Exploitation 1920s vs. 2020s: Find the Difference

90 x 50

Acrylic on canvas

2022

The history of all hitherto working relations is the history of exploitation. Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, baron and serf, guild master and journeyman, factory owner and worker, sales manager and salesman, corporate CEO and administrative assistant, startup founder and software developer—in short, oppressor and oppressed—have always stood in opposition, locked in a perpetual imbalance of power.

The oppressor continues to reap the rewards of labor, while the oppressed receive only scraps of what they create with their own hands or minds. The exploited workers of the 21st century remain bound by the same chains as those of the 20th century and earlier.

The modern labor market has not abolished class antagonisms or exploitative practices; it has merely introduced new classes, new forms of oppression, and new struggles in place of the old ones. Throughout history, workers have marched in chains, forming an unbroken line—so much so that this cycle has become a tradition, like the ornate frame around an old painting. Only revolutionary reconstitution of society at large can remove the chains off their feet once and for all, establishing a fair labor system and true socio-economic equality.

The work is part of the “Let's Start A Revolution” series.