[–] 4 points 2 days ago (1 child)

I think this analysis is pretty spot on, especially when considering what Capitalism itself means and how it evaluates things. A car is a form of "durable asset" much like a home is. And, in fact, I think this is the way Capitalism was intended to work from the get go when it asserts that the labor is being done by the tool rather than by the person operating the tool, and therefore by the "owner" of the tool. The Uber driver example works very well, and we can probably apply this to things like an AirBnB too! It's not about the driver or the home owner doing the work, it's about the car or the house doing the required work that their owner happens to be supplying for the job. There are a lot of "bring your own equipment/device" jobs like this that we can apply this to, in fact. Field technician jobs, long haul freight, even working at home can be considered under this exercise.

It's overall a good display of how Capitalism kind of works around people rather than with people, and in my opinion it's a good pathway to get people to understand what needs to fundamentally change. Capitalism working around people, instead of with, insinuates that the person doing the job is irrelevant. They are just a part of the machine that makes the machine do the work at that point, and if the value is being put on the device doing the job rather than the worker... then it explains the heavy emphasis on automation. Removing the pesky worker from the system so that the work can still be done is a logical thing for a Capitalist to pursue.

We can turn that upside-down, though!

A co-op is a good short-term tactic to use to work against this, and it can do good to assert "we don't need these middle-step companies that take our money". This is actually a super great start, and a good step to slowly acclimate people away from the reliance on things like Lyft or Uber.

But my mind drifts towards long-term, since our movement must focus on a long term in order for these tactics to amount to much.

In the long term, would it not be better for the State to supply the vehicle for a driver to drive? A bus comes to mind immediately. The State supplying the bus is responsible for the maintenance of this bus, for outlining what the route is, and for making sure that the route is safe and efficient for the worker operating it as much as it is meant to be for the passengers. The State is responsible for making sure the bus is accessible to wheelchairs, and for those who are hard of hearing or struggle to read the signs or can't see at all. Of course, a bus is very different from a specialized cab or taxi! And in truth there will probably still be some use for that kind of specialized service... but why not make that service the State's responsiblity too? If for some reason a bus isn't suitable to a person's needs, then ideally a State should be able to see to this need accordingly.

In a State such as this, Uber just... wouldn't be a thing, would it? It wouldn't need to be. The State already does this. And if The People, the Workers, are the ones that run this State, then it's at its simplest... workers working for workers. Working with the State against capital, rather than working against the state. Which, if my memory is right, are exact words said in the linked video in the original post. :)

I know this was long, but I didn't want to JUST be like "yeah that's a good analysis!" I also wanted to tackle the question of how to end the exploitation. And it seems to me the answer to end gig worker exploitation is the same as anywhere else: seize the means by which a gig is carried out, and remove the private capital from the equation.

I can even apply all of this to concert performance and sports competition, but this response is long enough as it is and I have some uh, doubts that anyone is gonna read all of what I've typed out! x)

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  • [–] 12 points 4 days ago*

    Focus on your immediate surroundings and use your knowledge of theory to subtly drop hints to people around you. Take advantage of the spaces you are forced to cohabitate with people to get the discussions going. Get people thinking and asking questions themselves. "What is all of this for?" in the break room at work. "I don't feel like this is really giving me much helpful information for later in life, shouldn't we be thinking and learning about this other thing instead?" in the school lunch room. "It would be kind of nice to be able to take a bus if my car breaks down, don't you agree?" Talking to people on their level is key, and anyone can learn how to do this.

    When I was working as a volunteer with Standards Not Force, something we were encouraged to do was something called "Gift Giving Mondays". Where people were meant to do something small, the example Dr. Dillard gave was a gift card for neighbors that basically said something along the lines of "Hello neighbor, I hope this finds you well and I hope you have a great week. You are loved, you are seen, please remember that". And the idea behind this gesture was to start cultivating a community back into neighborhoods be it suburban, rural or urban. I have since stopped working with them, but the practice I carry on into my own org as it stuck with me enough. It does work. This in itself may seem silly and small, but in fact nurturing your community into an interconnected health instead of the hyper-individualistic nature so many are in is in fact one the most important first steps to a revolution. This works in tandem with my previous paragraph to start unlearning the capitalist programming in people, without the use of the scary buzzwords that set people off. These two notes are key to any successful movement, and they are so easy that you can do these things from your very own living room.

