• shalafi@lemmy.world
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    11 days ago

    Go read The Grapes of Wrath and The Concrete Jungle. Get back to me on today’s unrelenting misery.

    • blackbelt352@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      One kind of misery does not negate the existence of other kinds of misery. The pain of living through the Great Depression is different from the pain of seeing reality eroded away into propaganda for the highest bidders, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be fighting to end misery.

      • Grail@lemmy.world
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        11 days ago

        Reality has always been propaganda designed to serve the highest bidders. It’s just more obvious now because they’re changing the propaganda more often.

        http://soulism.net

          • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world
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            10 days ago

            You can do all things through christ.

            Sign up today, christ subscription service. Basic services start at just 10% your household income. With the power of Jesus^tm right at your finger tips you will be able to clasp your hands and pray for:

            That sweet new jacuzzi

            The love and admiration of NFL hero Patrick Mahomes

            A larger and wider penis/vigina

            A billion doll hairs

            Don’t let modernity ruin your daily life with doubt and uncertainty. Let Jesus^tm give you hope that will fuel your mindless toil while you work until the day you die.

    • jerkface@lemmy.ca
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      11 days ago

      There are more human slaves alive on Earth today than at any previous point in history.

      • DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social
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        11 days ago

        I doubt it. The Roman Empire alone at its height had a population of 50-90 million with roughly a quarter of that enslaved.

        Even with extremely inclusive definitions of slavery (which are also not included in the classical count) the modern estimates of the total number of slaves is like 40-50 million. It’s too many, obviously, but classical period Europe, Africa, and Asia alone would crush those numbers, and the 'New World" didn’t appear out of nowhere when Columbus stumbled into it.

      • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        There are more people alive today then any other point in human history. Do you have slaves per capita?

    • Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works
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      10 days ago

      Just read the plot of grapes of wrath, uhhh, you do understand that the story is about late stage capitalism right? And the person you were responding to is saying how we live in similar times right?

      Its like someone saying poison can kill you and you respond with: see this story about how bad lots of poison is… yeah… that’s the point.

      • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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        8 days ago

        I remember a scene in Grapes where they realized their ground beef had sawdust in it, and then decided to eat it anyway.

        Have you read it?