• DragonTypeWyvern
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    8 days ago

    1: If you force someone into labor with the threat of violence or punishment, it’s slavery, and you’re at best arguing about semantics and adding extra steps.

    2: There are plenty of slavery systems that pay slaves nominal wages, especially slave soldiers. The most famous historical example is probably the janissaries:

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janissary

    3: There’s probably an argument to be made about how it’s just a social need when you’re at war or have an aggressive neighbor but the problem is ultimately that the society hasn’t created a system where the citizens actually like the state enough to volunteer.

    • Underwaterbob@lemm.ee
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      8 days ago

      force

      Is a loaded term. They are not making anyone who is physically or mentally unable in any way to do it. They are compensating those who do do it. (Yes, the pay is bad.) They get ample vacation time. There are many ways to postpone it or to replace it with some other form of public service. Many (most?) Koreans see it as their civic duty. It’s not so different from paying taxes or attending public school. Are those things slavery? We live in a society…