>The hollowing out of the middle class in the US isn't because of immigrants, it's because of a sustained campaign by capital to reduce the power of labor
Importing cheap foreign labor to undercut unions and lower wages is one of the spokes of the wheel used by capital to reduce the power of labor (and always has been).
>Don’t understand this pessimism. There are a large number of countries in the world. You can migrate out of a country if they start doing insane things like this.
Unfortunately in 2025 it is a race to the bottom. While some countries (such as the UK) are sinking faster than others, there isn't a single country I can think of that is moving in the right direction when it comes to privacy, free speech and civil liberties.
As someone who knows enough about how much CISCO equipment is purchased around the globe for DPI and privacy invasion as a government business is booming.
It is clear through any remotely honest reading of history that hemispheric hegemony was the whole point since Monroe. If you go back and read the speeches and literature from ~200 years ago from the time of Monroe it is pretty explicitly stated.
Whenever the issue of cars come up the gaping divide between Europeans and Americans rears its ugly head. It's like someone living at the equator telling the Alaska resident that though they own a winter hat, they rarely feel the need to use it. In many areas of Europe it is not only possible, but convenient to get around without a car. In the overwhelming majority of the United States it's impossible or inconvenient with only a couple of cities (like NYC) where it's even feasible. In fact, a growing number of eateries and coffee places in the USA are solely accessible via the drive through. They don't accept walk in customers at all and have no dining area.
But isnt the problem that america was built by americans to be car-centric? Most americans dont live in the middle of nowhere in a forest cabin or on a ranch. No one is saying individuals in america are bad for using a car when the system is broken. The critic is about the system.
>Do you really think that companies were hiring that many unqualified people for DEI reasons?
Depending on what industry you are in, absolutely. I can offer one anecdote that I can personally attest actually occurred. (though I was not the protagonist).
There was an opening for a new, salaried, full-time faculty member after the unfortunate death of the previous position holder. During the hiring discussion at a staff meeting at this (private) NYC college the Dean stated, "we aren't hiring or promoting any more straight white men". They said this openly, and without shame, in front of a room full of people including a well-credentialed adjunct (who happened to be a straight, white man) who had worked there for several years, without an annual contract or any of the accompanying benefits. And, in fact, they ended up hiring a completely unqualified black, LGBTQ woman for that position. The woman was so unqualified and out of her depth that she stopped showing up entirely just a month into the semester. The passed-over adjunct tried to file an EEOC complaint but was told (rightly or wrongly) that since he wasn't part of a protected class he didn't qualify. For the next several years, of the ~10 people that were hired or promoted at this NYC college, none were straight white men.
Video news is a poor source of information, highlighting outliers when full data distributions are needed to analyze the dynamics at play.
One person’s account of what happened against an entity who is not allowed to discuss their side of the story is useless. And even if the whole account is accurate, it is not sufficient to stand in as proof of a nation’s protocol.
Importing cheap foreign labor to undercut unions and lower wages is one of the spokes of the wheel used by capital to reduce the power of labor (and always has been).
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