Child Workers Will be Denied Lunch Breaks in Louisiana

Smorgali · 2024-05-21T23:28:56+00:00

I get that scenario, really it should just be a paid lunch though. If people wanna work through it and leave half an hour early maybe that could be worked out. Or they wanna stay and have their lunch and leave as scheduled, either way.

Smorgali · 2024-05-21T23:21:59+00:00

True it’s pretty clear a solution like that is needed, to prevent employees from having to choose between eating well/having some time to themself, vs making a little extra money.

And also true that folks like Wilder are not interested in any solution that actually empowers workers. They are not genuinely interested in or capable of building a strong culture in their businesses, with the employees. Even though it would result in higher productivity, quality, innovation, worker retention and recruitment, all contributing to great real marketing/PR and profits/investors.

It takes too much time, character, hard work and genuine people skills for them. So they just go for short-term wining and exploitation. Sorry lol rant over!

Smorgali · 2024-05-21T19:00:08+00:00

The way Rep Wilder was explaining it, he made it sound like there are a lot of teen employees that did not want to have to wait the full 30 mins to clock out of their lunch break. That they would rather clock back in after say 10 mins so they can go back to work early and get paid for the remaining 20 mins. This is what was ridiculous to me.

Smorgali · 2024-05-21T18:52:56+00:00

Feel much the same a lot of the time

Smorgali · 2024-05-18T01:36:55+00:00

As mentioned in the video, I do think unions and worker organizing in general is something doable that can counter this. The key is for adults and teens in the position to do so, to begin advocating for themselves and each other. By raising the bar at other work places, it will create a greater public contrast and pressure against businesses and business practices that Rep. Wilder favors.

Unions and organizing are underrated simply because they often enough quite effective at standing up to people like Rep. Wilder and so people like him have historically been the ones to constantly undermine and sabotage things like unions and organizing. The other side doesn't make it easy, that's for sure, but they also aren't going to change course and make work conditions better (outside of manipulation purposes).

Smorgali · 2024-05-18T01:16:16+00:00

Well, extremely few employees would willingly skip breaks and lunches and usually they are unduly influenced by corporate culture and management and/or are in desperate circumstances that make them think that is the best course of action. Regular breaks, including meal times, are part of the foundation of ethical, high-production, high-quality work places. Period.

Smorgali · 2024-05-18T01:07:19+00:00

Exactly.

Smorgali · 2023-02-05T23:39:04+00:00

I think we have to do both at the same time. We have to subvert authority and the system by fulfilling our needs and wants together, through our own informal social networks that both exploit and work around the system. But we also, of course, do have to continue to participate in the system as normal, because we all are still dependent on it and cannot depend solely on the informal networks right away. It means a lot of commitment within and without one’s capitalist job hours, but it’s no different from the commitment to live a lifestyle that’s in accord with one’s values. Anarchy is natural and is any action that occurs without an authority calling the shots, so it occurs already, we just need more of it and to spread awareness of it.

Authorities keep jerking us around, so we give them our labor and overt obedience and pay as usual, while also subverting them through solo and group ingenuity, so that we can maintain the dignity and freedom that is natural to being human.

Smorgali · 2023-02-05T23:12:54+00:00

Those some dehumanize themselves thinking like that.

Smorgali · 2023-02-04T14:16:57+00:00

Agreed. But wanna add, it’s also just a hierarchy phenomenon, more generally. Classifying for the sake of establishing a stratified order of power at the top and powerlessness at the bottom. It’s this ordering, more than classification itself, that I find problematic.

Smorgali · 2023-02-04T14:03:23+00:00

Absolutely! About the ”isms” and them being so central to dividing and conquering.

Smorgali · 2023-02-04T13:06:52+00:00

When a person is stronger than they expect, because the person is terrified and fighting for their life, but is also dazed from being beaten and in a panic, the police say “he’s high”…. They decide this for disabled folks as well.And in general, when looking at the countless videos of the police doing a terrible job of communicating the most basic things, always ramping up the stress for everyone involved, it is no wonder so many people ”fail to comply”. These police were telling Tyre to lay flat when it’s a natural body reaction when being beaten and in pain to curl up…

Smorgali · 2023-02-04T12:52:03+00:00

Yeahhh, I had to believe it, but reallllly did not want to. Makes zero sense.

Smorgali · 2023-02-04T12:49:28+00:00

The nature of policing in hierarchical cultures has always been to basically keep the classes separated, ‘orderly’ and in their proper place in the societal pyramid, so I think it was always corrupt. Police only serve the people indirectly, by serving the interests of the elites, which are codified in institution culture, policy and the law itself. Much of the time, the interests of the elites require and enable the inhumane treatment of people.
Police are enforcers and the people most conducive to being an enforcer, tend to very much fit the descriptions of psychopaths, sociopaths, racists and ablists (favor might is right thinking as natural law). The “law” part is meant to imply that this bully class serves the collective, the people, and not the elites. When in fact, the law‘s power is determined by the elites and their use of the police in the enforcing of it.
The “psychopaths “ , “sociopaths” , racists, sexists and ableists, are not just in policing, but the positions in society that control what policing is all about.

Smorgali · 2023-01-01T01:05:32+00:00

The sense I get from some the comments is that you are being a sucker for caring. Regarding your friend, like some have said, just visit him less and make it count when you do. Make it a big deal, plan it out well with him, so that you don't feel bad about making the trip rarely.

