Most people can leave, the question is where to go. Starve in the hills, alone?
Donald Oddy:
>>Equally slavery isn't the worst that can happen, an employee who is
>>paid less than it costs to live is worse off than a slave whose owner
>>is obliged to feed, clothe and house him.
>
Peter:
>No full-time employee can be paid less than it costs to live off
>for too long. And the advantage of having your food, clothes and
>houses provided by your master does not seem all that much if they
>were (as often was the case) complete crap.
Actually, many employees are payed less than it costs to live. In many
places it is the norm for workers to incure yearly-increasing debt.
Aside from that, I don't think Donald is here refering to full-time
employment, which is usually not available to all. Seasonal employment is
common, with workers often not finding much else during the off season. A
large percentage of permanent employees in the ancient world were slaves,
the frees having to search for work while begging, stealing, and
trash-digging. The free poor had complete crap too.
Most slaves could run off, and often expect to get away, but where too? With
no connections anywhere else, and little idea of where anyplace else was,
maps not being good or available, most runaways didn't have much to look
forward to.
Many slaves had good positions and lived in better conditions than many
frees.
Daniel
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