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This not exactly the most dispassionate discussion on the topic. Regardless of what modern day opinion is of such a system, I think it would be more appropriate to split the article into two sections: one describing the economic structure of a truck system, and a second to discuss the abuses and criticism of the system and the history of its diminishment. As it stands, it mixes criticism and description too much.
Condescending? Don't be so rude. Since you raised your concerns — in an insulting and abrasive fashion — I have been attempting to rewrite to emphasise the academic usage of "truck system".
I would invite you to try a rewrite, but I don't think you know enough about the subject; you clearly haven't touched the relevant literature and you're still having trouble with the semantics.
For example, I never said that barter was exploitative. It generally isn't. However a truck system, per se is a form or subset of barter or truck which is exploitative. Some historians argue about the extent/limits of said exploitation in particular cases, but that's it.
Meriam-Webster is a dictionary, this is an encyclopedia. Any dictionary definition of commonly used terms is probably going to be inadequate compared to what we do. If we simply adopted literal, dictionary definitions of words/terms then there would be no Wikipedia.
I challenge you to find me a quotation from the historical literature that defines a truck system (not truck wages or any similar term) as simply payment in goods. The definitions all include exploitation and/or unfree labour.
Another example of your problem with semantics: a company town in 1906 or 2006 does not necessarily entail a truck system or exploitation. There are still plenty of company towns in the world. The article is about truck systems not company towns. Grant65 | Talk 04:23, 18 January 2006 (UTC)
How does one propse that this page be merged with scrip? Jimworm 01:28, 7 November 2005 (UTC)
Is this sentence true?: While this system had long existed in many parts of the world, it became widespread in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as industrialization left many poor, unskilled workers without other means to support themselves and their families. I thought industrialization put unskilled workers and children to work leaving skilled workers with less opportunities. And I suspect as harsh as that sounds it was still in improvement on lifestyle for the majority. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.241.83.46 ( talk) 16:51, 2 April 2011 (UTC)
By definition, unfree labor is labor under forced coercion. "exploative labor" is not the same as "unfree labor". In socialist theories, all labor in capitalist society is exploative to a degree. I am moving to replace this category as unsupported by the text of the article. `' mikka 00:22, 12 April 2007 (UTC)
Removed a link to History of unfree labor in the United States. If someone wants to link to unfree labor would be fine, although I haven't checked the unfree labor main entry. This particular article (unfree labor in the untied states) needs to be edited for NPOV and needs some fact checking and citation work. It's not of use to link it to this entry. Gogogoat ( talk) 08:09, 27 October 2017 (UTC)
there are some materials in william warrender mackenzie's report. Miriam Wright said it persisted into the mid of 20th ceturay. Jackzhp 16:49, 17 July 2007 (UTC)
What is the main difference between truck system and company store? Madd the sane ( talk) 06:21, 16 January 2008 (UTC)
I hope this is more straightforward than what it replaces; it still needs a lot of work. The previous stub seemed too abstractly ideological (my POV, anyway) and unusefully unfocused. Also, the lyrics to "16 tons" don't belong here. Added the Law and Economics banners on the talk page (seemed appropriate). Provided some usable (and accessible) references, for a potential starting point. Regards, Notuncurious ( talk) 20:54, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
I'm leaving this on the talk page instead of tagging myself since I'm not an expert, but this article might need NPOV help...the opening sentence, "A truck system is where a predatory employer coerces..." etc etc. EagleFalconn ( talk) 19:46, 23 June 2008 (UTC)
Folks, A company store is also a defining structure in a coal camp and basically help the camp become a town. It is a fact that yes, the employee did not have another place to spend their earnings. However, in the case of Appalachian Company towns and Coal towns, THERE WERE NO OTHER PLACES FOR AT LEAST A DECADE. We MUST avoid POV and politics if wewant to have an encyclopedia. Cant we define something before we imbue it meanings that may or may NOT be valid????? Coal town guy ( talk) 02:10, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
I am deleting A Tom and Jerry shop is a low-drinking room from the end of the Brewer quotation in the Britain section: There does not seem to be any (evidence of a) connection between the truck system and tommy shops on the one hand and Tom and Jerry shops on the other.