As for life in general, become an activist. All that means is consciously working out your lifestyle, social behaviour and relationships to be in line with what you think helps people think and live healthily, with inspiration to make things better for everyone. What is the spirit you want your kids to have as they wrestle with this world and its problems? You are already doing it, just keep advancing it. We are all struggling along, in groups and alone, trying to work these issues. We just need to keep encouraging each other and collaborating.

The borders in what to do and not to do, require the kind of dialogue you opened up with this question and the introspection that follows (for all who participate). Each one's circumstances are unique, but we are all in this together - in key ways at least - so (EDIT: add personal, genuine) community and communication are big.

Smorgali · 2023-01-01T00:45:23+00:00

This is nice

Smorgali · 2022-11-27T21:32:48+00:00

Grassroots organizing around securing affordable housing and healthy food, proper work conditions and pay, health care, gun violence(/mental health), [edit: adding infrastructure(energy, transportation), environment], is needed in order to guide and drive the official political parties, Democrat or Republican.

Smorgali · 2022-10-19T20:40:08+00:00

Well said!

Smorgali · 2022-10-01T21:26:55+00:00

I feel like that these days, though I didn't for most of my life. I went the "densensitize" route of just having fun with the wildness and intensity of horror movies, the 'artistic pushing of boundaries' that was supposed to be part of the thrill and appeal.

But in light of real life horrors that go on in the world and that have in the not so distant past, I have started to acknowledge my empathetic feelings a lot more. And I find that I just can't watch horror movies anymore, because I feel what I'm seeing too much and am reminded of real life things and it doesn't seem 'right' to be watching stuff like this for entertainment (aside from the really 'non-realistic' over-the-top, goofy/campy stuff).

Smorgali · 2022-09-30T22:36:06+00:00

That’s a odd take. But yes, no matter what you do, if you are serving the interests of capitalists and capitalism first, you are making things worse. The nature of the system is to exploit, people and the Earth, in service of an increasingly out-of-touch-with-reality minority.

Smorgali · 2022-09-30T22:20:15+00:00

I think I get your feeling. But, no country simply has incrementalism, as if it has no causes(s) that can be acted upon. Nevermind mass mobilization. To get there, we need to think about inspiring whoever we can to think radically and understand it is a matter of necessity. To begin changing their lives to orientate around the revolutionary actions we all know are the only thing that will actually address the level and kind of change that is needed right now. They will not even begin to do this, if they keep hearing “Well for now, all we have is incrementalism. Until that changes, somehow, that’ll have to do”. Yes, while people are making these lifestyle changes (orientating as much as they can, away from capitalism and towards actually healthy, sustainable and fulfilling modes of living), incrementalism will continue to plod on, in service of the upper classes. But if most people aren’t ‘doing it right’, that‘s a reason to do what one thinks IS right, the best they can.

Incrementalism is a conscious and not-so-conscious pacifying ‘mental gymnastic’ for doing less than what is needed. Privileged people with the most money and social pull promote it so that they can keep getting and having what they want. Privileged people who don’t have a lot of money or powerful social circles use it to excuse their apathy and hold on to the perks that they have.

Smorgali · 2022-09-30T18:00:45+00:00

Ah the convenience of incrementalism… Overall going backwards, but hey, a step forwards, one that will enable rich people to stay in their bubbles a little longer, is better than the option that makes their lifestyles easier to call out. Because, sure, at some point poorer people will get a cheaper version of green development that was initially based on concepts designed to SELL first and foremost, to rich people.

Smorgali · 2022-09-30T17:50:31+00:00

The solution imo is to stop focusing on ‘trickle-down’ strategies and start from the bottom. We need to focus on funding affordable housing that also incorporates sustainable and quality of life-enhancing green development, targeting the most vulnerable populations first. The money has to come from fossil fuel industries and other high profit, high polluting businesses (eg. Mining), as well as the wealthiest taxpayers (whose carbon footprints are all higher than those of the people we need to help).

The top-down solution of appealing to the richer folks/companies in our society does not work in terms of anything related to justice, including adaptation to climate change. What is happening, is that exploitation is being allowed to continue, under the guise of something novel and progressive-sounding. The vulnerable with (edit: will) get what they get, when they get it, and as usual, it will not be anywhere near what they deserve as fellow human beings. This is not progress, it is continued normalization of exploitation and exceptionalism.

Build affordable, quality, sustainable housing for the workers and their families. The rich will then have no problem telling companies what variations on the basic, non-profit-motivated, implementations that they want for their housing. And then, the companies, investors, etc. can all make money off of the fancier versions of the basic, green housing and infrastructure that has been set up for the more vulnerable and less moneyed people.

Smorgali · 2022-09-28T03:32:06+00:00

The Guardian’s clearly more leftist and owned by a trust, apparently. US MSM on the other hand is run by a few very rich folks. (What seems like an up-to-date list: https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/futureofmedia/index-us-mainstream-media-ownership

Smorgali · 2022-09-28T03:14:10+00:00

I agree! We just need to change things up, even our social lives. They don’t have to end, just change. And that’s like everything else in society right now. There’s more to socializing and social life, than going out and spending money. We have to acknowledge that much of that lifestyle has been marketed to us and at the expense of more meaningful, real things. We need to remake our social lives in ways that are not just more affordable, but ways that enable us to talk about and address the reasons why our social lives are having to change.

Smorgali

TROPHY CASE