Worker Enslaved At SC Restaurant For 5 years

[Sparanoda]

How did this go on for so long? Why is this sort of thing even possible in the first place!?

Welcome to America, where slavery is okay if it's a punishment for arbitrary crimes.

And it's all because of a loophole in the 13th Amendment:

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

That "loophole" has nothing to do with this. Slavery/involuntary servitude is punishment for a crime following a criminal conviction in court. You think this guy was going "oh, well, the constitution says I can do this, otherwise I wouldn't"?

You presume the two are mutually exclusive.

Somehow I doubt that this guy would've given Forrest Gump a pass just for being white.

My guess is that it is like apartheid in South Africa, where racism was just a tool used to accomplish the real objective of subjugation. He took advantage of the racial situation, but probably wasn't the cause, though I suppose that it is possible that potential racist views were part of the decision-making process, but ultimately it doesn't really matter.

[Grenartia]

Five years? The other employees who just stood back and watched as this happened are just as guilty as the boss. The whole lot of them should be thrown in prison for what they did to that man.

Under capitalism such abuses are inevitable

And of course the great minds of NSG hop on to this man's plight to broadcast their politics. Please, tell me how forced slavery is somehow inevitable under capitalism, but not other systems.

Implying literally forcing a black man to work for no pay for over 5 years while abusing the shit out of him is "apolitically motivated". Get fucking real.

And yes, slavery is inevitable under capitalism, as the profit motive inherently encourages the bosses to steal as much of the wealth generated by the workers as they can possibly get away with.

[Grenartia]

Welcome to America, where slavery is okay if it's a punishment for arbitrary crimes.

And it's all because of a loophole in the 13th Amendment:

That "loophole" has nothing to do with this. Slavery/involuntary servitude is punishment for a crime following a criminal conviction in court. You think this guy was going "oh, well, the constitution says I can do this, otherwise I wouldn't"?

Somehow I doubt that this guy would've given Forrest Gump a pass just for being white.

My guess is that it is like apartheid in South Africa, where racism was just a tool used to accomplish the real objective of subjugation. He took advantage of the racial situation, but probably wasn't the cause, though I suppose that it is possible that potential racist views were part of the decision-making process, but ultimately it doesn't really matter.

I'd say the difference between a hypothetically-real Forrest Gump and this guy is that racism simultaneously enabled the jackass that did it to think he was justified, and made others overlook the red flags that would have caused them to intervene on Gump's behalf.

[The Democratic Nation of Unovia]

This whole story makes me feel sick. Wonder if they beat the restaurant owner for 5 Years straight if he would survive. Someone had to have known this was going on?

[Side 3]

Implying literally forcing a black man to work for no pay for over 5 years while abusing the shit out of him is "apolitically motivated". Get fucking real.

Being a piece of shit is political now?

And yes, slavery is inevitable under capitalism, as the profit motive inherently encourages the bosses to steal as much of the wealth generated by the workers as they can possibly get away with.

Is that why pretty much every capitalist country on the planet has illegalized slavery except for use on prisoners? Hell, even then it isn't slavery, because the prisoners still oftentimes receive payment.

[Cannot think of a name]

I don't know why the article feels the need to mention the race of everyone involved when race had nothing to do with it.

You're saying it's not noteworthy that a white man enslaved a black man in a former slave state?

That's an...interesting take.

[The Reformed American Republic]

How did this go on for so long? Why is this sort of thing even possible in the first place!?

Welcome to America, where slavery is okay if it's a punishment for arbitrary crimes.

And it's all because of a loophole in the 13th Amendment:

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Prison labor has nothing to do with this.

[Aerlanica]

I'd say the difference between a hypothetically-real Forrest Gump and this guy is that racism simultaneously enabled the jackass that did it to think he was justified, and made others overlook the red flags that would have caused them to intervene on Gump's behalf.

Um, you're forgetting the part where Smith had "intellectual disabilities"

So not only were people overlooking it because "well, I mean, it's not my problem" and it was perpetrated because of (possibly) race. It was also because this Smith guy's brain wasn't working as well as it could.

So basically Edward "enslaved" because of race and intellectual disabilities. Which makes him look like an even bigger dick.

This whole story makes me feel sick. Wonder if they beat the restaurant owner for 5 Years straight if he would survive. Someone had to have known this was going on?

Eh..probably, they just were most likely coerced into saying nothing because of threats to themselves like losing their job or other forms of leverage...it's real bad business right here.

[The Reformed American Republic]

I don't care what the motive is; modern day slavery and human trafficking should be pushed by death if the slaver is duly convicted.

[Grenartia]

Implying literally forcing a black man to work for no pay for over 5 years while abusing the shit out of him is "apolitically motivated". Get fucking real.

Being a piece of shit is political now?

It generally always is, on some level.