![]() | This article is rated Start-class on Wikipedia's
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This not exactly the most dispassionate discussion on the topic. Regardless of what modern day opinion is of such a system, I think it would be more appropriate to split the article into two sections: one describing the economic structure of a truck system, and a second to discuss the abuses and criticism of the system and the history of its diminishment. As it stands, it mixes criticism and description too much.
Condescending? Don't be so rude. Since you raised your concerns — in an insulting and abrasive fashion — I have been attempting to rewrite to emphasise the academic usage of "truck system".
I would invite you to try a rewrite, but I don't think you know enough about the subject; you clearly haven't touched the relevant literature and you're still having trouble with the semantics.
For example, I never said that barter was exploitative. It generally isn't. However a truck system, per se is a form or subset of barter or truck which is exploitative. Some historians argue about the extent/limits of said exploitation in particular cases, but that's it.
Meriam-Webster is a dictionary, this is an encyclopedia. Any dictionary definition of commonly used terms is probably going to be inadequate compared to what we do. If we simply adopted literal, dictionary definitions of words/terms then there would be no Wikipedia.
I challenge you to find me a quotation from the historical literature that defines a truck system (not truck wages or any similar term) as simply payment in goods. The definitions all include exploitation and/or unfree labour.
Another example of your problem with semantics: a company town in 1906 or 2006 does not necessarily entail a truck system or exploitation. There are still plenty of company towns in the world. The article is about truck systems not company towns. Grant65 | Talk 04:23, 18 January 2006 (UTC)
How does one propse that this page be merged with scrip? Jimworm 01:28, 7 November 2005 (UTC)
Is this sentence true?: While this system had long existed in many parts of the world, it became widespread in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as industrialization left many poor, unskilled workers without other means to support themselves and their families. I thought industrialization put unskilled workers and children to work leaving skilled workers with less opportunities. And I suspect as harsh as that sounds it was still in improvement on lifestyle for the majority. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.241.83.46 ( talk) 16:51, 2 April 2011 (UTC)
By definition, unfree labor is labor under forced coercion. "exploative labor" is not the same as "unfree labor". In socialist theories, all labor in capitalist society is exploative to a degree. I am moving to replace this category as unsupported by the text of the article. `' mikka 00:22, 12 April 2007 (UTC)
Removed a link to History of unfree labor in the United States. If someone wants to link to unfree labor would be fine, although I haven't checked the unfree labor main entry. This particular article (unfree labor in the untied states) needs to be edited for NPOV and needs some fact checking and citation work. It's not of use to link it to this entry. Gogogoat ( talk) 08:09, 27 October 2017 (UTC)
there are some materials in william warrender mackenzie's report. Miriam Wright said it persisted into the mid of 20th ceturay. Jackzhp 16:49, 17 July 2007 (UTC)
What is the main difference between truck system and company store? Madd the sane ( talk) 06:21, 16 January 2008 (UTC)
I hope this is more straightforward than what it replaces; it still needs a lot of work. The previous stub seemed too abstractly ideological (my POV, anyway) and unusefully unfocused. Also, the lyrics to "16 tons" don't belong here. Added the Law and Economics banners on the talk page (seemed appropriate). Provided some usable (and accessible) references, for a potential starting point. Regards, Notuncurious ( talk) 20:54, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
I'm leaving this on the talk page instead of tagging myself since I'm not an expert, but this article might need NPOV help...the opening sentence, "A truck system is where a predatory employer coerces..." etc etc. EagleFalconn ( talk) 19:46, 23 June 2008 (UTC)
Folks, A company store is also a defining structure in a coal camp and basically help the camp become a town. It is a fact that yes, the employee did not have another place to spend their earnings. However, in the case of Appalachian Company towns and Coal towns, THERE WERE NO OTHER PLACES FOR AT LEAST A DECADE. We MUST avoid POV and politics if wewant to have an encyclopedia. Cant we define something before we imbue it meanings that may or may NOT be valid????? Coal town guy ( talk) 02:10, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
I am deleting A Tom and Jerry shop is a low-drinking room from the end of the Brewer quotation in the Britain section: There does not seem to be any (evidence of a) connection between the truck system and tommy shops on the one hand and Tom and Jerry shops on the other.