Tesla has added another brazenly stupid new entry to its dubious safety record.

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[–] 35 points 1 year ago (4 children)

We call it a democracy but it's been an oligarchy for over a century.

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  • [–] 24 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    No.
    Oligarchy has waxed and waned throughout US history. It's latest rise has only been over the last 50 years or so. They were kept thoroughly in check for 40ish years before that. It was after Nixon's pardon that they realized they might be able to get away with it again.

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Yes I gave an overly simplified version... but the essential meaning is the same. Every gain was immediately lost, oligarchy is still 100% the description.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Every gain was immediately lost

    Not at all.
    They may be weaker, but we still have unions. Social security is still in place. We still have 5 day 40 hour workweeks as standard. Overtime is still paid at 1.5x. We still have OSHA ensuring safe working conditions. The list is long.

    Each cycle the public makes many gains. Most of them are carried through to the next cycle, where more gains are made. I have hope that Gen z or Gen Alpha will gain ground on universal healthcare, mandatory vacation and sick leave, mandatory family leave, voting rights and methods. Hell with AI coming for everyone's jobs, maybe even a form of universal basic income.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    I have personally seen the ways overtime is maneuvered. Service industry is still paid in pittance with no chance at the gains a union can provide. The working poor are still keeping this oligarchy afloat. Mayhaps my grand neices and nephews can see gains but by then will we have poisoned the world too much for them to enjoy it?

    I'm just depressive, your points are well made, but the doom still sits upon my shoulders....

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