#for your job but only being paid minimum wage because the only ''labour'' you're doing is physical/mental and keeping a smile while being

[swamp-world]

like i think that we really really really need to actually gain the social literacy and compassion to understand that. not tipping your server isn’t praxis, but the fact that it’s expected that the customer pay the wage of the server also doesn’t mean that the customer (often also stiffed and a victim of wage theft) isn’t obligated to do so, and that while this is within our own economic system a great injustice and act of violence that needs to be rectified, it is in fact not the greatest injustice in the world and seeing people comparing getting screamed at for war crimes to not being tipped demonstrates a drastic lack of any sense of proportion. this is me speaking as both a service worker and someone engaged in organizing. let me be absolutely clear that I am not saying that not tipping your server is praxis. if you are able to tip i think that you should. i also think that “it’s the social contract in america to tip your server” needs to be read as “the structure has been built so that resisting it is tantamount to being a class traitor, and there are no winners in this situation”. i make less than 1k a month. tipping at 15% is straight up not viable all of the time if i want to pay rent. that’s not praxis, that’s me trying to keep a roof over my head, same as the service worker who i can’t always tip. so much analysis of this matter on social media tends to boil down to brute utilitarianism that causes further fragementation among the working class, and not for unjust reasons.

but just as not tipping my server isn’t praxis, tipping my server also isn’t praxis. not because it doesn’t help the individual (it does) but because it functionally validates the extant system in which the customer directly pays the wages. especially in the digital age: whereas cash tips are often considered nontaxable income, digital tips are administered as directly taxable income by the employer. when tips are paid out as wages i think it’s a little unfair to consider them to be “gratuities”.

again: not tipping isn’t praxis, but i wonder often about how many people who parrot this point are engaged in labour organizing or support in any way other than tipping. everyone deserves to be paid for their labour. but likewise, putting the onus on the working class customer to do so doesn’t actually help anyone except for the employer.

if you’re getting pissed at other working-class people for not tipping high numbers, especially impoverished and/or marginalized people, i hope that you are also engaged in literally any form at all, no matter how intense or dedicated, to any kind of action or organization that supports increasing minimum wage and shifting this responsibility from the customer to the employer (i.e. working class to owning class).

[omglr]

kids need to figure this shit out

You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!

You both like socialism, and feminism.

You: hi

Stranger: hey

Stranger: so when are you implementing socialism

You: it's an ongoing process

You: how's yours coming along?

Stranger: i’m not a socialist

You: oh dang

Stranger: yea

You: gave up to quick i suppose

Stranger: too*

Stranger: i guess

You: well, maybe try to work with some friends on it?

You: it's hard to do it on your own

Stranger: i’m more of a fascist type

Stranger: i kill and best of socialists

You: oh so you don't have any friends

Stranger: i do. only people who agree with me

You: pretty edgy dude

Stranger: not edgy at all

Stranger: did you ever hear about that antifa member that got shot?

Stranger: at the recent rally?

You: how old are you?

Stranger: 19

You: yikes

Stranger: okay

Stranger: hey we can still be friends as long as you don’t do stupid shit

You: so you have like no real life experience then

Stranger: no drugs or anything like that

You: no problems with employment?

Stranger: for me?

Stranger: no

You: no kids to feed?

Stranger: nope

You: no rent to pay?

Stranger: i do pay rent

Stranger: i live on my own

You: any problems with the landlords?

Stranger: nope

Stranger: just gotta pay your bills on time

Stranger: and keep the noise down

Stranger: simple

You: is there rent control in your city?

Stranger: no

Stranger: i negotiate on my own

You: any chance your landlords gonna raise the rent, double the rent?

Stranger: nope

Stranger: we have an agreement

You: like a lease?

Stranger: no, we have a fixed price

Stranger: it stays there no matter what

You: and you negotiated that on your own?

Stranger: yes

You: cool

Stranger: it’s not particularly difficult

Stranger: you just have to be likable and easy to get along with

Stranger: and actually state what you want and come to an agreement

You: cool, sounds like anarcho-socialism

Stranger: nope

Stranger: sounds like you don’t know anything

You: sure sure

You: the landlords aren't your parents are they?

Stranger: no

Stranger: are you larping?

You: ha

You: no just trying to get a sense of your lack of hardships

Stranger: ah right

You: how you feel about global warming?

Stranger: it’s real

Stranger: i believe it’s called climate change

You: sure

You: do you believe the stuff about needing to take dramatic action in the next 12 years?

Stranger: i believe that if all we have is 12 years, we’re fucked anyway so i wouldn’t care

Stranger: i’m not willing to drastically change the lives of everybody in this country, when the rest of the world wouldn’t go along with it

Stranger: that’s the ironic part

You: so you'ld rather spend the next few years larping nazism?

Stranger: i’m not a nazi but okay

You: killing brown people?

Stranger: i’m a fascist libertarian, which may sound like a contradiction but i make it work

You: i am picturing that old dude from fury road

Stranger: okay

You: cool look i guess

Stranger: plus if you or anybody thinks that what’s being proposed can actually be done in 12 years, you’re crazy

Stranger: it’s not possible

Stranger: literally

Stranger: and as i said, no other country would go along with it so it wouldn’t actually matter

You: canada would

Stranger: china doesn’t give a fuck, india doesn’t give a fuck, etc...

