One of the most significant political and societal changes during and after the French Revolution was the formation of a peoples based economy (today we would say “socialism”) and the introduction of real wages alongside with labor rights so that the wage slaves could pay for their own lodgings, household expenditures, health care and coffee. This was a departure from European feudalism that we are apparently returning to in today’s world but leave that aside. The introduction of real wages translated into greater freedom for the working class because having money to pay for stuff gave them choices, albeit very limited choices with almost no social mobility. The French state however still “payed” his civil servants largely with job security and privileges as in free housing and schooling and insurance, everything else was corruption. That’s why the French elites always think feudalistic and abhor the needy working class who only think about their fair wages. After the French Revolution, the Germans led by Prussia invented all the socialist polices such as labor unions, mandatory kindergarten, unemployment insurance, and pension systems. England fell behind. America turned full blown capitalist instead. That’s the basic history of four centuries of Western income, real wage, and wealth inequality in a nutshell. China didn’t even know what everyone was silly talking about because everyone in China had to work for free for the greater good and pull the cart of the dragon emperor and his eighteen-thousand courtesans. A bit like socialism under Xi Jinping.
Apr 24·edited Apr 24Liked by Thorsten J. Pattberg, PhD
I recall how some "persecuted Chinese human rights activist lawyer" some years back was actually charged with trafficking fraudulent reimbursement receipts.
In the America of the trenches, which is a far different place, removed from the vision of America by light years, than that depicted by the billionaires club media, and the politico-corporate face, working without pay is actually quite common.
Its normal for subcontractors to have lists of jobs they completed, where they are still waiting to be paid. The government seizes land and water and awards them to their beloved oligarchs, without compensation to those whose lives were disrupted or destroyed by this process. I could list, if anyone was interested, which I'm sure they're not, a long list of work I have done and never received a penny for.
Most young, white Americans who aren't driven completely insane by their society know they will never own a home, unless a cardboard box qualifies.
For people in the trenches there is little attention given to bidenistas and Israeli genocides because they live their own. If you go out in certain places when the power is out, you may meet some of the casualties. Their stories aren't exactly uplifting, except in one way only, and that is the human striving against impossible forces, the struggle to live and to hope, even in the face of death.
The modern 9-5 life of soft capitalism is nothing less than soft core slavery. I'm not lazy, I am all about hard work - but being owned and controlled by some company is soul crushing. Working for the government is soft socialism. The hardcore version exists as well. It is called communism.
I view my schooling as a waste of time. First of all we retard our physical growth by waking up so early, often before sunrise and staying up so late. All we really need is to learn how to read and write and do math. All of the other stuff is pure bs. I have a bachelors degree in computer science and it got me nowhere. The education system in America, especially the higher education system, is a money scam. I could go on but you get the idea. The Chinese make it first and foremost a social thing. They all learn and labor for the greater good. In socialism schooling is free and it makes bloody sense.
Socialism wasn't so bad until Marx came along. Lenin abused Marx but didn't believe in socialism. Germany and France became social democracies which is bascially socialism under US-American occupation. Ur-Democracy is Greek and can f*ck off! The EU seems to agree. Democracy is so over. China definetely agrees. The future is socialist with European or Chinese characteristics. The klepto US with its pseudo democracy for its vasal states can go home too! Bravo!
Chinese abroad are all rich, Chinese in China are all poor. I don't believe it. It is all Western bias and lies. China has a bigger economy than Europe or the United States.
Great piece! Salary is not earnings, not income. Under capitalism, there are billionaires on paper who don't even pay themselves a salary of $10,000. Symbolically, they live frugally. For the government you must always appear broke, see Donald Trump. Even under socialism, one should never just look at the ridiculously low salary, but rather at the state allowances, subsidies, daily allowances, travel and training credits, certificates, perks and boni. I had a colleague after college who was in the United States as a cultural attachee for the French government, and while he spent three fantastic years abroad, he enrolled in an MPA Master of Public Administration at a prestigious American university at French taxpayer expense. Probably worth $100,000 today. There were also countless business class trips and even generous Christmas round-trip tickets for him and his fiancée, free accommodation, everything that was much more expensive than his silly salary, if the very public French collective wage agreements are to be believed. Actually, you can look up all the salaries in France on the internet, from clerk to chief judge. All very French and transparent. One almost feels sad for those little income earners. But here too, the wage agreements are not the final income of these civil servants. It's an open secret. Working for the government is the best job in any system, capitalist or socialist. This is simply an undeniable fact, and only those who have never worked in government believe otherwise and end up just being wage slaves. 5/5 for the China insights!👍
This is why I'm such a black pill. You look at any aspect of our lives and it was all engineered by this same list of elitists
Bro you’re 100% correct. It’s called chattel enslavement. Government owned slaves. They teach in school how to be a complying slave.