And yes, slavery is inevitable under capitalism, as the profit motive inherently encourages the bosses to steal as much of the wealth generated by the workers as they can possibly get away with.

Is that why pretty much every capitalist country on the planet has illegalized slavery except for use on prisoners?

The exception that proves the rule, because slavery was such a fucking problem that people demanded a government-enforced limitation on capitalism.

Hell, even then it isn't slavery, because the prisoners still oftentimes receive payment.

Wage slavery is a thing.

[Aerlanica]

I don't care what the motive is; modern day slavery and human trafficking should be pushed by death if the slaver is duly convicted.

Couldn't agree more; probably one of the few things that I will accept the death penalty to be used for.

Slavery is a stain on humanity, we should be showing to anyone thinking of doing such a heinous thing not only history, but how we deal with those scum.

[Grenartia]

I'd say the difference between a hypothetically-real Forrest Gump and this guy is that racism simultaneously enabled the jackass that did it to think he was justified, and made others overlook the red flags that would have caused them to intervene on Gump's behalf.

Um, you're forgetting the part where Smith had "intellectual disabilities"

So not only were people overlooking it because "well, I mean, it's not my problem" and it was perpetrated because of (possibly) race. It was also because this Smith guy's brain wasn't working as well as it could.

So basically Edward "enslaved" because of race and intellectual disabilities. Which makes him look like an even bigger dick.

You don't know who Forrest Gump is, do you? The character had intellectual disabilities as well. Thus, in a reality where Forrest Gump is a real person, the only effective difference between him and this man is their skin color.

[Aerlanica]

Um, you're forgetting the part where Smith had "intellectual disabilities"

So not only were people overlooking it because "well, I mean, it's not my problem" and it was perpetrated because of (possibly) race. It was also because this Smith guy's brain wasn't working as well as it could.

So basically Edward "enslaved" because of race and intellectual disabilities. Which makes him look like an even bigger dick.

You don't know who Forrest Gump is, do you? The character had intellectual disabilities as well. Thus, in a reality where Forrest Gump is a real person, the only effective difference between him and this man is their skin color.

hmmm...yeah...yeah I can see that.

Sorry about the confusion.

[New Vedan]

What the actual fuck?!? How did that go on for so long? Did nobody every question why this man was working for so many hours without getting paid? Did he never complain to his coworkers or customers about? Or even his friends or family? Why the hell didnt he just tell his boss to go fuck himself and walk out? I mean seriously how did he even survive without getting paid for 5 years? I have so many questions about this case...

[New haven america]

I am shocked that the place where The Confederacy was founded is still racist and has people trying to practice slavery.

shocked i say

[Conservative Republic Of Huang]

What the actual fuck?!? How did that go on for so long? Did nobody every question why this man was working for so many hours without getting paid? Did he never complain to his coworkers or customers about? Or even his friends or family? Why the hell didnt he just tell his boss to go fuck himself and walk out? I mean seriously how did he even survive without getting paid for 5 years? I have so many questions about this case...

intellectual disabilities.

[New haven america]

What the actual fuck?!? How did that go on for so long? Did nobody every question why this man was working for so many hours without getting paid? Did he never complain to his coworkers or customers about? Or even his friends or family? Why the hell didnt he just tell his boss to go fuck himself and walk out? I mean seriously how did he even survive without getting paid for 5 years? I have so many questions about this case...

In South Korea it's been known to go on for 30 years.

Yeah, salt and seaweed farmers in SK's West coast, the islands specifically, love snatching up people with disabilities and using them as slave labor. Government doesn't even give a shit and only steps in when people make a stick of it, and then forget it's happening within 6 months.

This is common throughout the world.

[Voxija]

Some people think it's still the 50s. The 1850s.

[Drew Durrnil]

At least it isn't hard labor.
Edit: wtf
that's abuse

[Kowani]

every damn day

[The Emerald Legion]

Honestly, the Restaurant owner should be forced to give everything he owns to the guy, and that would be getting off lightly.

[Nevertopia]

poor guy, his abuser should be jailed for life.

[Mercatus]

Under capitalism such abuses are inevitable, unfortunately. I'm sure there are numerous others who are suffering the same plight as the victim in this case right now.

Under any other system, everyone is a slave to one leader or party.

The best we can do is to pour resources into stopping human trafficking and abuse such as this. Not incarcerating for victimless crimes would be a helpful start in freeing up resources. If we stopped trying to punish shit that shouldn’t be a crime, then law enforcement would be able to focus on stopping abuse such as what happened at the restaurant.

[Mercatus]

poor guy, his abuser should be jailed for life.

The abuser doesn’t deserve to have that much money poured into incarcerating them. This should be a capital offense.

[The Reformed American Republic]

poor guy, his abuser should be jailed for life.

The abuser doesn’t deserve to have that much money poured into incarcerating them. This should be a capital offense.

Killing him would cost more money actually, not that I disagree with this being a capital offense.