Stranger: what makes you think that

You: NDP has a good shot at the next election

Stranger: we’ll see

Stranger: and either way it’s not that simple. winning an election doesn’t ensure you get what you want

You: if they were working with someone who didn't have a goldfish brain and actually wanted to do something good, they could work together

Stranger: once again, winning an election doesn’t ensure you get what you want

You: sure, that's were direct action helps

Stranger: plus you don’t seem to understand how impossible what is being proposed is

Stranger: i would be interested in hearing the way you think the green new deal would go about being implemented

Stranger: if you’ve given it that much though

Stranger: thought*

You: i think it will be hard, and sure not everything will get done in the 12 years, but it's probably worth trying

Stranger: what kind of attitude is that?

You: the not letting us all die kind?

Stranger: it’s plain ignorance

Stranger: listen to yourself

Stranger: no other countries would be willing to undergo the radical changes that are being proposed

Stranger: simply based off of that, we will not be able to make a significant dent in the timeline

Stranger: it’s full blown stupidity

Stranger: plus if you think people are going to hand over their buildings to the government, you’re crazy

Stranger: this is actually something that could start a legitimate civil war

You: isn't that what you want?

Stranger: no

Stranger: why would i want that

Stranger: i’m a libertarian fundamentally

You: cause you said you wanted to kill people

Stranger: i’m fascistic in the sense that i will not allow people to impose their beliefs on me

Stranger: i have no problem fighting back with violence

Stranger: mercilessly

You: ok, but what would you be fighting for?

You: do you have any real capital?

Stranger: that’s not relevant, i will fight in principle

You: you rent your apartment?

You: where do you work?

Stranger: why would i tell you where i work

You: like in the abstract

Stranger: people like you seem to think that others are okay with allowing the government to take more control over them

Stranger: the government is inherently an oppressive body

You: that's where the democratic socialism comes in dude, it's people running the company, not bosses

Stranger: right and how do you propose we get to that point

Stranger: is love to hear this

You: unionize probably

Stranger: i’d*

Stranger: and what about when businesses owners refuse to give up their life’s work

You: i mean if you work for the mob and your job is busting up unions, then yeah, you might not want to unionize

You: but yeah, even then i'd probably suggest starting a union

You: when the boss doesn't want to give up their lifes work exploiting labour from their workers the workers strike

Stranger: and what makes you think that the vast majority of workers agree with your perspective? if you go on strike, the businesses will simply use cheaper labor (ie. illegal immigrants)

Stranger: there are 700 million people and you think that any significant amount agree with your idea that private businesses owners don’t have a right to decide how they run their companies?

Stranger: it’s a joke of an idea to begin with

You: i realize i'm talking to a teenager in a country that has been actively anti union for half a century

Stranger: sure insult my age, why don’t you talk about the points and try to make a valid argument

You: i am saying, spend a few more years getting exploited

Stranger: also your idea of exploitation is a joke. most people don’t view it as exploitation

Stranger: not only that, there will always be someone to take your place

You: and instead of thinking, fuck, i wanna kill poor people so bad, think, hey why am i not getting paid the ammount my labour is worth

Stranger: i don’t inherently want to kill people

Stranger: you’re making a straw man

Stranger: and burning it so that you don’t have to argue with me

You: i mean, you said it early in the chat

Stranger: i actually didn’t, that was hyperbole to show my dislike for socialism

Stranger: but i understand how it could be misconstrued

Stranger: so that’s fair

You: ok, well what i was saying is that you are a teenager in a country that is super anti-union, that has been brainwashing people to act against their own interest for a very long time

Stranger: and hey here’s an idea, instead of continuously working at minimum wage jobs where it is easy to be replaced, work at a job that you can’t be easily replaced with. thus you can ask for a wage and use your leverage

You: so like yeah, its gonna be hard to change minds

You: ha ha, what?

Stranger: the problem is that you feel entitled. you’re not entitled to someone else’s money. it’s an agreement that you have to come to with someone else

Stranger: if you don’t like the fact that you don’t get a raise, stop working in a line of work where you can be easily replaced

You: dude, you got it upside down

Stranger: no i don’t. i’ve argued with people like you many a time

Stranger: you’re all the same

Stranger: despite what you think

Stranger: because you all think highly of yourselves

Stranger: if decide to start a business and risk my economic well being, you are not entitled to an equal share of said business simply because you are employed by me

Stranger: i took the risk

You: but probably not

Stranger: and just for the record, i do believe the minimum wage should be raised

You: like, most business owners come from inherited wealth

Stranger: anywhere between $10-$12

Stranger: that’s not relevant, that’s just you showing your jealousy

Stranger: and that’s not true either

You: i think it is relevant

You: the financial risk of business owners who have inherited wealth is very minimal

Stranger: what evidence do you have that “most” businesses owners come from inhereted wealth

You: scratch the most

Stranger: my father was raised in cuba

You: do you think the Walton's of walmart deserve their money at this point?

Stranger: he came over and started a business with $0 of inherited wealth

Stranger: you are not entitled to an equal part of that business

Stranger: in any way

You: do you think walmart workers don't deserve a living wage?

Stranger has disconnected.