subway cat offers history of slave trade

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5037923

Oh my.

Now the subway cat's a history prodigy.

undergroundpanther  (1000+ posts)        Thu Feb-12-09 02:16 PM
Original message
 
there are more slaves today than at any point in human history.

Like the slaves who came to America’s shores over 200 years ago, today’s slaves are not free to pursue their own destinies. They are coerced to perform work for the personal gain of those who subjugate them. If they try to escape the clutches of their masters, modern slaves risk personal violence or reprisals to their families.

Increasingly severe and widespread poverty and social inequality ensure a growing pool of recruits. Parents in desperate straits may sell their children or at least be susceptible to scams that will allow the slave trader to take control over the lives of their sons and daughters. Young women in poverty-ridden communities are more likely to take risks on job offers in faraway locations. The poor are apt to accept loans that slave traders can later manipulate to steal their freedom. Thousands of traffickers lure children from impoverished rural parents with promises of scholarships, free schooling, and a better life. All of these paths carry unsuspecting recruits into the supply chains of slavery.

Though modern day forms of slavery are emerging to suit global markets, bonded labor continues to be the most common form of slavery in the world. In a typical scenario, an individual falls under the control of a wealthy patron after taking a small loan. The patron adds egregious rates of interest and inflated expenses to the original principal so that the laborer finds it impossible to repay. Debt slaves may spend their entire lives in service to a single slaveholder, and their “obligation” may be passed on to their children. Bondage, with no legal standing, is typically established through fraud and maintained through violence.
 
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/15-... /

HiFructosePronSyrup  (1000+ posts)      Thu Feb-12-09 02:18 PM
Response to Original message

1. If by "slave" you mean someone with credit card debt.

As opposed to people who were actually kidnapped and forced to work against their will with the threats of beatings, rapes, murder, etc.

jobycom  (1000+ posts)      Thu Feb-12-09 02:26 PM
Response to Reply #1
 
2. That's not what the article is talking about.

It's not exactly the type of breeding slavery of American history, but it's not talking about suburbanites forced to work second jobs to pay off Visa, either.

"breeding slavery of American history"--what, that didn't happen all over the world, only in America?

What's up with that?

undergroundpanther  (1000+ posts)        Thu Feb-12-09 02:39 PM
Response to Reply #2

3. if you notice

What the article says..

"The poor are apt to accept loans that slave traders can later manipulate to steal their freedom. Thousands of traffickers lure children from impoverished rural parents with promises of scholarships, free schooling, and a better life."

And yes there are parallels to be found with the poor accepting bad loans that steal their freedom.

What do you think predatory lenders are doing when they sell poor people on a mortgage they can't afford on a house so they can have a better life???

The wealthy screw over poor or desperate people with promises of a better life but somehow that promise does not come true no matter how hard and long one works..

Our whole economy is a ponzi scam based on exploiting the poor people with the promises of a better life.

People go to work,get into debt, for a better life that never arrives.

It's true for the fate of slaves,and it is true for the working poor,and the poor in America. Slavery is slavery it is the loss of freedom of self determination the loss when one pursues a 'lure' be it from a trafficker,a predatory lender, or a corporation.They all use the same lure to hook desperate people,First they do not tell the truth,instead they sell a 'promise' of a better life,if you do what they want when they want it. Slavery has many forms.

Methinks the subway cat's over the credit limits of her plastic, and is afraid to tell mom.

jobycom  (1000+ posts)      Fri Feb-13-09 12:59 AM
Response to Reply #3
 
4. That's a *******ed arrogant elitist attitude.

You're honestly comparing someone in credit card debt with someone chained in a brothel forced to have sex to pay off a loan to the same man who is selling her? Freaking Americans. The sun revolves around us, eh? A man in jail for unpaid traffic tickets is equivalent to someone in Auschwitz?

As for "our whole economy is a ponzi scam," sure, that's good rhetoric and there are resemblences and it sounds all nice and cynical-hip to say it, but the key element of a Ponzi scam is that there is nothing being produced, and the money given to one investor simply comes from another investor who has been promised extravagant returns. The money transfer is meant to mask the fact that there is nothing supporting the system. There is an element of that to parts of our economy, but there are also farms, factories, industry, and production beneath our economy. It's hollow rhetoric meant to, to borrow your phrases--carry the promise of a better life to exploit the gullible. What you wish to con them into, I'm not sure. Socialism? Capitalism? Scientology? Hot Topic? The same tactic is the basis of all sales.

I thought you posted the article because of a serious international issue, I didn't realize it was misguided self-pity.

Oh my.  That should leave a catmark.

BlooInBloo  (1000+ posts)        Fri Feb-13-09 08:37 AM
Response to Original message
 
10. There's more *everybody* today than at any point in history.

Give me percentages.

blindpig (1000+ posts)        Fri Feb-13-09 08:57 AM
Response to Original message
 
11. Wage slavery is much more efficient than serfdom or chattel slavery. The overhead is much lower and there are no social conventions which limit production and profits. Celebrating our superiority over the condition of those workers of the past is premature.

Debt slavery is the result of wage slavery.

Hmmm.  Another primitive's over the credit limit on his plastic.

[JohnnyReb]

The DUmmies may have a point. We, meaning those of "us" working and producing, are enslaved to making a paycheck a living, while the DUmmies are paid not to work and furnished a 'living'. So just who exactly is the 'enslaved' and who is the 'free' here.

And if some of the 'enslaved' happen to make a lot of money......why is that so wrong DUmmies?

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

undergroundpanther  (1000+ posts)        Thu Feb-12-09 02:39 PM
Response to Reply #2

...

And yes there are parallels to be found with the poor accepting bad loans that steal their freedom.

What do you think predatory lenders are doing when they sell poor people on a mortgage they can't afford on a house so they can have a better life???

How odd.

I always operated under the impression that there were government underwriting guidelines lenders had to adhere to before they could issue a loan.

Maybe there was some sort of legislation that specifically targetted poor people and made it possible/mandatory for lenders to give loans to those who were not entirely credit-worthy.

Any ideas about any such type of legislation?

[Chris]

How odd.

I always operated under the impression that there were government underwriting guidelines lenders had to adhere to before they could issue a loan.

Maybe there was some sort of legislation that specifically targetted poor people and made it possible/mandatory for lenders to give loans to those who were not entirely credit-worthy.

Any ideas about any such type of legislation?

There's a guy in Connecticut that would like to avoid answering your question.

[JohnnyReb]

There's a guy in Connecticut that would like to avoid answering your question.

Give me a hint.....does he have a boyfriend and a lisp.....OOOPS! That's 2

[Tucker]

While on the subjuct of slavery. obama's fraternal family is probable responsible for a large portion of slaves brought into this country.

[Chris_]

While on the subjuct of slavery. obama's fraternal family is probable responsible for a large portion of slaves brought into this country.

And if I remember correctly, his mother's side of the family were historically slave holders. 

He's on thhe wrong side of this no matter which side he approaches it from.

[rich_t]

Is undergroundpanther perhaps talking about the Federal government?