Citizen Discussion : Abolish Slavery

[Plexus]

That's not being very nice to your populace.

 

[punkbass2000]

Who? The regulars?

 

[Cyc]

I'm with Rain on this slavery issue. We can feed the slaves back into the cities and build stronger, faster workers (upgrading*free*). Sure we will have to make an effort to make them content if they become unhappy. But look at it this way. We have prospered from their work for thousands of years. We Phoenaticans breed slaves to do our work. Now you are considering breeding them and selling them. These are generations of people born and raised in Phoenatica. Slavery is almost as bad as rushing improvements in Despotism. Who here was against that? I was. I am against slavery too. Let's upgrade them.

 

[Shaitan]

Touchy subject, but I think it all boils down to whether you believe foreign workers are slaves or not. Personally I don't think so. I think of foreign workers as immigrants. That isn't the same group of individuals that's been building roads for 3000 years. As people immigrate into our country they find jobs. When they get the skills to support themselves they move to the cities. A particular organized group (a "worker" unit) would have constant fluctuations of people going through it.

So, I view worker units as an entry point into Phoenatic society, a bridge between foreign soil and citizenship in the greatest country in the world. Getting rid of immigrant jobs is a cruel and unjust thing to do to the downtrodden sods trying to escape their backwards and despotic countries.

 

[eyrei]

I agree with Shaitan here.

 

[punkbass2000]

ME too.

 

[Lecky]

me 3

 

[philippe]

Originally posted by Lecky
me 3

i also agree but we MUST build fortress to have a decent defense

 

[crabapple]

me 5

 

[SKILORD]

Me too!

but i like this idea

 

[disorganizer]

wow. this is our new way of polling. public polls! this will also boost post-counts ;-)
but now please back to topic.

 

[Shaitan]

I think we need a public opinion poll to see if people think that the workers are immigrants or slaves.

 

[disorganizer]

yes. we could publically pillory the slave drivers!
;-)

 

[Rain]

How canyou argue that they are immigrants when they were captured and brought here? or bought? By that measuring stick slavery never existed anywhere.

 

[Zur]

For those who were "bought", we could have been effectively paying their wages then. Because money doesn't come out of government coffers doesn't mean that they are not being paid. Thay have to live on, somehow, so someone must be paying their lodging/food etc. You may be taking it too literally.

For those who were captured, we could perhaps make a comparison with slaves brought from Africa to the west a few hundred years ago. They were released from bond and now are free men. Those who choose to continue as workers do so.

 

[Rain]

I have to disagree - if they were freed and on an equal basis with all citizens they would be receiving proper wages. Such is the whole point of the debate. Obviously if they were being properly treated and recompensed they would have equivalent productivity to regular workers; would no longer be identified as "captured" and would list in the normal worker unit lists.

The slaves you referred to began receiving proper compensation after they were no longer classed as slaves. The example also demonstrates that multi-generational slavery can exist and is a practice in our nation.

 

[Shaitan]

They do not perform the same jobs as an educated worker unit. These are very low wage, manual laborers. Traditionally these jobs are performed by immigrants. They are no where near as efficient as the people who were trained and raised in the system and brought up with the knowledge of their professions. They are immigrant laborers who are filling the lowest rung of manual jobs. Necessary, yes. Glamorous, no. Definitely not slavery.

Regarding the workers we "bought". These were done during my tenure as Foreign Minister and were all carefully verified as government assistance programs to relocate willful immigrants.

 

[donsig]

I wouldn't mind settling these workers in our cities, but could they build our railroads first?

 

[Shaitan]

Anybody object to a public opinion poll on whether our foreign nationals are immigrants or slaves?

 

[IceEye]

I think that the province of Normandy or atleast Valhall wants the slave labour to stay.