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js8yesterday at 3:38 PM5 repliesview on HN

Actually, it is. You have been blinded by capitalism to consider it ethical.

The tribes usually treat the members as a family. While kicking someone from a tribe can happen, it's considered to be a harsh punishment.

In a tribe, when hard times come, people usually redistribute. That's a normal, human way of dealing with that situation. Not a layoff.

The other aspect is the economic crises. When a central bank decides to increase interest rates, it decreases lending to new investments in favor of lower inflation. This can lead to layoffs, instead of having inflation inflicted on everyone (especially the rich with huge savings). So that decision is essentially some random guys get kicked out of economic (and societal) participation in order to prevent more redistribution of existing wealth.

If you think about it, yes layoffs are deeply immoral. But we can understand, why they happen in capitalism, as a sort of big tragedy of the commons.


Replies

BeetleByesterday at 3:49 PM

It's a job. Not a tribe.

The role an employer plays in societies varies from culture to culture, but note that in many cultures, it is "just a job".

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shepherdjerredyesterday at 5:04 PM

My employer is not my “tribe”. That is crazy. We have a contract saying I do X units of work and they pay me Y in return. Either of us end it at any time.

At least this is in the case in the US. What you are saying might be true in other cultures.

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WalterBrightyesterday at 4:11 PM

> layoffs are deeply immoral

It's no more immoral than you deciding to buy from Safeway, even though you'd been buying from Fred Meyer before.

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christkvyesterday at 3:47 PM

Yeah because marxists systems "take such good care" off people in comparison.

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