Would you own slaves now if it was legal?

This is a HYPOTHETICAL poll with the objective of trying to establish the way that abolitionists and slave owners thought prior to the Civil War.

The main points of contention are between the concepts that everyone is EQUAL versus those who consider slaves to be PROPERTY.

Does our current WAGE slavery and/or DEBT slavery amount to much the same thing as INDENTURED slavery of the past?

Once again this is hypothetical and the concept of race plays no part in it. This is just a mental exercise to try and discover what were the motivations and rationales behind the positions that caused the Civil War in the first place.

Please select one of the first 3 choices and then one of the second 3 choices so that it is possible to determine how much support/opposition there is for each of the options from the 3 main political groups.

Feel free to provide your own reasons for why you voted as you did.

 

Just so as to put my own cards on the table I have voted No, I would not own slaves and I am an Independent.

My primary reason for not owning slaves is the concept that we are all equal under the Law of the Land. This might not be happening in reality for everyone but the goal is that it must.

I am also of the opinion that we have REPLACED indentured slavery with WAGE slavery and DEBT slavery. By that I mean that if we have no other option other than to work every day and if we OWE money to others then we are essentially slaves who have the option to earn our own freedom and to select which slave owner we want to work for in exchange for providing our own food and shelter.

Furthermore to place a measure of the degree of slavery those that have to work multiple minimum wage jobs are more enslaved than those that only need to work one job. In essence slavery today is more nuanced than it was before but it is still just another form of slavery that keeps us from realizing our own full potential.

 

No, I would not own slaves for any reason. The reason is EVERY human life should be equal. The majority is NOT always right and doing the right thing shouldn't be predicated on the idea that some are "less equal than others".

 

I would not own slaves, even if I were rich enough to afford such a high dollar purchase. The thought of it gives me a viscerally rotten feeling deep down. I feel uneasy even when a bellhop takes care of my luggage, even though I know that's a living for them and they want to do the work. I feel like I shouldn't be dependent on others and should tote my luggage myself.

All of the animal kingdom must work and make effort to obtain what they need to live, with the more intelligent and/or stronger animals getting more of what they need than the less intelligent/less strong animals who get the scraps. Man is no exception.

Men who lack intelligence and do things to make themselves less employable or unemployable do that to themselves of their own free volition. Men are naturally unequal in ability and intelligence, as the Bell curve illustrates.

Some men deserve a lot more than others according to their ability. Inequality from individual to individual is the natural state of the universe.

If everyone were equal it would be a very unjust world.

Intelligent people go into debt only to supply their needs. Unintelligent people go into debt to fulfill their wants. Big difference.

A person who planned wisely and sacrificed instant gratification, and who doesn't have to make any payments can usually afford to take a day or two off.

A person who lets themselves be captured and carried away by Madison Avenue IS a voluntary slave, a person who likes slavery. They chose slavery as their way of life.

 

It would be interesting for those who continue to advocate importing slave labor from the third world into the US why they continue to support this. So, why would anyone on the left on this forum to not say yes? I mean, literally, they already are supporting it, the human trafficking that brings them here, etc.

 

Not to mention purchasing the products of Chinese slave labor.

 

You bring up an interesting point WRT to the current economic CULTURE of enslaving people to debt. It goes way beyond just advertising since that DEBT has only become possible through the use of extending CREDIT. In essence if there were no credit there would be no debt and hence no debt slavery. If we examine the MOTIVATIONS of the greed obsessed Banksters who perpetrated the concept of credit it becomes clear that it was indeed more profitable for those who are INDEBTED to NOT be able to pay off the balance because they are charging USURIOUS rates of interest.

What makes this even more INIQUITOUS is that it has extended itself to the point where kids entering the workforce are INDEBTED with MASSIVE loans before they have ever had the opportunity to actually earn a living. They are effectively BORN into Debt Slavery.

The ENSLAVEMENT of the rest of the world's population is a sign of just how ODIOUS the greed obsessed Banksters have become.

 

Rather than a pointless hypothetical, here's an realistic question instead.

Why are Americans obsessed to distraction with people who were enslaved hundreds of years ago, and long dead and gone, while they completely ignore all of the tens of millions of people who are enslaved throughout the world at this very moment?



And the obvious answer is-

Because the American obsession with slavery is disingenuous, self-serving, and it's the fuel that pushes a political agenda, rather than any sort of constructive action that might cure any actual ills associated with slavery.

 

Got to get rid of globalism and cheap Chinese goods sold in the USA.

 

He did it to himself in making himself a complete failure, but then he learned to do FOR himself:

 

No way!







It's much more cost effective to rent.

 

I wonder how Trump would vote

 

The term 'slave wages' comes to mind. And we do see it all the time.

 

When I was younger and asked my occupation on the 1040 tax form I used to report 'wage slave.'

 

Technology made slavery obsolete.

 

Tell that the the 40 million people that are currently enslaved in the world today.

I'm sure it will be a great comfort to them.

 

I'll do that. Should I just print pamphlets or ???

 

You could maybe wear a T-shirt.

Even the laziest of slacktivism is admired by the left.

 

I'll get one of those plastic bracelets - should do the trick.

 

~ This could be a campaign slogan

 

~ I am a slave. I have cats ...

​

 

Sad but true.

I am proud of my great-grandparents for their role in the 1917 Revolution and building Soviet Russia. Sadly, USSR became Totalitarian in 1930s.

PS. I am grateful to G-d and my parents -- my parents support me. Mt Grandmother (RIP) was my Primary Parent.

 

Even those who can not provide for themselves deserve Society's support.

PS. Proud to be Autistic.

 

So stunning and brave!

However... a better question to ask would be if you would own slaves if you were raised in a slave holding society, and you grew up with them.

 

Most people would -- and would consider it moral and righteous.