Every day you let her live in these disgusting situation makes you complicit in this crime. Your aunt is stealing the life away from your sister. Free her.
My Family’s Slave
341–350 of 645 posts
Re: My Family’s Slave
#342My family adopted my female cousin nearly 30 years ago from Guatemala. The country was in civil war at the time so bringing her to the U.S. was in her best interest. Unfortunately my mother and aunt (sisters of her birth father) kept her so locked down that she is effectively a slave. My aunt hasn't worked in decades because my little sister has always signed every paycheck over to my aunt. After working for nearly 2…
Rather than seeking counsel from HN, may I strongly recommend you find a practicing family and/or immigration lawyer if you really want to help? I commend your action of putting money away, but based on your description, your cousin has been/ is being subjected to familial abuse. Reach inside yourself and find the courage to inform someone. Seek help from those qualified to give it, please.
Very good advise, apart from the "rather than".
Re: My Family’s Slave
#343Truly remarkable story. One thing that struck me is that Lola did so much of the work of a traditional mother's role: raising the kids, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and even providing emotional support. The mother had to take on a traditional father's role in bringing home an income. And the actual father - well, he did neither role and seemed to just freeload, gamble, abuse, and finally disappear. All of the work in…
> "An argument could be made that the entire capitalist system is built upon uncompensated labor." What? Non-capitalist societies don't have housewives?
Ever know a farm family?
I worked on a farm in high school. The wife drove a school bus and was like your grandmother. But... she ran the books, ran the pipeline of hard working students for summer labor, could throw 50lb hay bales when necessary and change a tractor clutch in a field with an just a wrench and a hammer.
Re: My Family’s Slave
#344Truly remarkable story. One thing that struck me is that Lola did so much of the work of a traditional mother's role: raising the kids, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and even providing emotional support. The mother had to take on a traditional father's role in bringing home an income. And the actual father - well, he did neither role and seemed to just freeload, gamble, abuse, and finally disappear. All of the work in…
Unfortunately, things were no better in Soviet-block countries. Perhaps, working women were a little more common, but it was (and probably still is) a far cry from true equality.
Soviet-block countries, especially USSR itself, were actually rather socially conservative, at least from Stalin on. Traditional gender roles in general, and as they pertain to nuclear family, were part of their internal propaganda.
Re: My Family’s Slave
#345Great read! Many Asian countries have the concept of live-in housekeepers. I think the 'best' (scraping the bottom, here) arrangement is in Singapore, where the government, laws, and law-enforcement ensure that immigrant live-in housekeepers are treated fairly- kinda like au pairs, etc. in the US. I knew someone in India who brought their live-in maid's sister to the US in some capacity (and AFAIK, paid her wages- sh…
> Many Asian countries have the concept of live-in housekeepers. As educated as the HN crowd is, I'm surprised so many people are susceptible to stereotypes. Perhaps because most people on HN are rather wealthy and well off, when they visit Asia they hang around other rich Asians. So yes, among rich Asians, the idea of a live-in caretaker maybe common, but they are the minority. This would be like some rich Asian peo…
Incredibly ignorant statement. In many parts of Asia, including South Asia, having live in servants is very common. Philippines and Indonesia are just two examples.
Re: My Family’s Slave
#346Great read! Many Asian countries have the concept of live-in housekeepers. I think the 'best' (scraping the bottom, here) arrangement is in Singapore, where the government, laws, and law-enforcement ensure that immigrant live-in housekeepers are treated fairly- kinda like au pairs, etc. in the US. I knew someone in India who brought their live-in maid's sister to the US in some capacity (and AFAIK, paid her wages- sh…
Can you elaborate on why some live-in maids in those countries are effectively slaves, but a maid that comes to the house daily would not be? What is the significance of the live-in part?
You're trapped in a house with no way to leave, no money, no options.
Re: My Family’s Slave
#347Great read! Many Asian countries have the concept of live-in housekeepers. I think the 'best' (scraping the bottom, here) arrangement is in Singapore, where the government, laws, and law-enforcement ensure that immigrant live-in housekeepers are treated fairly- kinda like au pairs, etc. in the US. I knew someone in India who brought their live-in maid's sister to the US in some capacity (and AFAIK, paid her wages- sh…
Can you elaborate on why some live-in maids in those countries are effectively slaves, but a maid that comes to the house daily would not be? What is the significance of the live-in part?
You're trapped in a house with no way to leave, no money, no options.
Re: My Family’s Slave
#348For those who think it can't happen here, there was a recent case in Silicon Valley where a group of small business owners was keeping slaves. I actually ate at their restaurant and had no idea what was going on. http://www.mercurynews.com/2015/11/20/plight-of-saratoga-hum...
This happens in the Chinese community all of the time. In my area, waitstaff in restaurants are often shipped in via the Chinatown bus from up to 200 miles away. They are like ghosts, movie game from place to place.
Re: My Family’s Slave
#349Every day you let her live in these disgusting situation makes you complicit in this crime. Your aunt is stealing the life away from your sister. Free her.
Why are you typing comments on HN instead of atoning for your countless sins?
Re: My Family’s Slave
#350Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm aware of that. People often make indirect little attacks against capitalism here as some kind of socialist dog whistle. I want to call them out, and asking what concrete things they propose. Anything they can put to words has likely already been tried and ended in disaster - people advocating for misery need to be exposed for what they are.
Is there argument here that literally nothing whatsoever could be better than the system we currently live under? The one where we're hurtling toward ecological catastrophe and essentially no mitigation is being done?
Is there argument here that literally nothing whatsoever could be better than the system we currently live under?
Potentially, I suppose. The only alternatives I hear being peddled are socialist though. So I associate any petty wry remark about "in capitalism, so and so" as a socialist agenda pushing.
In 2017, I don't think it should be considered at all acceptable to advocate socialism in polite company. We've failed that experiment every time we've tried it, we're witnessing two horrific failures in Venezuela and North Korea right now.
Socialism is an extremist view, that ruins peoples lives, and should be marginalised at every turn - the same way Nazism is.