My Best Friend Lost His Life to the Gig Economy

[Professor Emeritus]

So theres no inbetween? You are either for the worker or 100% a worshipper at the altar of capitalism Way to open the floor for an exchange of different viewpoints

Who the hell said that "there's no in-between"?

The way the economy is set up right now, profits are treated as the greatest moral good and people with the most capital get the most say in how everyone lives their lives. That's reality.

I would LOVE an in-between. I would LOVE an exchange of different viewpoints. But that's not how it works right now. Right now, profit is king and capital is lord.

Try suing a company because they're not treating their workers as well as they should, or because they're not great for the environment, or because their product has a negative effect on the lives of their customers, and see how far that gets you. Even if you're a shareholder, you'll go nowhere. But if you're a shareholder and you can prove the company isn't maximizing its profits? By far the easiest route to a lawsuit. Failure to maximize profits is the #1 sin of a publicly held corporation.

How much say do the workers have in how workers are treated? How much say does the public have in how workers are treated? With the declining influence of unions and the continued stripping of regulations, less every day. The people who get the say in how workers are treated are the people with the capital, first and foremost. They decide the policies and they write the laws.

We don't have to run a shareholder-based economy centered around profits. It doesn't even have to be socialist - you know what a nice in-between is? Look at Germany's stakeholder-based economy, where the welfare of the consumer and the welfare of the worker get a vote too. Are we ever even going to have that conversation?

 

[Ya' Cousin Cleon]

Who the hell said that "there's no in-between"?

The way the economy is set up right now, profits are treated as the greatest moral good and people with the most capital get the most say in how everyone lives their lives. That's reality.

I would LOVE an in-between. I would LOVE an exchange of different viewpoints. But that's not how it works right now. Right now, profit is king and capital is lord.

Try suing a company because they're not treating their workers as well as they should, or because they're not great for the environment, or because their product has a negative effect on the lives of their customers, and see how far that gets you. Even if you're a shareholder, you'll go nowhere. But if you're a shareholder and you can prove the company isn't maximizing it's profits? By far the easiest route to a lawsuit. Failure to maximize profits is the #1 sin of a publicly held corporation.

How much say do the workers have in how workers are treated? How much say does the public have in how workers are treated? With the declining influence of unions and the continued stripping of regulations, less every day. The people who get the say in how workers are treated are the people with the capital, first and foremost. They decide the policies and they write the laws.

We don't have to run a shareholder-based economy centered around profits. It doesn't even have to be socialist - you know what a nice in-between is? Look at Germany's stakeholder-based economy, where the welfare of the consumer and the welfare of the worker get a vote too. Are we ever even going to have that conversation?

“look that sounds nice in THEORY but it just can’t work out here like over there.”

 

[Ghost Utmost]

Bikes have the same right to the road as cars. This is a BS argument.

But the notion that Pablo's only choices were to be a bike courier or starve is also a lie. Article opens with the framing of capital as a lie and then presents this story enshrouded in another one. The intellectual dishonesty is

Having the right and being a safe thing are not the same

 

[TLR Is Mental Poison]

Having the right and being a safe thing are not the same

What are you talking about breh. Having the right to what.

This is another thing. You can't just claim people have the right to something and guarantee everyone gets it. People's rights are violated all the time. This is why we have a legal system

 

[Ghost Utmost]

What are you talking about breh. Having the right to what.

This is another thing. You can't just claim people have the right to something and guarantee everyone gets it. People's rights are violated all the time. This is why we have a legal system

Riding a bike to deliver stuff is legal

But I wouldn't advise it

 

[Slystallion]

There are so many education options if you choose the right industry where you don't have to participate in the gig economy...i don't knock people who actually make a living off it and know thier niche or formula but there is a huge demand for skilled workers that's been going on since the start of 2010s

If you choose to be a part of the gig economy it's because you like the flexibility or you never decided to focus on acquiring a high paying skill

I've read articles that people who interview are constantly ghosting employers cuz they have so many options

bottom line is unfortunately the guy chose a job that comes with higher risks

My friend just got severely injured on a government sanitation garbage guy job that he just got and it don't got nothing to do with the state of the economy and it's because of a negligent driver who didn't see him

 

[Professor Emeritus]

My friend just got severely injured on a government sanitation garbage guy job that he just got and it don't got nothing to do with the state of the economy and it's because of a negligent driver who didn't see him

Of course accidents happen. But a government sanitation job? I know for a fact that in my state at least those jobs are well-compensated, with decent health benefits, and worker's comp will definitely see him through while he's hurt. Would that have been true in a gig economy job?

 

[MR. Conclusion]

He should have gotten his A+ certification.

 

[TLR Is Mental Poison]

Of course accidents happen. But a government sanitation job? I know for a fact that in my state at least those jobs are well-compensated, with decent health benefits, and worker's comp will definitely see him through while he's hurt. Would that have been true in a gig economy job?

No, but then you don't have to get a gig economy job

It comes down to short term vs long term thinking. Pablo was thinking day to day instead of having a more long term outlook. That's not absolving the system or capital holders of blame.... but at some point the buck stops with the person making the final decision

 

[Mook]

There are so many education options if you choose the right industry where you don't have to participate in the gig economy...i don't knock people who actually make a living off it and know thier niche or formula but there is a huge demand for skilled workers that's been going on since the start of 2010s

If you choose to be a part of the gig economy it's because you like the flexibility or you never decided to focus on acquiring a high paying skill

I've read articles that people who interview are constantly ghosting employers cuz they have so many options

bottom line is unfortunately the guy chose a job that comes with higher risks

My friend just got severely injured on a government sanitation garbage guy job that he just got and it don't got nothing to do with the state of the economy and it's because of a negligent driver who didn't see him

MOTHERfukkER. YOU STILL DIDN'T READ THE ARTICLE COCKSUCKER.

 

[TLR Is Mental Poison]

MOTHERfukkER. YOU STILL DIDN'T READ THE ARTICLE COCKSUCKER.

What did he miss that's in the article

Literally all you've said in this thread is "you didn't read the article".... did YOU read the article

 

[Mook]

What did he miss that's in the article

Literally all you've said in this thread is "you didn't read the article".... did YOU read the article

This dude said my coworker got injured and it has nothing to do witb the economy Lmaaaao

that fukking fakkit Sky stallion has been the same coward for damn near TWO decades. He didn't read shyt, he continued the same argument in the original post. You can tell cause he went into republican juelzing points, "bbbut get better education.. Bbbbbut you don't have to work the job if you don't want."

 

[TLR Is Mental Poison]

This dude said my coworker got injured and it has nothing to do witb the economy Lmaaaao

that fukking fakkit Sky stallion has been the same coward for damn near TWO decades. He didn't read shyt, he continued the same argument in the original post. You can tell cause he went into republican juelzing points, "bbbut get better education.. Bbbbbut you don't have to work the job if you don't want."

People didn't get hurt at work before the gig economy

There weren't bike couriers before the gig economy

Theres no other job in existence Pablo could have made essentially minimum wage with

You yelling at people for not reading the article but have yet to discuss said article

 

[ROLLTIDE4EVER]

Name me one capitalist society where people starve.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Name me one capitalist society where people starve.

What does that even mean? People starve in every country, and every country has some degree of capitalism. Can you be more specific?