this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2026
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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- All posts must be showerthoughts
- The entire showerthought must be in the title
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- If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
- A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
- Posts must be original/unique
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If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.
Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.
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Trying to compare forced-labor and human trafficking to chattel slavery obscures and excuses the institution of slavery in the Americas.
Slavery apologists use these arguments. "Slavery is no worse than prison." "Slavery still happens, and to white people".
Their are some key differences, I'll point out three.
no matter how depraved and cruel the conditions of a trafficked person are, they don't expect the same fate to befall their children and grandchildren.
Human trafficking is illegal and rather looked-down-upon. Chattel slavery was considered normal, routine, necessary, and good throughout the society where it occurred.
Human trafficking victims are legally people with rights recognized by the legal system; their abusers must hide their activities and fear punishment.
Saved comment for future arguments. Thank you so much <3
American slavery was exceptionally evil as far as forms of slavery go. There are other ways to enslave a person without legally owning their body. The modern form of legal American slavery, forced work through incarceration, is objectively still slavery, and slightly less evil than the chattel slavery of the past.
All slavery is inexcusable. All slavery is evil. Not all slavery is chattel slavery.
No one is comparing it to chattel slavery though. Chattel slavery isn't the only kind of slavery. Slavery is slavery, chattel or otherwise. Chattel slavery is slavery, human trafficking is slavery.
Slavery as a spectrum is a very odd argument to have.
But im pretty sure slavery has been around since shortly after opposable thumbs.
Tribes/raiders fought and took slaves/hostages/wives.
Intercontinental shipping was a new addition.
As for the generational fate of slaves ... the Old Testament of the Bible has some talk of that.
American slavery was dehumanizing and violent. Most slavery would seem to be.
Spectrum wise? Not sure where it falls in the all time world wide list.
E.g. Rome probably better for slaves, Belgian Congo certainly worse.