is a helper job. I pay taxes. I do my helper job knowing I've contributed. It lightens the pain of the dystopia while we wait for the top 10% to start paying their fair share again. The Eisenhower tax rates were real.
See VIVARIUM -- it may not be a banned film but the corporations sure as fuck don't want you to see it. Welcome to your world.
88 comments
I disagree with tax & rent being lumped together. I have no problem with my (high) tax rate as it supports education, infrastructure, etc. The outrageously inflated rent goes to the same guy that stole 95% of your pizza in the first place.
While I agree in principle, when tax dollars go to corporate tax cuts, handouts to failing financial institutions, and billionaire lunatics selling snake-oil space-based internet "solutions", its easy to get disillusioned about taxes.
We absolutely should be taxed to a high degree, but that money needs to be spent on collective benefits, not private corporate interests.
That’s a different topic though! Don’t conflate collecting funds with usage/distribution of funds. We all need to accept that we have to pay (high) taxes. That the upper 10% haven’t paid their fair share in decades and that there is misuse has nothing to do with my tax rate. We need the upper 10% to pay way way more and we need better accountability for usage of the money. Pretty much regardless of where you live on this planet by the way.
And to blowing up children for being born to the wrong group of people.
Yeah I think playing into the idea that it’s being taken unjustly though is bad. It’s better to portray it like the rich roommate never paying their portion of any of the bills and leaving you to cover it all.
Saying taxes pay for cuts to someone else's taxes is nonsensical in this context. No money is spent on tax cuts.