Re: Off Topic: Basic Assumptions

[Margaret Tarbet <tarbet@swaa.com>]

A reaction in another list to the slavery story:

<quote>
These incidents of slavery are not new.  Before I got hired into the
aristocracy of labor through eeoc, i was a waitress and a barmaid
for years.  My last job was working for Howard Johnsons as a bar
maid.  The owners hired an Iranian manager and he used to bring
illegal Iranians into the country, pay them $1.00 an hour and have
them sleeping in garages in New Jersey.  If any of these guys (they
were all men) got out of hand, the manager would simply call
immigration, and they'd be deported -- so the owners only ever paid
a one way fare to get these guys here.  One of the men he called
immigration on got away.  That weekend the owner came in while we
were all sitting in the back having our meals before shift (the job
came with one meal per shift).  He had on a long face and announced
that the Iranian manager wouldn't be in for a while because the
escapee had slashed all the tendons in the manager's arms.
The entire staff stood as one and cheered.  The owner ran out of the
restaurant.  Oh, did I mention that this was in 1977?
</quote>

Folk who keep getting the sharp end of the stick eventually see no
reason not to retaliate.   Why should they support an unfair system?
Why should anyone?