Economic slavery, or wage slavery, refers to
one’s total and immediate dependence on wages to survive. Although
people throughout history have had to work to get by, we now live in a
culture where we are led to believe we have economic freedom, when
unbeknownst to most citizens, we are in fact bound in servitude. We
automatically accept a 40-hour workweek with meager hourly pay as
normal, even though many work overtime and still struggle to survive.
There are also those who make enough to live comfortably but are unable
to request less hours—you either work 40 hours a week, or you don’t get
to work at all. We submit when told what to wear, when we have to arrive
and depart, when we’re allowed to eat, and even when we’re allowed to
use the restroom. How is it we have come to allow this?
The 40-hour-work week came about during the Industrial Revolution in
Britain when at one point workers were putting in 10 to 16 hour days and
began to protest. Working situations for Americans began to worsen as
well, and by 1836, labor movement publications were also calling for a
40-hour workweek. Citizens in both situations were so overworked, an
eight-hour day was easily accepted. This system is unnecessary now, if
it ever was, but we still accept it due to the effects of our capitalist
society.
There are many contributing factors that have led to our current
economic system and continued acceptance of the 40-hour workweek, three
major factors being consumerism, inflation, and debt. First, it’s
important to understand exactly what inflation is, how it works, and how
it leads to debt.
read more here:http://anonhq.com/true-reason-behind-40-hour-work-week-economic-slaves/
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