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- Apr 22, 2019
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We tend to have some positive opinions about South Korea. That they are doing better than others in the region, more democracy, more prosperity for the people. Probably some of that just comes from our experiences with the country - they make products we use. Hey, they made squid games, a popular show here (and surprisingly relevant to this topic given how it's about struggling people).
There's a basic issue societies haven't really come to grips with around labor. We have it so the Walton kids can inherit what now might be $200 billion, and not labor. Some can do that, not have to labor. If we had some idea at all like the wealth created being distributed, more could. We could have shorter work weeks while still 'doing just fine'.
But for a billionaire, that would mean others creating less wealth that goes into their pocket, so no. Let's not do that. Our system lets the billionaire continue to have a labor force pressured to have long hours while they get the riches created. Indeed, in the US siince Reagan, as productivity has shot up, all the increase in wealth has gone to the very rich. The rest are flat.
In the US, that's enough of an issue; ranking 66 countries by long work hours, we're #39. This thread isn't about the US. One the countries with the longest hours is South Korea. They had problems from it, and reduced them, to 52 hours/week; now business wants them to increase them from 52 to 69 hours/week.
And that's what it's about - power. Because why wouldn't business want that, if it enriches the owners? And "the government had backed the plan to increase the cap following pressure from business groups seeking a boost in productivity – until, that is, it ran into vociferous opposition from the younger generation and labor unions." So, business has enough power to get the government to support the plan; luckily there's enough democracy to challenge it.
But we haven't really addressed this sort of issue; instead of that better distribution of wealth, we simply see the very rich get much richer, which translates to their getting more political power preventing that better distribution.
On a side note, Mexico has been at or near the top of the list. I think a lot of Americans have a pretty perverse view of the topic, not recognizing while they bleat about American hard work how much Mexican people so typically work harder for less than Americans, not thinking about the terrible labor they do in agriculture, or having any idea about the long working hours in Mexico.
On paper, Mexico limits work hours to 48 hours per week, but the laws"are rarely observed since there are some loopholes in the law and also due to the country’s underdevelopment in comparison to other member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Most employees in Mexico fear unemployment and employer threats would make the employees work longer."
This formula, of increasing productivity, which increases wealth created, having it all go to a few ultra rich, allowing them to buy political power that is inherently in conflict with democracy, is a road to tyranny, away from democracy. It's sort of a road not to direct literal slavery in the foreseeable future, but to another form of it. And they can afford to have propaganda get foolish people to support it by pandering to things like bigotry.
There's a basic issue societies haven't really come to grips with around labor. We have it so the Walton kids can inherit what now might be $200 billion, and not labor. Some can do that, not have to labor. If we had some idea at all like the wealth created being distributed, more could. We could have shorter work weeks while still 'doing just fine'.
But for a billionaire, that would mean others creating less wealth that goes into their pocket, so no. Let's not do that. Our system lets the billionaire continue to have a labor force pressured to have long hours while they get the riches created. Indeed, in the US siince Reagan, as productivity has shot up, all the increase in wealth has gone to the very rich. The rest are flat.
In the US, that's enough of an issue; ranking 66 countries by long work hours, we're #39. This thread isn't about the US. One the countries with the longest hours is South Korea. They had problems from it, and reduced them, to 52 hours/week; now business wants them to increase them from 52 to 69 hours/week.
And that's what it's about - power. Because why wouldn't business want that, if it enriches the owners? And "the government had backed the plan to increase the cap following pressure from business groups seeking a boost in productivity – until, that is, it ran into vociferous opposition from the younger generation and labor unions." So, business has enough power to get the government to support the plan; luckily there's enough democracy to challenge it.
But we haven't really addressed this sort of issue; instead of that better distribution of wealth, we simply see the very rich get much richer, which translates to their getting more political power preventing that better distribution.
On a side note, Mexico has been at or near the top of the list. I think a lot of Americans have a pretty perverse view of the topic, not recognizing while they bleat about American hard work how much Mexican people so typically work harder for less than Americans, not thinking about the terrible labor they do in agriculture, or having any idea about the long working hours in Mexico.
On paper, Mexico limits work hours to 48 hours per week, but the laws"are rarely observed since there are some loopholes in the law and also due to the country’s underdevelopment in comparison to other member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Most employees in Mexico fear unemployment and employer threats would make the employees work longer."
This formula, of increasing productivity, which increases wealth created, having it all go to a few ultra rich, allowing them to buy political power that is inherently in conflict with democracy, is a road to tyranny, away from democracy. It's sort of a road not to direct literal slavery in the foreseeable future, but to another form of it. And they can afford to have propaganda get foolish people to support it by pandering to things like bigotry.