The Off Topic Topic

[Jacob]

If they build it, they will come, ultimate version.
Pretty bizarre pictures of this metro station in China:

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/chongqing-china-metro-station-nowhere/index.html

Blatant corruption I guess. This kind of bridge to nowhere thing was sadly common in Spain's boom years too.

Maybe corruption is involved, but it's also a decent plan for the growth of the city. There may be nothing there now, but in 5-10 years there may be a thriving section of the city.

[Josquius]

If they build it, they will come, ultimate version.
Pretty bizarre pictures of this metro station in China:

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/chongqing-china-metro-station-nowhere/index.html

Blatant corruption I guess. This kind of bridge to nowhere thing was sadly common in Spain's boom years too.

Maybe corruption is involved, but it's also a decent plan for the growth of the city. There may be nothing there now, but in 5-10 years there may be a thriving section of the city.

What particularly strikes me about it is that this is not a suburban metro station of the sort you typically find on the edges of metro networks; small, probably above ground, etc... with a few buildings around it.
It's a proper full city centre station abducted from its natural place in the centre of a sky scraper district and plonked in a  completely barren wasteland.


My suspicion is less corruption and more out of touch politicians making plans and construction firms blindly following orders.
It may have been a mistake in the plan that this design of station is built here but they've been paid for that job and they aren't questioning it!
This seems quite typical in China.

[celedhring]

If they build it, they will come, ultimate version.
Pretty bizarre pictures of this metro station in China:

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/chongqing-china-metro-station-nowhere/index.html

Blatant corruption I guess. This kind of bridge to nowhere thing was sadly common in Spain's boom years too.

Maybe corruption is involved, but it's also a decent plan for the growth of the city. There may be nothing there now, but in 5-10 years there may be a thriving section of the city.

What particularly strikes me about it is that this is not a suburban metro station of the sort you typically find on the edges of metro networks; small, probably above ground, etc... with a few buildings around it.
It's a proper full city centre station abducted from its natural place in the centre of a sky scraper district and plonked in a  completely barren wasteland.


My suspicion is less corruption and more out of touch politicians making plans and construction firms blindly following orders.
It may have been a mistake in the plan that this design of station is built here but they've been paid for that job and they aren't questioning it!
This seems quite typical in China.

China's growth is partially fueled by massive infastructure investment, so probably rather than just plain corruption (although I'd be surprised if China awards public works after a fair and transparent bidding process...) it's a reflection of that policy. Build build build to keep the GDP rolling.

Still think it's a waste. If you're going to lay the track, you can make the basic arrangements to later build a station (Barcelona subway has some of those "skeleton stations" in lines in the outskirts) and go back and finish it when it's actually needed.

[Savonarola]

We should import some cheap Chinese rail/rail stations over to here...like we do everything else.

We did it before; bring back the Central Pacific.

(Bizarrely, given their history and rivalry, Union Pacific owns what remains of Central Pacific.)

[Eddie Teach]

It does seem ironic so much of our railroad was built by Chinese slaves.

[Valmy]

It does seem ironic so much of our railroad was built by Chinese slaves.

Pretty sure they were paid.

[The Brain]

It does seem ironic so much of our railroad was built by Chinese slaves.

Pretty sure they were paid.

Surely a slave may or may not be paid.

[grumbler]

It does seem ironic so much of our railroad was built by Chinese slaves.

Pretty sure they were paid.

The Marxists don't care about wages.  Unless you are part of the bourgeoisie, you are a slave.

[Oexmelin]

On the contrary, Marxists care a great deal about wages. Wage slavery =/= chattel slavery.

[PDH]

Once a slave, always a slave...but once a knight is never enough.

[Valmy]

On the contrary, Marxists care a great deal about wages. Wage slavery =/= chattel slavery.

Is there some wage where 1 cent more means you are free?

I guess I always thought the term 'wage slave' was allegorical not a literal definition of slavery.

[Oexmelin]

I guess I always thought the term 'wage slave' was allegorical not a literal definition of slavery.

The notion was not Marx's, even though he used it for the same reason labor activists used it: to force people to reckon with the apparent contradiction of extolling freedom while being constrained by wage labor. As long as chattel slavery existed, the distinction between freedom and slavery had more valence, albeit unexamined. Once it was abolished, what purpose was there to maintain the comparison?

[The Brain]

Slavery is about people being owned, not about wages.

[Josquius]

It's a pretty emotive term.
It could certainly be argued that being a wage slave with an awful life of constant work in suffering is worse though you technically have your freedom than some theoretical situation where you're someone's favoured slave/pet and want for nothing.

[Tamas]

It's a pretty emotive term.
It could certainly be argued that being a wage slave with an awful life of constant work in suffering is worse though you technically have your freedom than some theoretical situation where you're someone's favoured slave/pet and want for nothing.

That's a very socialist argument from you.