Complete Entanglement (Modern Slavery)
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Complete Entanglement (Modern Slavery)
1–10 of 28 posts
Re: Complete Entanglement (Modern Slavery)
#2It's interesting that a lot of people equate the modern world to slavery, but this is the first article I have come across which partially agrees with that assessment and still challenges it. I think it is correct in assessing that slavery is not quite right (we have moved on) and yet there is still more work to be done for freedom.
Re: Complete Entanglement (Modern Slavery)
#3I like the concept behind the article, that modern first-world society can be a very subtle but powerful trap. But that is not slavery. Slavery still exists today. There are more slaves today then ever. This type of article, and the thinking behind it is helpful; it could help free your time and money up to help people who cannot help themselves.
One organization working to educate people about modern slavery and fighting to stop it is the Not For Sale Campaign (http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/)
Re: Complete Entanglement (Modern Slavery)
#4Glad to see it on HN! Thanks for the positive feedback :)
Re: Complete Entanglement (Modern Slavery)
#5Nice article, thanks for posting. Money quote:
The more we buy into consumerism as a lifestyle, the less we are able to see clearly and become independent, as our social stature begins to depend on our consumerist successes.
The slavemasters here are ourselves, or more accurately our subconscious desires (to be popular, sexy and powerful) as interpreted and channeled by the market.
On this subject, I would strongly recommend Adam Curtis' BBC documentary series 'The Century of the Self' which documents the rise of consumerism and the psychoanalytical theories underpinning it. It really opened my eyes to the many parts of our culture that I'd considered eternal that are in fact entirely C20th creations.
I don't think it's actually available legally, but your favourite torrent site can certainly find it. 'The Power of Nightmares' is another of his masterworks. There's a complete Curtis archive torrent out there, which is probably among the most informative single downloads in existence.
Re: Complete Entanglement (Modern Slavery)
#6Nice article, thanks for posting. Money quote: The more we buy into consumerism as a lifestyle, the less we are able to see clearly and become independent, as our social stature begins to depend on our consumerist successes. The slavemasters here are ourselves, or more accurately our subconscious desires (to be popular, sexy and powerful) as interpreted and channeled by the market. On this subject, I would strongly r…
Those both sound very interesting. I'll see if there are any BBC archives available, but you're probably right that they no longer exist legally except at absurd price points.
There is a lot of literature around how consumerism and debt driven lifestyles detract from our ability to live life in a more meaningful way, but I find solutions lacking. It is my goal to eventually discover better ways of structuring our lives and perhaps society to improve the quality of life in the modern world, without eliminating the positive aspects of a competitive culture and technological progress.
Re: Complete Entanglement (Modern Slavery)
#7Nice article, thanks for posting. Money quote: The more we buy into consumerism as a lifestyle, the less we are able to see clearly and become independent, as our social stature begins to depend on our consumerist successes. The slavemasters here are ourselves, or more accurately our subconscious desires (to be popular, sexy and powerful) as interpreted and channeled by the market. On this subject, I would strongly r…
Those both sound very interesting. I'll see if there are any BBC archives available, but you're probably right that they no longer exist legally except at absurd price points. There is a lot of literature around how consumerism and debt driven lifestyles detract from our ability to live life in a more meaningful way, but I find solutions lacking. It is my goal to eventually discover better ways of structuring our liv…
I just discovered it is available in full on archive.org: http://www.archive.org/details/AdaCurtisCenturyoftheSelf_0
Kudos to the beeb and archive.org for making it available!
Re: Complete Entanglement (Modern Slavery)
#8A few remarks:
1. The author's points about self regulation are at the heart of Foucault's Discipline and Punish and in particular it's extension into Feminist philosophy - i.e. the ways in which subjugation to power manifests itself as a person's self-control. [http://www.iep.utm.edu/foucfem/]
2. The idea of wage slavery is hardly novel, though quite revolutionary - see Marx.
3. One of the things which modern US society has lost is casual and seasonal labor as we have moved from an agrarian population toward an urban one. One needs only to hang around the drinking hole with Iowa farmers in January to see how much a clock driven lifestyle affects our outlook [however you might be better served to look in Phoenix for Iowa farmers come January].
Re: Complete Entanglement (Modern Slavery)
#9Modern slavery is alive and well, but it isn't lusting after the newest thing.
It's child trafficking, illegal immigration to another country (and then the company (or the pimp) holds your passport), and things of that nature.
Reminds me of http://www.theonion.com/articles/i-am-so-starving-vs-i-am-so...
Re: Complete Entanglement (Modern Slavery)
#10I like the concept behind the article, that modern first-world society can be a very subtle but powerful trap. But that is not slavery. Slavery still exists today. There are more slaves today then ever. This type of article, and the thinking behind it is helpful; it could help free your time and money up to help people who cannot help themselves. One organization working to educate people about modern slavery and fig…
Thanks KE! This was my initial reaction as well. Sometimes it's nice to apply abstraction in order to grease the wheels of reason, but abstraction has a nasty double edge. ("Owner cared for well-being") does not equal ("Only individual cares for well-being"). Not even a little bit.