I just cannot fathom how the owner of a huge company that is known for constantly abusing its employees can say that he dislikes situations that create “lords and peasants”. Like what is happening in his brain to make him think that is a sane thing to say?
In a weird way Elon is right. Unions do a lot to raise class consciousness and thus make people realize that there is indeed a lord ruling over most of their lives.
I think in Elon’s illusionary world view he would prefer if workers would see themselves as stake owners in a company where all strive for the same goals.
In reality though that can only happen with worker owned coops, which by definition can’t have an “Elon”.
So he doesn’t mind there being lords and peasants, he just doesn’t like people being aware of this fact. That makes more sense, though it’s no less villainous.
I don’t get the supposed reasoning behind that, as in: how are unions creating a “lords and peasants situation”? Who are the lords, who are the peasants?
(Perhaps he’s thinking about the common American implementation, where you have union workers with union privileges, and regular workers without? And then the former would be the lords? Although even union workers don’t rule over their non-union colleagues, I don’t think.)
(Caveat: I don’t really know the Swedish system either, but I doubt he was talking specifically about that.)
He is just projecting. Unions and historically trade and craft guilds have been organized bodies to protect the interests of their members in a hierachical system. Where before the craftsmen were their own businessmen but subjected to feudal order, now the workers are employed to a capitalist.
There is an entire political movement of Neufeudalism, that wants to use Neoliberal ideas of deregulation, dismantling of central governments and contracted slavery to reestablish feudal systems. Just that then the authority would not stem from title inheritance but from wealth inheritance. Subsequently many former feudal families in European countries try to reestablish themselves this way, for instance through political activities in fascist and far-right political movements.
I just cannot fathom how the owner of a huge company that is known for constantly abusing its employees can say that he dislikes situations that create “lords and peasants”. Like what is happening in his brain to make him think that is a sane thing to say?
In a weird way Elon is right. Unions do a lot to raise class consciousness and thus make people realize that there is indeed a lord ruling over most of their lives.
I think in Elon’s illusionary world view he would prefer if workers would see themselves as stake owners in a company where all strive for the same goals.
In reality though that can only happen with worker owned coops, which by definition can’t have an “Elon”.
So he doesn’t mind there being lords and peasants, he just doesn’t like people being aware of this fact. That makes more sense, though it’s no less villainous.
I don’t get the supposed reasoning behind that, as in: how are unions creating a “lords and peasants situation”? Who are the lords, who are the peasants?
(Perhaps he’s thinking about the common American implementation, where you have union workers with union privileges, and regular workers without? And then the former would be the lords? Although even union workers don’t rule over their non-union colleagues, I don’t think.)
(Caveat: I don’t really know the Swedish system either, but I doubt he was talking specifically about that.)
He is just projecting. Unions and historically trade and craft guilds have been organized bodies to protect the interests of their members in a hierachical system. Where before the craftsmen were their own businessmen but subjected to feudal order, now the workers are employed to a capitalist.
There is an entire political movement of Neufeudalism, that wants to use Neoliberal ideas of deregulation, dismantling of central governments and contracted slavery to reestablish feudal systems. Just that then the authority would not stem from title inheritance but from wealth inheritance. Subsequently many former feudal families in European countries try to reestablish themselves this way, for instance through political activities in fascist and far-right political movements.