My Family’s Slave

Post by Cyph0n » Tue, May 16, 2017, 9:36 PM UTC

naiveattack wrote: post #91

lordnacho wrote: post #20

I had a terrible "Billy" moment a few years ago. I was travelling and a friend said I could use her house, because it was empty. This was perfect for me, since I had a wife and kid. It turns out there was a housekeeper. She did everything for us, made us feel very comfortable, cooked, served, helped with the kid, etc. Then one day I found out she didn't have her own room, despite the place being a multi storey mansio…

Take a homeless person and let them sleep in your kitchen in exchange for mowing your lawn -> moral hero. Build a mansion around this kitchen -> morally reprehensible It seems contrast in an unrelated area has confused the morally righteous over here. Do you own a nice car? Have a room in your house that is currently empty? There are people out there who could use some of that wealth for food. How would you feel if t…

Post by naiveattack » Tue, May 16, 2017, 9:41 PM UTC

Cyph0n wrote: post #101

naiveattack wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Take a homeless person and let them sleep in your kitchen in exchange for mowing your lawn -> moral hero. Build a mansion around this kitchen -> morally reprehensible It seems contrast in an unrelated area has confused the morally righteous over here. Do you own a nice car? Have a room in your house that is currently empty? There are people out there who could use some of that wealth for food. How would you feel if t…

Sorry man, but that's dangerous thinking. I might understand if all rooms in the mansion were occupied by family members, or if the house was small such that the housemaid didn't have a room to stay in. But having her sleep in the kitchen of a huge mansion is inexcusable.

Post by iaw » Tue, May 16, 2017, 9:42 PM UTC

gorbachev wrote: post #17

iaw wrote: post #8

Apparently the author, Alex Tizón died days after finishing the story and never knew it was chosen for the June cover. He was 57.

I read a lot, but I don't usually pay attention to who the writer is, so I wasn't aware of what he has written. I've read a lot of his articles. They're just exceptional pieces of writing. The last one I remember keeping me reading almost to a point of missing my train station is his article about the missing in Alaska: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/in-the-...

Post by bmmayer1 » Tue, May 16, 2017, 9:45 PM UTC

southphillyman wrote: post #100

Interesting that the author and his siblings had empathy for the servant. In most American Slavery stories the entire household, including young children, are portrayed as being evil and unforgiving towards the slaves. In these situations I wonder if there is any sort of innate feeling of compassion and decency and how that manifest itself in a culture where slavery and cruelty is the norm.

Post by scarletsally » Tue, May 16, 2017, 9:51 PM UTC

jnbiche wrote: post #54

scarletsally wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Still a very common practice, especially in the Philippines. I'm making stats here based on my personal observation, but here's how it goes: - The lower class (below or near poverty line) would usually have relatives (sisters or mothers) helping them out - The middle class are more likely to employ help, especially once they start their own families. - The upper class definitely employ help. The number of employed he…

> The number of employed help is sometimes even bigger than their own family. And they are treated as employees -- complete with uniforms etc. I think it would be helpful to distinguish between a true remunerated employer-employee relationship like what you appear to describe above, and unpaid slavery like what is described in the article. The former is a valued part of the economy in many developing country (if you'…