Thread by @scottsantens

Unconditional basic income is "fuck you money" for all. Those who are against UBI don't want workers to tell employers to fuck off unless their wage/time demands are met. Those who are against UBI don't want the abused to tell their abusers to fuck off. UBI is about emancipation.

I think it's especially ridiculous hearing socialists claim a basic income enables employers to lower wages. For desireable jobs maybe, but not undesirable jobs. UBI's unconditionality is strike power for individuals. It's bargaining power to demand higher wages & shorter weeks.

Universal basic income is also venture capital for those inclined to start worker co-ops to bring democracy to the work place, and make sure all workers share in the profits. And this has been observed where UBI has been tested. People will pool their incomes and share ownership.

In other words, if you are a socialist or a communist and you are against the idea of unconditional basic income because it doesn't end capitalism, I question your motives. Do you care about people and what improves their lives? Or do you just want to win some ideological sport?

If you support socialism because you want to improve the lives of people, but you are against policies that improve the lives of people, you've lost your way. Oh you want to help by giving everyone a job? Why insist on withholding food to force people to work? For their own good?

I see a whole lot of "Arbeit Macht Frei" these days coming from the left. It's dressed in the Green New Deal and how we need to do so much work to save the planet, which is true. There's a lot of work to do. But how dare you withhold life-sustaining resources to coerce that work.

If you don't support providing all workers the power to refuse to work, then you're not interested in power to the people. Don't even pretend to be about the people if you wish to continue denying workers unconditional access to the basic needs of life, especially unpaid workers.

By decoupling income from work, UBI challenges capitalism's theory of value in a way socialism doesn't. Socialism still believes your value is determined by your work. It just wants you to own more of it.

Socialism without UBI is just continued wage slavery with nicer masters.

If you truly want a better world, throw away the labels you're using to define what you believe. Think beyond capitalism and socialism. Think beyond profit and commodification. Think about the right to refuse domination, and to instead pursue cooperation.

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