I think modern labour might be too diverse to cover properly with only a few symbols. We’re no longer uniting two labour forces, material conditions have changed. I think that instead of focusing on types of labour, we might instead focus on what the movement can bring.

We could put basic human rights on a theoretical new flag. A drop represents access to water, bread represents access to food, and a roof over both.

If you want a new flag, picking something that unites is all (our needs) might be a good way to go.

I disagree. I don’t think the symbol is tainted, but the core idea behind it, because of the red scare propaganda. Once people realise what the new symbol stands for, they’ll dislike it just as much, if not more so because they feel ‘tricked’.

We have to reform the good name of communism instead, rather than throw it out wholesale.

For tech workers, how about a keyboard, mouse, or a circuit board? Getting them to look good and clear on a flag would be difficult though…

I don’t think the scythe really represents farming in the modern era though.

It depends on what level of competency you’re expecting. If we count “able to use professionally” I’d say learning a human language take longer/is harder?

Whenever you enter a new (sub-)culture, you have to learn the social norms. Some people have an easier time, others have a harder time. There’s not much advice we can give you, since every culture is different. Some value privacy, others openness and honesty. Some communicate stuff via head nods, others by how far you stand away, and others by pitching the tone of their voices.

You will learn too, but it will take lots of exposure and trying. Some people will dislike you for not understanding, others will be forgiving. How much you should make allowances and whether it makes sense to tell them that you are autistic depends on their specific culture and personalities. So, uh, good luck.

note: (sub-)culture here does not mean only the nation you’re in, but it can change group-to-group. Essentially it’s the vibe that a group has.

Perhaps the idea is to stimulate local manufacturing? But I don’t really see a reason why they wouldn’t just explicitly tell us that if that is the case.

The thing is, that billion dollar is worth a billion dollars of stuff. A weak currency is not the same as inflation. It’s just the value of your currency compared to all the other currencies.

If you are doing manufacturing, then having a weak currency is good. You buy raw materials locally, you take those abroad and sell them, and then you have more US dollars to buy raw materials again.

If you’re importing, though, then the opposite is true. You prefer a strong currency. The USA currently imports more than it exports.

Giving the boffins in the White House the benefit of the doubt, maybe they want to strengthen the manufacturing industry within the USA? They are losing pretty badly to China on that front. (China intentionally keeps its currency weak for this purpose, BTW). It’s pretty clear that the USA wants a war with China, but that’s pretty difficult to supply if you can’t actually make anything locally.

The question isn’t whether he was committing treason. The question is why would the author of the article omit this information. It’s highly relevant, even if you don’t believe it’s true.

Again, the article’s title (“Nobody is safe”) is expressly written to invoke fear. The article’s author could’ve written “… And he is accused of leaking information to the west; a flimsy excuse.” or something, but they chose not to included that information.