I've lost $10,000! WO IST MEIN GOTT?

[markp]

Since you are well on your way to forming teamsters MKII you can probably call yourself an a̶g̶i̶t̶a̶t̶o̶r̶ union leader.

[writer99025]

Well, I hate unions and I hate any type of socialism…India has been wrecked by these things… as a child I have seen how my father fought unions to save his company. I detest unions, collectives, or any type of socialism.

[emmaki]

I like this idea a lot! There are plenty of responsible forum users who aren’t pot-stirrers like me who could act as an advocate and liaise between users and HQ. Personally, I’d rather have that than a TRS parachuting in to share a top tips video about creating a gig that really serves little purpose other than re-iterate what’s been said 1001 times already. So it doesn’t address the PayPal dispute issue, but it does go a long way to making the community feel like it’s being listened to–and I think that would allay a lot of fears that people have, particularly when Customer Support is often seemingly restricted to a dropdown list of responses. Not ideal, if understandable.

[emmaki]

I’m not forming anything–too much work. I’m just being a loudmouth. A not too subtle difference. I’m more interested in the debate and ideas personally. I’ll take agitator as a title though, it’ll fit in nicely with my shiny rebel badge, although funnily enough, all I’ve done is share an idea.

The most dangerous thing in the world, apparently.

[writer99025]

Did you know that unions in India prevented computers from being introduced in the country until well into the 1990s…because “humans are more valuable than machines and machines should never replace humans”…there are so many horror stories about unions I can share…my father fought them all his adult life.

[bigyellowcircle]

That (often misquoted) quote was from a letter written by Ben Franklin, not Thomas Jefferson. It actually said, “those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

In context, its meaning is quite different than what you are using that quote for.

[Guest rock45]

A union may be beneficial but i am not sure how an worldwide union works.

[emmaki]

While I agree with the quotation, it was at one time thought that humans would soon enjoy a golden age as machines took over all the tedious jobs that nobody liked.

Instead, service economies (of which Fiverr is a part) is becoming the norm. Look at inflation in the western world. Wages are not keeping pace. Austerity is the norm. The money is being concentrated in the hands of the few while the rest of humanity toils for its scraps–and they really are scraps in the bigger picture–and is expected to be grateful for it. No way.

The problem is society–not its tools. Unions are political tools just as much as anything else, and can become bloated beyond their actual mission–to protect the right of workers–becoming institutions no better than those that they are ostensibly “fighting” against.

This does not make unions an inherently bad idea. It does mean that humans are greedy, selfish and liable to find it tough to think beyond the short term. Add into that a witches brew of hidden corruption and media, and you’ve got a stunning witches brew that Dostoevsky wrote about all those years ago (his Grand Inquisitor, look it up).

Nothing has changed. Fiverr’s not even the main problem. It’s just a symptom. Global economy my ass. It’s a race to the bottom feeding those at the top. Wunderbar…

[emmaki]

“Workers of the world, unite!”

Wait, that didn’t turn out very well.

[writer99025]

LOL…disagree with everything you’ve said, but I can see why you are so popular with your clients - your writing is extraordinary.

[bigyellowcircle]

So we would have our own senators and representatives? How do I sign up for Fiverr Seller Congress? Can we call it the House of Carrds?

[emmaki]

Interesting, I didn’t know that. Here’s an article: http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/14/how-the-world-butchered-benjamin-franklins-quote-on-liberty-vs-security/

However, does it negate my point?

[bigyellowcircle]

Liberty didn’t mean individual freedom or civil liberties; it meant self-government.

If anything, the quote is pro-government, pro-defense, and pro-tax.

It doesn’t negate your point. It simply has nothing to do with it.

[mgjohn78]

Dont think there are any. Not sure if the reason is a legal one or a financial one, can imagine that the union fees would need to be extensive.

[emmaki]

That would be the banks that get bailed out and their directors given huge bonuses despite being completely shit at what they’re meant to be good at?

Righty-o. Funny how 99% of people pay for 1% of people’s mistakes, isn’t it?

[emmaki]

self-govt is necessarily individual freedom…civil liberties implies some form of governance, so I’ll cede that.

Since I feel compelled to now wrangle and misshape this quote (who cares, everyone misquotes it anyway) to fit my agenda, the 20% is a kind of tax–one that I’m not arguing against–Fiverr is not exactly a great government, inasmuch as it sets the rules that we abide by and… well, hell, this whole thread is pro-defense (against disputes)!

There, totally related to my point. Next round!

[emmaki]

Probably naysayers. There is a freelancers union (google it) but um… well, I was amused by it, go check it out.

[mgjohn78]

Seen it, its not really international and not what i would even consider a union.
You would get liability, health and dental insurance + some other things that every freelancer and business have to pay in order to do business legally in my corner of the world.

[happyspace]

😃

[psychicbunny]

10k wow

[happyspace]

I see you are well educated already 😃

[eoinfinnegan]

The best thing about Freelancers Union is that they very often refer to themselves with their initials. Makes me chuckle… every… time…

[emmaki]

Just remember that your savings aren’t safe if you save too much and your bank (“too big to fail”) needs a bail out.

It’s a complete mystery to me that more people aren’t out on the streets with pitchforks about the whole system, really. Bread and circuses…

[emmaki]

There’s an amusing thought–who would be the Kevin Spacey in all of this?

[eoinfinnegan]

@fastcopywriter - Frank Underwood
@emmaki - Claire Underwood
@psychicbunny - Zoe Barnes
@jonbaas - Ed Meechum
@babibalubi - Peter Russo
@eoinfinnegan - Doug Stamper
@misscrystal - Heather Dunbar
@writer99025 - Remi Danton
@fonthaunt - Kathy Durant
@cyaxrex - Lucas Goodwin

(For entertainment purposes only, please don’t take offence)