Sociopath Community

Companies like Walmart and McDonald’s have increased their wages significantly. It’s good, but I see it more as PR/appeasement and undercutting competition in response to a labor shortage, rather than a genuine gesture toward egalitarianism.

The problem here is likely complacency. For instance, practically everyone knows about lobbying and political corruption, yet it still persists in broad daylight.

Tryp said: 

Companies like Walmart and McDonald’s have increased their wages significantly. It’s good, but I see it more as PR/appeasement and undercutting competition in response to a labor shortage, rather than a genuine gesture toward egalitarianism.

It's definitely cynical, and it makes me even more suspicious that there's a significant paradigm shift brewing. For companies as well resourced and researched as Walmart and McD's to redefine their overheads, there must be a pattern emerging that makes historic practices of workforce exploitation seem less palatable than marginally increasing their bottom line. They wouldn't do that for reasons of pure humanitarianism.

The problem here is likely complacency. For instance, practically everyone knows about lobbying and political corruption, yet it still persists in broad daylight.

 Completely agree. But complacency is the last stalwart of a doomed system. The pile-on of stressors seemingly galvanizing revolutionary sentiments (across the political spectrum - in France, China, Russia, Spain, even our revolutionary war) reminds me of Taleb's concept of antifragility. It's almost like the more you challenge the labor movement, the stronger it becomes. Which is why it doesn't surprise me that major corporations are making minor concessions rather than pushing back. 

The problem has been those that can gain from tips vs those with skilled labor that have to match that with hourly.

Outro said: 

Completely agree. But complacency is the last stalwart of a doomed system. The pile-on of stressors seemingly galvanizing revolutionary sentiments (across the political spectrum - in France, China, Russia, Spain, even our revolutionary war) reminds me of Taleb's concept of antifragility. It's almost like the more you challenge the labor movement, the stronger it becomes. Which is why it doesn't surprise me that major corporations are making minor concessions rather than pushing back. 

What do you think is behind all the upheaval? The first thing that comes to my mind is the Internet and the increased transmission and development of ideas. Even in China's case, their signaling of a return to traditional communist ideals seems like a counteraction to digital Western influence.

Tryp said: 

Companies like Walmart and McDonald’s have increased their wages significantly.

Have they? 

It’s good, but I see it more as PR/appeasement and undercutting competition in response to a labor shortage, rather than a genuine gesture toward egalitarianism.

Assuming it's legit it shows that they can do it at all. 

There's been some restaurants and businesses promising "Up to" so much money (or a lump sum for signing up to work a duration) with some straight up lying to who they're hiring about what to expect from their first paycheck to squeeze a few weeks work out of a confused newbie. 

The problem here is likely complacency. For instance, practically everyone knows about lobbying and political corruption, yet it still persists in broad daylight.

A big part of the change though is COVID itself; A lot more people have become adjusted to staying home and getting handouts alongside Unemployment wages. 

If they released the self-driving car now it'd be game over. 

Tryp said: 

Outro said: 

Completely agree. But complacency is the last stalwart of a doomed system. The pile-on of stressors seemingly galvanizing revolutionary sentiments (across the political spectrum - in France, China, Russia, Spain, even our revolutionary war) reminds me of Taleb's concept of antifragility. It's almost like the more you challenge the labor movement, the stronger it becomes. Which is why it doesn't surprise me that major corporations are making minor concessions rather than pushing back. 

What do you think is behind all the upheaval? The first thing that comes to my mind is the Internet and the increased transmission and development of ideas.

Yeah I think that plays a big role. I also think the internet removes a lot of the opacity that the financial sector and government have relied upon for decades. That's coinciding with rising inflation and the first increase in rates of poverty since the middle of last century. I think it's a pretty grim trajectory by all measures of sociopolitical stability.

Even in China's case, their signaling of a return to traditional communist ideals seems like a counteraction to digital Western influence.

 Definitely. There's some fucking scary old-school tactics creeping into mainstream Chinese politics. I think we can regard the social currency system as the modern (slightly more sinister) iteration of Mao's Little Red Book.

Turncoat said: 

A big part of the change though is COVID itself; A lot more people have become adjusted to staying home and getting handouts alongside Unemployment wages. 

If they released the self-driving car now it'd be game over. 

Nah, that party line is bullshit propaganda. 8 million extra people have slipped below the poverty line during COVID, while our biggest employers pay next to $0 in tax and half of congress have been named in various offshore banking scandals. But let's blame the unproductives for not wanting to participate in a blatantly exploitative system...

Blaming the concept of a free and open market for societal woes, in a society rife with regulations and government/corporate collusion, one where you can't even grow your own weed and sell it.

Yeah, I think you're blaming the wrong things.

LawOfAttraction said: 

Blaming the concept of a free and open market for societal woes, in a society rife with regulations and government/corporate collusion, one where you can't even grow your own weed and sell it.

Yeah, I think you're blaming the wrong things.

 What would you blame?