Wage slaves in the modern world

We are all slaves, not surprisingly it's unpopular to tell people this, but hey, someones got to break the bad news to you someday and the start of 2010 seems as good a time as ever, now you are all plumped up and expectantly awaiting all the good things that the new year will bring you.... Yeah Right.

Of course I must allow for some of you who have escaped from slavery, escaped slaves so to speak, those who belong to no country, race or creed, who have no job to go to each day, no debts to be paid, no demands on their time made by family or friends, who have made no commitments to anyone or anything in anyway.

But they probably aren't reading this anyway.

So how do I justify telling you this, well let's start with the dictionary...

slave [sleɪv] n

1. (Law) a person legally owned by another and having no freedom of action or right to property

By default we are all owned by Satan, when we are born, who is the Prince of this world, and into whose kingdom we are born.

Don't believe that, fine, no problem, your consent is not required nor considered, it's just a fact and the only thing you can do to change that is find a more powerful entity who will free you from your master.

My liberator is Christ.

He paid the price with his own blood for my freedom and I was set free, but I'd learned, and chose to become a bond slave, a willing servant for life.

It's a great deal, I gave Him my life and He gave me His life.

In slavery as we all know it, the "Yes Massa" kind, where 'evil white' cotton plantation owners held complete power over African slaves bought from English slave traders....who had acquired them from Arab dealers....who had engaged tribal gangs to kidnap or capture them in their homeland....that kind of slave.... the facts still ran true.

The second generation slave was born into captivity and never knew any different life, maybe told by the parents or grandparents about the history they had never known, but personally in ignorance of freedom, aware of nothing except their current surroundings and the tasks they were to perform.

In this type of slavery religion was a powerful force that both held out hope of a better future for these slaves and yet still assisted the slave owner in maintaining control over their captive workers.

2. (Business / Industrial Relations & HR Terms)

A person who is forced to work for another against his will.

Most folk are in this category, in reality.

I was advised to do a job I liked, then it would never be work to me.

My father wanted me to get a secure job when I left school (with no qualifications), a job that would pay my wages for life.

His generation had experienced the 'Great Depression' and sought security, mine experienced the 'Summer of Love' and sought freedom, neither generation got what they wanted.

A 'steady job' has it's advantages, had I joined the police force I would have been governing the 'slaves' of society and been rewarded (in those days) with early retirement and the right to pretty much do what I liked as long as I knew how to do a funny handshake.

Notice how the definition includes HR... had to think about that, then I realised it was industry speak for 'human resources' which is the current title for those who manage the workforce to the employees best advantage. We became human resources, we are a resource.

Still think slavery was abolished, think again, we just re-branded it and took the irons off for aesthetic purposes, now we chain people with credit cards, mortgages on houses they will never own, and sports TV beamed into your favourite armchair.

Yippee, your a free man!.....as long as you turn up each day for work.

Slaves monitor and control themselves now days, we don't need fences, we've built our own prisons.

3. a person under the domination of another person or some habit or influence.

No real need to expand this definition, even the most fuddled brain can comprehend that we are all under the domination of not 'another person' but whole departments of them, who enslaved themselves act as our overseers without the need for whips to control us.

You will have submissively accepted that you must ONLY put your rubbish out on certain days and in specified containers, on pain of either non collection or a fine.

Congratulations you are now a part time unpaid (in fact you pay for the priviledge) rubbish collector and sorter.

No longer served by your elected officials, you now exist to serve the community, and woe betide you if you are lax in your servitude.

'Some habit or influence'

Well I already mentioned your 200+ channel digibox with channels dedicated to most anything you care to watch.

I saw a trailer tonight for a new show that was based upon disabled folk learning to dance and compete in wheelchairs.... has the world gone crazy!

How about those programs where they send delinquent brats to stay with 'The worlds toughest parents' and show us how the (normally) fierce black American Baptist minister and the 'Pastors wife and children' turns these yobs into model citizens.

Good concept, but have we sunk to a level where parenting skills tuition forms part of modern entertainment, if you could call it that!

4. (Business / Industrial Relations & HR Terms) a person who works in harsh conditions for low pay

In the UK and Spain, where I live, we have reached a point where the really cruddy jobs are no longer attractive to our 'educated' masses, so we import slaves from North Africa or Eastern Europe as required.

If you live in the UK and buy your vegetables in the supermarket, we probably grew them in Spain, who seem to have cornered the market in chemically grown fruit and veg.

The chemicals are so deadly that we use Morrocans or Senegalese to man the vast plastic tunnels where your big juicy tomatoes are manufactured in soil free environments.

They don't last long (the workers that is, the tomatoes will last forever once they have been irradiated) but that's no problem as there are a constant flow of boat refugees flocking to our shores to replace those who go back to die, if they can make it home before sickness drops them.

We don't have slavery any more, do we?

Finally, the ultimate slave, one that works without lunch breaks and vacations, never gets pregnant or sick and you don't have to pay a dime to once you've bought it.

5. (Engineering / Mechanical Engineering)

A device that is controlled by or that duplicates the action of another similar device (the master device)

OK, I know that you have noticed Jenkins in accounts looks like he's doing this all day long, following Mr Cartwrights managerial skills and hoping for a promotion, but Jenkins has blood in his veins, not a controlled current with silicone processors moving his bits about in a perfect movement without interruption for 24 hours a day.

I should sing the praises of modern technology that can produce a car without people being involved in the manufacturing process, after all it frees the people from drudgery doesn't it?

No. actually it frees the people to sit at home looking for work by filling in endless CV's and sending them by email to companies who will not hire them in any case, but these long term unemployed redundant slaves need to carry on hoping for employment, and going through the motions, to collect their social security welfare payments for as long as possible, before they finally succumb to accepting a job offering DIY advice in chain-store supermarkets.

Sure, slavery was abolished in the 18th century.

Gotta dash, or I'll be late for my shift start, now where did I put my uniform and overalls?

When I first wrote this, there was a 'tongue in cheek' approach to the subject, the video below shows the truly serious aspect of modern slavery, which is taking place in our countries right now, fueled by our obsession with 'anything goes'.

Watch the video, then decide to do something about what you have seen, I have, so should you and every other sane human being on the planet.

Slavery must be stopped, all sorts, but especially forced slavery