Okay if not American Slavery what's your benchmark? Having to do things you don't want? I'm being serious. You use extreme language and hyperbole so it's hard to take you seriously. Do you think your situation is akin to like, someone being held hostage in a call center and forced to scam people? Where is the line, in your mind?
Because it is a hard line to draw, doesn't mean I'm not being serious.
You are objecting to using the word 'slave' as a descriptor, except in extreme cases.
But the term slave is often used in culture for a lot of things.
Being a 'slave to your addictions', 'a slave to your desires', 'an office slave', 'wage slave'. etc.... I'll spare you a list of hundreds of examples.
I think since you are the one objecting, then you draw the line.
I tend to think it does hinge on 'agency'. If you are trapped. But, sure, being trapped in an office today, is not as painful as being trapped as a slave in the US south. Does that mean the office worker should just shut up and deal with it, it is comfortable enough?
I do think agency is the fulcrum and concede I was being too pedantic. I do think even from an agency perspective it is possible to "drop out" to some extent but not completely, but that's why I asked about the work aspect. Even if you are not working a 9-5, life does require work. That some choose to toil the fields for their food or sit in a cubicle, you must work all the same. So are we slaves to life?
Maybe the problem is if you are working for someone else.
If you are toiling on your farm to survive. Or even hunting/gathering for food. You do need to work to live. So a slave to life? All life is a burden? Even Buddhist have 'all life is suffering'.
But toiling in an office, is usually for someone else's benefit. You are only getting a fraction of your work back in pay. So if you are 'trapped', unable to change, and working for someone else's benefit, then a 'slave'? (wish I had some Marx quote to fit here).
It is bit of slippery slope, since i'm not trying to include every person that just complains about working because they would rather play video games.
And yet, in a market system, the 'rat race', we all do have a sense that we are 'slaves to the system'.
