alt Hacker News"Slave labor" doesn't always refer to chattel slavery.
> any coerced or poorly remunerated work. [1]
Replies
Well, given that copyright infringement doesn't require any labor on the part of the person who created the work, it seems to be an inappropriate use of the phrase in this case.
One of the interesting things about copyright infringement is that if you weren't told it was happening, you'd never know.
That dictionary.com entry clearly describes a hyperbolic use of the term, especially when it comes to 'poorly remunerated'
Actually it's even worse than that. If you have to work for money, instead of money working for you, then you're money's slave.
Buying back your freedom has a specific price tag, in our economy. (Most people don't do the math though, because it is unpleasant. I would recommend doing the math.)
That is an insane use of that term for cases like this one, even if present in wild.
This is a classic "motte and bailey" argument.
Someone who makes this statement this really want us to equate it with racist chattel slavery - the most heinous form of worker exploitation in modern memory. "Oh, I just meant: {the most common type of work in human history}" as a retreat is not very compelling.