    When you focus on the area you can immediately influence, you may find yourself more powerful than you think. From there, once you get enough support, you can start talking about how you as a community can host a community center if your community lacks one. It's all about seeing to people's needs in your area. Giving a safety net where people obviously are truly lacking. Giving relief from the parasitic system that oppresses us now is how we give people the energy to start working together for a better tomorrow.

    Edit: I know this is long, I kind of just got carried away! Hopefully this is helpful to anyone that wants to start making a difference in more than just posts on the internet. :) I'm of the belief that the sooner we abandon the internet for our cause, the better. We are surveilled here, after all, and the first rule of security culture is to be wary of any and all electronic communications. The internet is full of a lot of noise and pollution, trying to organize on it is like trying to set up a meetup in a mosh pit. Sure, you can probably do it, but most of the time there's so much noise and bumping around that you're more likely to drop your phone! Hence my focus on the local and in-person stuff a person can do!

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 4 days ago (1 child)

    Oh! Universal disarmament, when you say that do you mean globally? If so, what do you think the enforcement of the dictatorship of the proletariat would look like instead? Hopefully my questions don't come across as nitpicking, I just like hearing the thought process behind what people have to say! :)

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    For the past several months, I've spent an obsessive amount of time thinking and discussing with people the idea regarding a long term goal. Studying the writings is well and good, as the Iskra newsletter and Mao's thoughts have helped significantly with guiding things along.

    In my thought experimentation, I thought to myself, "This money thing kinda sucks a little bit, what if we just stopped using that and instead just... got the stuff that we need?"

    Of course, I thought that knowing full well that for example the Soviet Union still used money, and I understand the purpose that money serves in trade and society. But I wanted to toy with the idea anyway, just for the sake of exploring something different from what we have today. What would work be for if not for a wage? Would people be incentivized to work? This latter question had me think, "Obviously, people have existed for longer than the concept of money has, and in order for communities to thrive work needed to be done. People needed to eat, just the same as they do today, to stay warm during the cold, to drink water, and people needed comforts and stimulation." In a wider sense, however, it's foolish to think that the rest of the world would immediately comply. Money would still need to be held and used somewhere, if only for the purpose of trade with other countries. But all of that is kind of me getting carried away here.

    More to the point, it got me thinking about what exactly it is that we strive for in the long term for revolution. That is, after all, incredibly important for a revolution to work at all. With no long term goal, there is no strategy. With no strategy, there can be no working tactics. And without all of that, or the unity required for it all to be possible beyond the realm of a person's mind, we have no revolution.

    I guess in the end it has me wondering what other people have thought about with regards to what that long term goal is (beyond the abolishment of capitalism, as we must think much more specifically than that). What do you believe that is? Every worker and organizer that's serious about this must have clear views and intents on this sort of thing, after all, and I want to hear what those are. I have my own, but this post has gone on long enough and if I started typing more about that thought project I would have enough material to host an "Iskra" of my own! That's not to say that I don't, but that's besides the point! The point is, I want to hear what YOU (yes, YOU, the reader of this post!) want to see in the world that you would call it a better tomorrow!

    [–] 9 points 2 weeks ago

    Unfortunately it's to be expected, fascism tends to prey on the vulnerable and the isolated! It's what the entirety of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" is about, in fact. It's understandable why some people would pick it up, they're told it would ease their pain and get them on their feet again. That's where it's our job to help them see it, and to give the support necessary for the trap to stop working.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 weeks ago

    I like this perspective the most! A lot of people CAN think about these things more critically and in-depth, the main thing is in letting people feel like they've figured it out on their own. The good ol' Socratic method of teaching! :) Applies to inspiring people to action just as much as it does learning a song or algebra!

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