[id: tweet by buffalocialism reading “if you have so many prisoners that you have to deny them the right to vote because they would significantly impact election results, the main substantive problem is that you live in a police state”]
I want to point out that this is something that’s been largely misrepresented to make it look like Bill is disagreeing with paying more tax.
He’s not saying her idea is bad. He agrees with more of his money being used to help people. He’s saying that most billionaires use “creative” methods to avoid paying the tax they should already, so to just focus on increasing tax isn’t addressing the actual problem, that many of these people should already be paying a lot more than they are, and constantly find ways around it.
The problem is, the headlines are very deliberately being written in a way to make it look like a smart guy like Bill is saying “AOC is wrong about everything”, when he’s actually saying “I agree with her idea in principle, but if you don’t close the tax loopholes, it won’t work as well as it should”.
“Instead of buying expensive organic sheets, donate that money to organizations that are fighting to keep agricultural runoff out of our rivers.
Instead of driving to an organic apple orchard to pick your own fruit, use that time to volunteer for an organization that combats food deserts (and skip the fuel emissions, too).
Instead of buying a $200 air purifier, donate to politicians who support policies that keep our air and water clean.
Instead of signing a petition demanding that Subway remove one obscure chemical from its sandwich bread, call your local representatives to demand they overhaul the approval process for the estimated 80,000 untested chemicals in our products.
Instead of taking yourself out to dinner at a farm-to-table restaurant, you could take an interest in the Farm Bill and how it incentivizes unhealthy eating.”
Reminder that “there is no ethical consumption under late stage capitalism ” is a call to action, not complacency.
this may be an Unpopular Opinion (even on tumblr) but like the 8-hour workday is just Too Gotdamn Long
like even sitting in an office for eight hours a day isn’t particularly pleasant (or healthy, as we are beginning to see) but when we’re talking about doing *actual work* for that same amount time it gets pretty fucking brutal
doing literally *anything* (even leisure activities) for eight hours straight tends to be less than enjoyable but when we’re talking about things like construction, landscaping, factory work, and hell, even foodservice and retail, eight hours is a fucking ETERNITY
i might just be a lazy weak-willed bitch but honestly i think i’m not entirely wrong
this was being worked towards by leftist labor unions way back in the day after the time of FDRs new deal. people in the 40s and 50s were already starting to realize that we no longer actually needed an 8 hour work day or even a 5 day work week.
even with the comparatively primitive factory tech of the time we were already creating a huge amount of excess production back then and companies were making massive amounts of profit. So it already stood to reason that companies should either let their employees work less and thus each employee could work a shorter shift without lowering the yearly compensation of each employee, or in cases where businesses provide an active service they would shorten the shift but hire more people to cover the necessary operating time. but of course that would mean less money for people at the top so companies fought back hard and we ended up with nixon’s bullshit and so on and now its considered the norm for us to spend the vast majority of our lives doing work that really just amounts to waste.
The IWW realised this and were fighting for it all the way back in the 1930s. This is a take with a lot of historical and theoretical grounding, OP, so you’re standing in good stead.
I’d also like to add it’s also been studied and scientifically proven that after 6 hours, we have an extremely noticeable drop in productivity. Sweden saw nothing but benefits from a 6-hour work day, including worker productivity, happiness, and half the amount of sick-leave used when applied to nurses.
It ceases to be about production and more about subjugation.
DING DING DING
WE HAVE OURSELVES A WINNER!
Let’s just start circulating the images from the IWW again.
It’ll make old (rich and white) people mad and that’s only a plus. Seriously, put it on your Facebook and see how long it takes for Aunty Soandso to have an opinion about how “lazy” Millenials are and who is going to serve her coffee at 4pm after picking up her kiddies because all the shops are going to close and go out of business forever and society as we know it will crumble!
if i got to ask a genie for a wish i wouldn’t just ask for money i would specifically ask for all of jeff bezos’ money and then use all his money to do all the things people keep saying jeff bezos could do with his money
pros of this plan:
the genie won’t be conjuring up large sums of money for me, thus inflating the economy by flooding it and lowering the value of the dollar
i could make it part of the deal that the money is transferred to me legally, so it doesn’t just look like i suspiciously came into a lot of money
i looked up the amount it’s $135 billion like yeah that would look suspicious if i just took that money from jeff bezos
contrary to popular opinion i would leave jeff bezos with enough money to support himself and his family, perhaps even thrive, such as $100 000 a year. that way capitalists won’t make him into a martyr and he has nothing to complain about
i distribute a lot of the wealth instinctively to charities that make a difference globally, because Fuck national borders
i leave $100 tips at every restaurant i go to
i will not spend the money on ridiculous things like extra houses or yachts or sports cars because i am a reasonable human being who understands that literally none of that matters
i’ll use my second genie wish to make sure amazon hires a new ceo that is charitable and generous and also believes in human rights
and then i’ll use my third wish to free the genie. i’ve seen aladdin duh
if you’re not vaccinated you should NOT be allowed to travel. period.
it doesn’t make sense people are reintroducing countries to illnesses they haven’t experienced in years just because some affluent soccer moms think their stupid ass kid is gonna be the next einstein bc he’s never gotten a measles shot
This is the opposite of those “oddly satisfying images”
it’s funny and all but it’s also an example of how corporations will cheat people in every single possible way they are legally able to get away with if there isn’t any system of regulation to protect consumers.
The name is Zachary. The life is guitars, nature, and coffee. This is where I reflect on thoughts, pleasant or not, that I think lead me to where I want to go. Messages welcome, join me in a discussion.
The name is Zachary. The life is guitars, nature, and coffee. This is where I reflect on thoughts, pleasant or not, that I think lead me to where I want to go. Messages welcome, join me in a discussion.