Here.

Please don't read comments until you've read this. It is very short and fast to read. It is radicalizing. It is a good short story to send to your friend who needs to understand what capitalism is. LeGuin wrote this in 1973, cementing her status as Chad Supreme of Fuck Mountain. Bow before her might.

Let's discuss in the comments below.

  • Wmill [they/them]
    ·
    4 years ago

    Powerful read but don't know how well it will radicalized anyone who already doesn't have doubts about the status quo. An English teacher I had tried saying utopia wasn't possible because you need slaves nevermind the prison labor that exists now and things suck for the majority of us.

      • Wmill [they/them]
        ·
        4 years ago

        I get that, just saying there are people that seemed to be educated, college professor in this case, that can get the meaning from poems and the like but who's brains seem to shut down when it comes to politics. Intelligence vs wisdom stat I guess.

    • gayhobbes [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      4 years ago

      Call it another tool in the belt, my man. My personal recommendation is you throw everything against the wall to see if it sticks. You might think you know what's going to work, but I've found I never truly do. This has helped me in the past so I thought I'd pass it along.

      • Wmill [they/them]
        ·
        4 years ago

        You're right, I won't dismiss it just because I think they might not get it. I'll see about passing it on to someone else when given the chance. If it works it works.

        • gayhobbes [he/him]
          hexagon
          ·
          4 years ago

          I think it just twigs with some folks. Like that child reminds them like, oh right, we use child labor for our clothes. How fucked is that?

          • Wmill [they/them]
            ·
            4 years ago

            True people in jail are just assumed to have it coming but kids are innocent.

    • SSJBlueStalin [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Thats a bit bleak. You don't need slaves, infact slaves are undesirable.

      Letting alone the peoblem of how slavery isn't actually a useful system. The gimmick is that in our world there isn't enough work to go around. If you only accounted for useful work we could have a society on the level of ours with people working two hour days or so. There just wouldn't be shoe salesmen.

      • Wmill [they/them]
        ·
        4 years ago

        Sorry wasn't advocating some utilitarian idea about slaves or anything just was saying things are horrible for so many under the current system against that teacher's logic against utopia. I understand that in order for a better world to be possible we shouldn't and can't sacrisfe anyone. Not just from whatever country we might be from but also around the world. We stand together in solidarity or get taken out one by one.

        • SSJBlueStalin [he/him]
          ·
          4 years ago

          Oh no, I didn't mean to imply you had. It is just a pet peve of mine when people describe slavey as efficent and abhorrent. When it is only cheap and abhorrent. It is actually highly inefficient but in the way of capitlaism that doesn't matter. So I came off to hard, sorry.

          • Wmill [they/them]
            ·
            4 years ago

            I was worrying I came a across wrong, no worries though. Maybe I should get some more sleep store posting next time.