At its founding, New Lanark seems to offer a vast improvement for workers over contemporary industrial enterprises, but I wonder if in practice this kindly-intended paternalistic model quickly morphed to its evil, oppressive twin? Such a transformation is, after all, a common outcome of good intentions wedded to big plans. Are contemporary accounts able to throw light on this question – or were the workers too scared to say?
A second thought: I am not sure that your comparison between the 19th century industrial capitalists and our 21st century klepto-parasitic overlords is valid. Dale and Owen (and like-minded other British entrepreneurs) share a common ethnicity and cultural outlook with their workers, and through this (for want of a better term!) ‘blood and soil’ link had an organic concern for their ‘inferiors’ welfare (even if this was to be expressed as pity and tough love). In contrast, I do not believe this is the case at all with their modern equivalents, whose true heart is located far from our shores and who actually hate us to death.
Very interesting, thanks.
At its founding, New Lanark seems to offer a vast improvement for workers over contemporary industrial enterprises, but I wonder if in practice this kindly-intended paternalistic model quickly morphed to its evil, oppressive twin? Such a transformation is, after all, a common outcome of good intentions wedded to big plans. Are contemporary accounts able to throw light on this question – or were the workers too scared to say?
A second thought: I am not sure that your comparison between the 19th century industrial capitalists and our 21st century klepto-parasitic overlords is valid. Dale and Owen (and like-minded other British entrepreneurs) share a common ethnicity and cultural outlook with their workers, and through this (for want of a better term!) ‘blood and soil’ link had an organic concern for their ‘inferiors’ welfare (even if this was to be expressed as pity and tough love). In contrast, I do not believe this is the case at all with their modern equivalents, whose true heart is located far from our shores and who actually hate us to death.