4 Late Capitalism Dumps - in no particular order

Man, some days my joy isn’t bright enough to light the way through the darkness of the late capitalism oligarchy take-over.

1. Big Storage grabbing your value, advertising it back to you - as their own.

   On my way to dropping off my car for service, I noticed a U-Haul ad, pasted on a high wall of their storage facility, a picture of friends helping someone move, text over: U-Haul, friends help free.
   
   Uh bruh, those are my friends.

2. The late-stage shuttle for crumbs

   Sitting shotgun on a shuttle ride home, I ask the 50–60-something driver about the paid gig. “So tell me, do you like shuttling for the car service company?” The driver tells me they love it and originally they had 3 shifts, but their co-worker, a college student, needed to pick up more shifts to pay for books. They gave a shift to the coworker temporarily and unfortunately it has proven hard to get back. It’s a bummer because they are a diabetic and pay $800/month for health insurance to cover their life saving medication and they are scared they can’t handle the pinch much longer.

   

3. Mandated Misery

   I could write a book about the life of modern-day factory, logistics, and material handler workers, right here in the United States, behind the walls of the lifeless factories and warehouses that exist where we once had acres and acres of farms.

   I have never had a factory job and honestly, I may have spent my entire life figuring out how to not get caught in one—but whenever I hear a family member give me insight to the dark-twisted, inhumane world—often deep inside warehouses, natural light maybe, questionable aeration—the repetitive line work, the 3rd shift trap, mandatory overtime, points/marks, the automated Human Resources help line… HOW IS THIS REAL???? I honestly thought things changed like 100 years ago???? A family member told me recently that their factory was slammed with work and they were only allowing folks off 1 day every 12 days, as they were legally allowed to mandate.
   

4. Shoe company “selling me” their donation? I got a text ad the other day from a shoe company: use code “1234” and we will donate 10% of your shoe purchase to our designated beneficiary. Hmmm, if you wanna donate—just donate. Don’t pretend that there is some value in it for me.

   Uh, you get the glory, you get the write-off.