I was once talking with one of my classmates and he said that in the future, there will be universal basic income implemented by entire world. I was not convinced at that time and thought he is just being stupid but given the layoffs happening and massive amount of unemployment, I am thinking about this possibility. What do you say?

  • Nobody@anarchist.nexus
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    5 days ago

    When UBI starts being seriously considered on a large scale, you’ll likely see a massive influence campaign against it. Something along the lines of “If you give people free money, they’ll never get a job.” It will likely have racial undertones that range from subtle and implicit to wildly explicit, depending on the forum.

    If low information working class people, those who would benefit the most from such a program, fall for that campaign, as they often do, you’ll see a backlash against it that could prevent it from becoming law.

    • Evil_Incarnate@sopuli.xyz
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      4 days ago

      I talked with my mother about this years ago. She confidently said, if you give people free money, nobody will do any work. I argued but she wouldn’t budge.

      She is now comfortably retired, and makes hats with her time, and sells them. But that’s different.

      • lonefighter@sh.itjust.works
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        4 days ago

        You know, everyone who I personally know who passionately argues that if you give people free money they won’t do any work has been a stay at home mom.

        Stay at home moms get “free” money from the spouse who goes to work and supports them.

        I would also argue that stay at home moms work harder than a lot of us who have full time jobs. I get to leave work and mentally check out, they’re “at work” all the time.

        Someone should point this out to the people who make this argument.

      • architect@thelemmy.club
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        4 days ago

        I’d vote for ubi but i personally know plenty of moochers. Like never worked a day in their lives at 30 would laugh while their grandma died instead of helping their own family while being offered money for it.

        Funny enough every mooch i know is a white man.

    • Naive@lemmy.worldOP
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      4 days ago

      I heard some evangelicals in US saying that it is unbiblical to give UBI, so I can guess that some people really want to demonize this concept.

    • [deleted]@piefed.world
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      4 days ago

      You just described the campaigns against welfare in general that have been going on for decades, which is also what I see happening with UBI. It will absolutely be sunk the same way any other social benefit is sunk through misinformation and outright lies.

    • Fafa@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      I don’t feel like UBI is a that great of an idea. Prices of products change toward what people earn. So when there is a standard amount of money for everyone, company’s will increase prices to any amount that’s still payable. That will quickly drive inflation up. I feel like it will just going to siphon money into the pockets of the super rich.

      • Kangae_Hishiryo@scribe.disroot.org
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        3 days ago

        But if you do UBI + NIT it would theoretically be sufficient… Although I still think that a strong price regulation and anti-monopoly/anti-oligopoly law should be done for it to work. So yeah, we’re cooked.

    • chunes@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Do you think it would help if you told them 40% of adults already don’t have jobs and that making that number higher isn’t as big of a leap as they think?

    • MintyFresh@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Don’t forget racism. “Look at those people, existing with that color skin. On your dime!?!?”