This is quite a complex issue, with multiple layers that compound on eachother.
Most people are just managing to stave off homelessness, living hand to mouth. They live to work, and have very little energy or time to concern themselves about trying to change fundamental issues, if they are even educated on those issues, which leads into…
The US education system is failing quite badly. People are not taught well how to critically think, and almost never cover fundamental societal issues or how to organize to improve them. It’s a meat grinder that is designed to get you smart enough to be a good employee, and generally kills the flame of curiosity in most people. This is especially true in republican states, where they are actively gutting the public education system in favor of private schools that will teach Christianity, and that slavery wasn’t all bad (literally, in Florida they want to teach that slavery gave slaves on-the-job experience)
The red scare of the 50’s and 60’s is still effecting older generations, and they view any sort of collectivism as Stalinist communism. This is reinforced by Fox news, which is genuinely fascist propaganda, and is wildly popular amongst the elderly and rural populations.
Saying all that, there are people trying to make things better actively, and we’re starting to see an awaking of the working class as unions are making a comeback, and more people are beginning to realize that the system itself cannot pull itself out of this capitalistic nosedive, and that grassroots mutual aid and prefiguration is a more promising way.
For a non-violent option: Go to a rally or protest or something, yell for actual change. Talk your voice hoarse about injustice.
In the good ending, you sat there for a week, maybe were given weak platitudes from your target, and dispersed, went back to work, and were forgotten.
In the bad ending, you were called a disrupter, a terrorist, forced under militarized police order to disperse or have your life fucked up. Maybe you break under the pressure, maybe the situation devolves into a riot. You’ll never be taken seriously again.
For a violent option, look at the recent CEO thing. But even then, look at how disproportionately “justice” is dispensed. Because the victim was one of the elite, the case is being handled very differently than if a lowly serf killed another. An example must be made, of course.
To add one, have fun going to that rally when you are living paycheck to paycheck, working long hours with much exhaustion.
And if you did eke out the time to go do something, and get detained and prevented from coming back to work in time, you’ve lost your job. And your meager healthcare. Soon your home if you can’t bounce into another job.
That kind of living keeps people afraid of peeking outside the box.
Firstly, such unity would be hard to organize. Work culture down on the lower rungs where there would be people wanting change, are drowned in a conflict culture. Don’t talk about your wages. Unions are evils. You are Replaceable. The threat of termination is welded like a cudgel. One of my previous jobs had a point system. If you were late, point. Called out without enough sick hours and a doctor’s note? Point. Missed a shift for any reason and didn’t call in? 4 points. 4 points was terminated.
Would they actually follow through with it? A previous manager I’ve had absolutely would. Snow? Late? Should have shoveled your way over sooner. He changed someone’s schedule and they didn’t notice, failed to appear. Arguments were made, there was an appeal system after all to make it fair, right? They compromised on keeping the guy at 3 points. He spent the next while looking for a new job because he knew he was one mistake away from unemployed.
Would they fire the whole team for organizing? I think so. I think they’d quickly offer to re-hire their favorites while they picked up new blood but they’d do it. Everyone would be back on probation and back in line.
Another company taking over the country no longer has a fresh meat butcher department because they wanted to unionize years ago. Company made an example of them nationwide and now just does factory meat.
So, why aren’t more citizens trying to change this?
This is quite a complex issue, with multiple layers that compound on eachother.
Saying all that, there are people trying to make things better actively, and we’re starting to see an awaking of the working class as unions are making a comeback, and more people are beginning to realize that the system itself cannot pull itself out of this capitalistic nosedive, and that grassroots mutual aid and prefiguration is a more promising way.
For a non-violent option: Go to a rally or protest or something, yell for actual change. Talk your voice hoarse about injustice.
In the good ending, you sat there for a week, maybe were given weak platitudes from your target, and dispersed, went back to work, and were forgotten.
In the bad ending, you were called a disrupter, a terrorist, forced under militarized police order to disperse or have your life fucked up. Maybe you break under the pressure, maybe the situation devolves into a riot. You’ll never be taken seriously again.
For a violent option, look at the recent CEO thing. But even then, look at how disproportionately “justice” is dispensed. Because the victim was one of the elite, the case is being handled very differently than if a lowly serf killed another. An example must be made, of course.
Could be several reasons. Most people aren’t aware. Some people don’t care. There are probably more reasons.
To add one, have fun going to that rally when you are living paycheck to paycheck, working long hours with much exhaustion.
And if you did eke out the time to go do something, and get detained and prevented from coming back to work in time, you’ve lost your job. And your meager healthcare. Soon your home if you can’t bounce into another job.
That kind of living keeps people afraid of peeking outside the box.
Thank you for this. Would this be the case if more of the workers joined together or would they just fire them all? That’s not sarcastic, I’m curious.
Firstly, such unity would be hard to organize. Work culture down on the lower rungs where there would be people wanting change, are drowned in a conflict culture. Don’t talk about your wages. Unions are evils. You are Replaceable. The threat of termination is welded like a cudgel. One of my previous jobs had a point system. If you were late, point. Called out without enough sick hours and a doctor’s note? Point. Missed a shift for any reason and didn’t call in? 4 points. 4 points was terminated.
Would they actually follow through with it? A previous manager I’ve had absolutely would. Snow? Late? Should have shoveled your way over sooner. He changed someone’s schedule and they didn’t notice, failed to appear. Arguments were made, there was an appeal system after all to make it fair, right? They compromised on keeping the guy at 3 points. He spent the next while looking for a new job because he knew he was one mistake away from unemployed.
Would they fire the whole team for organizing? I think so. I think they’d quickly offer to re-hire their favorites while they picked up new blood but they’d do it. Everyone would be back on probation and back in line.
Another company taking over the country no longer has a fresh meat butcher department because they wanted to unionize years ago. Company made an example of them nationwide and now just does factory meat.
This is wrong. You maybe right, but it’s just wrong. Thank you for the enlightenment.
The last thing I want is for future generations to fix our mess from complacency which seems to be the trend.