Re:What you can learn about medieval Europe if you focus on ...
by masswerk on Friday February 12, 2021 @04:40AM
(#26111974)
Actually, most parts of medieval society were astoundingly mobile. Not everyone was tenant or serf, many, as in the trades and crafts, workers of all kind and everyone involved in moving goods, were often travelling and surprisingly mobile, as were the ruling class. Mind that this was before settled living became the standard model. (Which happened in continental Europe only in the 18th century.)
Re:What you can learn about medieval Europe if you focus on ...
by rowanG077 on Friday February 12, 2021 @05:54AM
(#26112319)
In fact you aren't allowed to leave the country if the state doesn't allow it. You equate two concepts together because the words are similar (lord and landlord) but that's childish. It's obvious a lord back in the is much closet to a governments then a landlord.
Re:What you can learn about medieval Europe if you focus on ...
by ashtonkem on Friday February 12, 2021 @10:36AM
(#26114781)
You’re not the literal and legal property of your government. The comparison is still not apt.
Re:What you can learn about medieval Europe if you focus on ...
by rowanG077 on Friday February 12, 2021 @11:13AM
(#26115192)
You were also not the literal and legal property of your lord. It wasn't slavery.
Re:What you can learn about medieval Europe if you focus on ...
by ashtonkem on Friday February 12, 2021 @02:14PM
(#26117362)
Most serfs weren’t slaves[0], true. But in many areas serfs were legally bound to the land that they occupied. If that land changed hands, so did the serfs legally. That’s no slavery, but it’s also far worse than being a freeman.
In all areas they had fewer rights and more obligations than freemen; there’s a reason why being reduced to serfdom was often done out of economic need, and why freedom often had to be bought.
0 - Some types of serfs were literally slaves and could be traded as such. See Russian Kholops.
Re:What you can learn about medieval Europe if you focus on ...
by remarkEon on Friday February 12, 2021 @03:00AM
(#26111575)
Do you think I’m making an argument in favor of feudalism? I’m sorry that pointing out that our current structures of government aren’t exactly performing at their presumed capacity is a troubling idea.
Re:What you can learn about medieval Europe if you focus on ...
by ashtonkem on Friday February 12, 2021 @03:23PM
(#26118132)
You’re getting downvoted because our current system of government, no matter how flawed, is very different from feudalism. The comparison is poor for all the reasons I listed and more.
There are better ways to critique our current system without such hamfisted comparisons.
I can’t believe I need to explain this, but democracy is nothing like feudalism.