Pharaoh’s response to Moses’ attempt to organize is to increase the workload without reducing output quotas. What do you think Pharaoh is trying to accomplish with this tactic? What are some of the results? How does Pharaoh’s tactics impact Moses’ ability to organize? Threats and intimidation are often tools used to oppress workers. Have you ever experienced this? How did you feel? What are some other tactics that are used to threaten workers?
Have you ever thought that low-wage workers were simply lazy? If so, where do you think that attitude came from? Are people really lazy or are our productivity expectations unrealistic?
Tongue on Fire 
When I read comments about the campaign to raise the minimum wage, I am always amazed that people will say things like, “they don’t deserve more. If they were motivated, they would get an education and get a better job.” There is a meta-narrative in our culture that assumes that people will start out at the bottom and work their way to the top through ambition. People who stay at the bottom have no ambition or interest in self-improvement and therefore do not deserve anything but the bottom. The narrative is no longer valid (if it ever was) because 75% of the jobs that have been created since 2012 are low-wage jobs with very little opportunity for advancement. It is the spirit of Pharaoh that places the blame on the workers who want justice.
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