A tiny step forward ✊
post
❌ Abolition of slavery
✅ Whip reform
what a beautiful representation of libs, even captures the protests they always do to keep themselves busy hehe
Can't wait for .world centrists to find this
Who is holding the middle sign?
Yeah thats the spirit. I for one would love to get some small steps into the right direction. (Which changes all the time, but a step is a step, right? Even if we just walked into the opposite direction)
The problem is that incremental change is only possible in systems that have room for incremental improvement, and are run democratically. This rules out capitalism entirely.
Truly, no progress of any sort was ever made in between the 1800s and 2000s in capitalist USA.
"Progress" in what manner, and for who?
8 hr work day from 16 is an improvement. Need more though.
The modern movement originated in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life. At that time, the working day could range from 10 to 16 hours, the work week was typically six days, and child labour was common.
The shift to the 40 hour work week came alongside 2 critical advancements: organized working classes taking inspiration from successful socialist revolution, and the expansion of imperialism abroad. Devastating working conditions were exported from the global north to the global south in a collective agreement to stop a risk of revolution.
Yes, so all the laws securing that over the decades doesnt count as incrmental change? Maybe we have different interpretation of the definition of incremental change?
you're the one who doesn't understand how quantitative change produces qualitative change. that is not possible in bourgeois "democracy" because you're never allowed enough quantitative change to produce qualitative change. even in the case you mention about the 8hs work shift, that is no longer the case in a lot of countries or for a lot of people even in the first world. the law might not have changed that the shift can't be much more than 8hs, but you can have 2 jobs, you can do extra hours and no option to deny them. and in some countries you actually don't have an 8 hours shift. so no, those laws don't secure anything and they are no guarantee this will remain true in the foreseable future. in most cases what it takes is 1 (one, ONE!!!) term from the "left to fascism party" and that can be reversed. i understand you're asking in good faith, but i find it bizarre that you trust so blindly the political ideology of a class that isn't yours, robs and abuses you.
All of the little bits of change that have happened have been secondary to the actual evolution of capitalism. We cannot fix capitalism.
Incrementalism did not achieve the 8 hour workday, anarchists and communists throwing bombs did, because power has no reason to compromise unless it is actually threatened.
We innovated new ways to profit off genocides and put fascists in charge of countries
Open your fucking eyes lol. You're barreling towards fascism because dems limp dick policies are unpalatable to the base.
and here's what it gets you in the long run https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B
Things really can get a lot worse and very quickly.
Things can also get a lot better very quickly. Being against major change because change can be bad is like being against having a big cake because shit can also be big.
Generally I share your sentiment, but just for consideration, I couldn't so boldly say things can get better very quickly. Can they really?
Does human nature support that, or is major change virtually guaranteed to trigger power struggles and chaos detrimental to the average citizen?
I'm not sure we can objectively assert an answer very confidently.
there is no human nature, existence precedes essence. we first exist, then we decide what the fuck we are.

Just saw this but @gary_host_laptop@lemmy.ml seems to have beat me too it.
But effectively:
I couldn’t so boldly say things can get better very quickly. Can they really?
They can, simply look at China or the USSR when the revolution came and effectively every metric that matters (life expectancy up, poverty down etc.) went vertical.
Does human nature support that
Human nature isn't real. Material reality precedes thought/nature.
Decades of incrementalism is precisely how the US got to the spot where Trump has become a viable political figure.

all 3 comments