Malls destroyed small town businesses as it fed suburban sprawl. Later, Walmart destroyed tens of thousands of small retailers as it undermined worker rights. Now it's Amazon to take US worker oppression to the next level. Amazon is so bad, it pays home workers pennies an hour.
How long will US workers take this?
JB: "Every body MUST ABSOLUTELY NEVER EVER STOP working 24x7x365 !!"
The genius of the ruling class is that they have kept the dying middle class anesthetized with technology and the internet. iPhones anyone? YouTube? Hulu? It's a better drug than heroine to escape into. Speaking of heroine, you think this opioid epidemic is symptomatic of the decline of people's fortunes? I do.
Eventually the middle class will shrink enough, that it will destabilize the current system and bring about change. What do you think this whole thing with Trump was about? People want change. ANY change. So they decided to give Washington the middle finger and screwed themselves in the process.
Historically, the middle class has been the buffer between the upper class and the working poor. The middle class gives the lower class something to aspire to and hope for. Without a middle class there is no hope. And a people without hope are the most dangerous. Most revolutions throughout history have happened because the wealthy got too greedy and squeezed the under classses just a bit too far.
The question is what will be the "too far" for Americans? As long as they have food, a home, and Internet, I don't see people rousing out of their stupor.
The news articles about working at Amazon paint it as horrific. I have no idea if that is accurate though.
Walmart is about the same as what I see in the news articles for Amazon. At least it feels that way to me.
It seems like we are returning to the 19th century values of Herbert Spencer ("survival of the fittest"). And there also seems to be so little resistance. Presently, there enough people doing well to keep this dysfunction going. And there are enough distractions for the declining middle class. But it's taking a toll across the US.
shows only concern the elite ruling class has is profits profits profits--no concern for the quality of human life.
In my opinion Amazon is treating employees so bad it's getting hard for them to get Employees. Many applied through staffing service. Amazon steps up right away no we want you full time (carrot), stock, Medical, Dental, eye care, 401k. Person has Amazon experience and wants full time. OK hired in, and mention all things offered to a previously Amazon employee, that person says "You will never see your stock option". Hired person works everyday, on time everyday through peak, taking every overtime hour available. Working group was given a pizza party for lowest error rates a week before. Supervisor was OK and telling hired person about your good write ups. Group person was hired in had10k errors was target, group had 4k errors hence the party. Hired person walks in one of the first weeks where there was no overtime available, (peak) over. Come with me your fired! Previous employee was right about never seeing stock option. On same night another person that was hired same day reported was fired same night.
US workers will take it until it becomes so painful they start voting, running for office themselves, and they start unionizing and striking. Until then, it is what it is.