this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2023
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"The mine owners did not find the gold, they did not mine the gold, they did not mill the gold, but by some weird alchemy all the gold belonged to them!" - Big Bill Haywood, 1929
They convinced investors to buy into the mining company, they bought the land, they paid the prospector, they bought the mining equipment, they paid the miners
The gold paid them back.
How else could it work?
Edit. Interesting that no one has an answer on how else it could work.... For example, in Bolivia there are mining cooperatives, but they still use all the tools of capitalism to extract the gold, and the co-op members are no different to investors really. The hours worked and conditions are no different. Mining is hard and dangerous.
They bought the land? They paid the miners?? Mining has a history of forcing native people out of their lands through threats or worse killing people, making slaves out of poor people and forcing them into 12+ hours shifts in horrible and unsafe conditions.
And you're using the products that result from that mining, so you're just as culpable
No demand, no mining.
We should improve society somewhat.
But do we really want to pay the price for others getting it better?
https://youtu.be/XLGzFQg_1xc
I'm not saying that's how I want it to be but unfortunately his point in the end it's depressingly accurate...
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It's been improving for 10,000 years. We're good.
YoU bOuGhT aN iPhOnE sO yOu CaNt CrItIcIzE cApItAlIsM
Pretty sure mining is done under all political systems.
What alternative do you suggest for making things?