One of the most significant political and societal changes during and after the French Revolution was the formation of a peoples based economy (today we would say “socialism”) and the introduction of real wages alongside with labor rights so that the wage slaves could pay for their own lodgings, household expenditures, health care and coffee. This was a departure from European feudalism that we are apparently returning to in today’s world but leave that aside. The introduction of real wages translated into greater freedom for the working class because having money to pay for stuff gave them choices, albeit very limited choices with almost no social mobility. The French state however still “payed” his civil servants largely with job security and privileges as in free housing and schooling and insurance, everything else was corruption. That’s why the French elites always think feudalistic and abhor the needy working class who only think about their fair wages. After the French Revolution, the Germans led by Prussia invented all the socialist polices such as labor unions, mandatory kindergarten, unemployment insurance, and pension systems. England fell behind. America turned full blown capitalist instead. That’s the basic history of four centuries of Western income, real wage, and wealth inequality in a nutshell. China didn’t even know what everyone was silly talking about because everyone in China had to work for free for the greater good and pull the cart of the dragon emperor and his eighteen-thousand courtesans. A bit like socialism under Xi Jinping.
I recall how some "persecuted Chinese human rights activist lawyer" some years back was actually charged with trafficking fraudulent reimbursement receipts.
Dr. P,
In the America of the trenches, which is a far different place, removed from the vision of America by light years, than that depicted by the billionaires club media, and the politico-corporate face, working without pay is actually quite common.
Its normal for subcontractors to have lists of jobs they completed, where they are still waiting to be paid. The government seizes land and water and awards them to their beloved oligarchs, without compensation to those whose lives were disrupted or destroyed by this process. I could list, if anyone was interested, which I'm sure they're not, a long list of work I have done and never received a penny for.
Most young, white Americans who aren't driven completely insane by their society know they will never own a home, unless a cardboard box qualifies.
For people in the trenches there is little attention given to bidenistas and Israeli genocides because they live their own. If you go out in certain places when the power is out, you may meet some of the casualties. Their stories aren't exactly uplifting, except in one way only, and that is the human striving against impossible forces, the struggle to live and to hope, even in the face of death.
Wage slavery definitely destroys the spirit of a person happiness. Is China in many respects still feudal?
The modern 9-5 life of soft capitalism is nothing less than soft core slavery. I'm not lazy, I am all about hard work - but being owned and controlled by some company is soul crushing. Working for the government is soft socialism. The hardcore version exists as well. It is called communism.
Great piece, Dr. P! We are all born into this hell we are told: “we ought to be grateful” for the opportunity to work for peas, that’s some bull.
This is why I'm such a black pill about everything. You look at any aspect of our lives and it was all engineered by this same list of elitists.
I view my schooling as a waste of time. First of all we retard our physical growth by waking up so early, often before sunrise and staying up so late. All we really need is to learn how to read and write and do math. All of the other stuff is pure bs. I have a bachelors degree in computer science and it got me nowhere. The education system in America, especially the higher education system, is a money scam. I could go on but you get the idea. The Chinese make it first and foremost a social thing. They all learn and labor for the greater good. In socialism schooling is free and it makes bloody sense.
You know stuff
Socialism wasn't so bad until Marx came along. Lenin abused Marx but didn't believe in socialism. Germany and France became social democracies which is bascially socialism under US-American occupation. Ur-Democracy is Greek and can f*ck off! The EU seems to agree. Democracy is so over. China definetely agrees. The future is socialist with European or Chinese characteristics. The klepto US with its pseudo democracy for its vasal states can go home too! Bravo!
Chinese abroad are all rich, Chinese in China are all poor. I don't believe it. It is all Western bias and lies. China has a bigger economy than Europe or the United States.
Great piece! Salary is not earnings, not income. Under capitalism, there are billionaires on paper who don't even pay themselves a salary of $10,000. Symbolically, they live frugally. For the government you must always appear broke, see Donald Trump. Even under socialism, one should never just look at the ridiculously low salary, but rather at the state allowances, subsidies, daily allowances, travel and training credits, certificates, perks and boni. I had a colleague after college who was in the United States as a cultural attachee for the French government, and while he spent three fantastic years abroad, he enrolled in an MPA Master of Public Administration at a prestigious American university at French taxpayer expense. Probably worth $100,000 today. There were also countless business class trips and even generous Christmas round-trip tickets for him and his fiancée, free accommodation, everything that was much more expensive than his silly salary, if the very public French collective wage agreements are to be believed. Actually, you can look up all the salaries in France on the internet, from clerk to chief judge. All very French and transparent. One almost feels sad for those little income earners. But here too, the wage agreements are not the final income of these civil servants. It's an open secret. Working for the government is the best job in any system, capitalist or socialist. This is simply an undeniable fact, and only those who have never worked in government believe otherwise and end up just being wage slaves. 5/5 for the China insights!👍