Wait, what? That’s not wage theft at all. It’s fucked up and something we need to fix, but wage theft is a different thing entirely
I am amazed at how many people think that “being paid what you are contractually owed” and “being paid what you deserve” are entirely different. I feel like in many instances even if there is breach of contractual obligations (such as not paying at all or enough for overtime etc), the amount of money employers steal by not paying people what they deserve (based on profits and what not) is orders of magnitude higher than what they fail to pay contractually.
I am amazed at how many people think that “being paid what you are contractually owed” and “being paid what you deserve” are entirely different
…what? Yes, the writing on the contract is different from whatever set of ethics you happen to ascribe to. You can make philosophical arguments that they should be the same, but expressing disbelief at two clearly different things being different is… well, it’s insane.
If you want to discuss definition in the formal sense, it suffices to say “that is not the definition of wage theft here it is bla bla”. Instead when you say “Wait, what? they are entirely different you insane lunatic” most reasonable people will think that you are completely against even using the two concepts in the same sentence. As an example someone says “Donald Trump is a champion of democracy” and I say “Wait, what? Are you insane? Donald trump and democracy are entirely unrelated”.
you’re thinking of the legal definition of wage theft. This meme is about how all profit is made by stealing the surplus value of workers.
I like the idea behind the comic, but I had the same initial thought as the previous commenter. I think maybe the comic shouldn’t have used a very well known phrase that has a different legal definition.
I can understand that, though I feel like that’s part of what makes it funny, subverting expectations.
Don’t conflate a legal problem that is already not taken seriously and addressed enough with another thing entirely. Real wage theft is already illegal and pathways to remedy that wage theft exist as long as people take it very seriously. What is described in this meme is also a problem and also needs addressed. However it is entirely, 1000% legal to keep wages low while you rack in rescord profits, and many capitalists would argue that you should. By conflating an actual legal issue wish a subjective moral one, you make it easier to excuse the legal issue as just another subjective moral issue that can be ignored and exploited.
They are different things that have different remedies and different access to those remedies right now. You’re not strengthening the definition of wage theft to give more power to this new issue. You’re weakening both.
This isnt r*ddit but it is hard for me to resist telling you that you got wooshed. This twisted definition is clearly the joke and intended to bring attention to the fact that corporations regularily effectively steal from employees without repercussions.
Boss makes a dollar, i make a dime, thats why i poop on company time.
Dont feel bad about wage theft. Its the morally correct thing to do. Just dont get caught :)
I think you meant “time theft” in your comment as wage theft is definitely morally wrong.
Oh nice. Thats just embarressing now. Maybe i should look up word definitions for english words more often.
Someone just posted this like a week ago, that’s not what wage theft is and deliberately misusing terms like that makes us look bad. Stop. You aren’t helping.
That’s not wage left, that’s capitalism.
By equivocating the 2 you dilute the meaning of wage theft.
Just because it’s a meme doesn’t mean it can’t make a rhetorical statement, and in this case the meme does.
Memes can be used as a fantastic tool for sparking discussions on topics, just as rhetorical statements and questions are.
No the fuck it fucking isn’t.
True but…
What is it called when one company buys all the other ones & charges extortionate prices? Maybe with a sprinkle of selling lots of brands with the same crap inside?
I can only think of “late stage capitalism” but there must be a more technically correct name for it.
Edit: how can I forget the word monopoly? What is wrong with me? ?
Might as well redefine wage theft to “not paying me what I think I’m worth” if we’re gonna go this far away from the typical definition.
I think it’s usually along the lines of “not paying owed wages/paying below minimum wage”, most places you can look it up. Aka. literally paying less than what’s legal or agreed upon.
Alternatively, Big Bird could go with the establishment definition of wage theft and mention it’s the largest form of theft.
