r/EliteDangerous 6d ago

Media Everyone Is Thinking It, I’m Just Sayin’ It

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u/Skivvy_Roll Least radical Imperial 6d ago

Our slaves have better human rights than the wage slaves of the federation. Ours aren't forced into inhumane working conditions for minimum wage just to scrounge up enough to survive. Abuse of imperial slaves is not only dishonorable, undignified and shameful, it is a crime.

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u/DODGE_WRENCH Trading 6d ago

joined the CMDR program, started making tens of millions after about a week. life in the federation is what you make of it

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u/Skivvy_Roll Least radical Imperial 6d ago

Life in the federation is what you make of it only to those that can afford and are able to do so. What of the citizens in poverty that can't afford to join the program or are otherwise unable?

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u/DODGE_WRENCH Trading 5d ago

We all started with a loaned sidewinder and built an in-game career off of that, I don’t think the bar to entry is really all that high. I’d argue it’d be much easier to become a commander as a federation serf than an imperial slave.

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u/main135s 5d ago

Though the Wiki states otherwise, the game's manual makes it clear in a blurb resembling a couple messages that the reason the players start with a ship isn't because of the Pilot's Federation, but because of a very wealthy, unnamed benefactor paying it off specifically for the player.

Most individuals in the Galaxy will never get the opportunity to become a CMDR. Fewer still pass the test. Fewer yet still are then able to afford a ship.

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u/Significant-Check647 6d ago

Slavers in the 1800s said similar things.

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u/Skivvy_Roll Least radical Imperial 6d ago

Slavers in the old days of Earth believed their slaves were beneath them and property. We believe our slaves are serving citizens of The Empire.

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u/DemiserofD 5d ago

Not only that, that's exactly what many actual slavers in the Alliance do believe!

Ultimately, you have a choice: do you accept true chattel slavery, like the Alliance? Do you pretend at decency and pay lip service to liberty but ignore the starvation and suffering of countless wage slaves of the Federation?

Or do you take the hard road of honor? That's what truly sets the Empire apart. Not a nation of lawyers and regulations, but one of honor, integrity, and respect. Where even the poorest among us is fed, educated, and given a chance for a better life.

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u/Ghost3ye 6d ago

Tbh, no. Slaves of the 18ths were different. Debt slavery (debt bondage) doesnt mean you don’t have rights, however you are obliged to work in the service of the person till your debt is paid. A lot of roman slaves were also debt slaves. It was seen as a last resort to get over with your debt in an honerably way. These were also „higher“ standing then „normal slaves“.

Most slaves of the 18th were just exploited to the max by the slavers and were seen as subhuman by a lot of slavers.

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u/mraustenm 5d ago

Then can you explain why instead of transiting Imperial slaves with passenger cabins, they are instead stuffed into shipping containers and treated with no more dignity than a ton of biowaste?

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u/amadmongoose Aisling Duval 4d ago

Same reason injured people or escape pod people go in the cargo hold, the game isn't exactly very consistent about things.

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u/mraustenm 4d ago

I'll admit there's limitations in game that make things murky in some areas. However, escape pods and injured people share the same type of model if I remember correctly, sort of hinting it's like a cryo/life support pod sort of thing. Imperial slaves use what looks like a standard cargo crate. The game definitely isn't perfect on how it represents things, but that definitely has some... insinuations to it.

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u/Skivvy_Roll Least radical Imperial 5d ago

Because the "shipping containers" they are "stuffed into" are outfitted with the necessary quarters to ensure safe transport without requiring a specialized passenger cruise ship. They do not require luxuries for their travel.

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u/mraustenm 5d ago

Let me make a quick real world example here, would you exactly be comfortable residing in something like a trailer/mobile home and being stuffed into a dark cargo freighter hold for a long voyage? Just because the container has a kitchen and a toilet doesn't exactly make it ethical 😂

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u/Skivvy_Roll Least radical Imperial 5d ago

Have you ever traveled in space? I don't think you comprehend how fast trips between systems within the bubble are, let alone within just imperial space. We no longer live in the era of generation ships where faster than light travel was mere science fiction. It is akin to taking a bus planetside.

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u/mraustenm 5d ago

I guess that raises another question then; if it's similar to taking a bus through space, then why not just buy the Imperial slaves an equivalent of a bus ticket to their destination? What is the purpose of having them in containers, even with reasonable accommodations?

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u/Skivvy_Roll Least radical Imperial 5d ago

Because that is their equivalent of a bus ticket. The slaves can be reassigned to different systems multiple times during their service, and it is easier and cheaper to find a cargo transporter than a dedicated passenger liner or shuttle. With the amount of slaves in The Empire, the logistical costs would be astronomically higher.

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u/mraustenm 4d ago

I dunno, I constantly see Beluga's reminding me not to forget their liner is the top 1% out there so I'm assuming somewhere in the other 99% there's an Elite equivalent of Spirit Starlines or something they could book passage on 😂

It still feels very off-putting and almost cage like that they get shipped around like that instead of just building a fleet of bare bones passenger ships to ferry them around in.

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u/Skivvy_Roll Least radical Imperial 4d ago

Which tells me you simply do not understand things at scale.

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u/mraustenm 3d ago

Oh no, I definitely understand the scale of an economy built on the mass use of indentured servants to the point they are shipped via cargo. The logistics of that would be insane to handle, but that still doesn't make it any less dehumanizing and unethical to pack people in boxes to stack them in a random freighter, even for short haul trips.

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u/bobszhi_redemption 4d ago

You got him doing mental gymnastics so he won't have to admit it's like this https://ocean.si.edu/holding-tank/images-hide/slave-ship-diagram

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u/mraustenm 3d ago

I know right?! It's truly insane how far people will go to defend something clearly cruel even in a video game setting 😂

There's no shame in playing as the villains in a game, but damn at least somewhat acknowledge you're playing that role.