'The Gig Economy' Is the New Term for Serfdom
In 1575 the Danish king gave Tycho Brahe an island and funding for an observatory in order to keep him in Denmark. This transformed the land from a Crown property to a feudal domain, of which Brahe was the lord.<p>Tycho took control of agricultural planning, requiring the peasants to cultivate twice as much as they had done before, and he also exacted corvée labor from the peasants for the construction of his new castle. The peasants complained about Brahe&#x27;s excessive taxation and took him to court. The court established Tycho&#x27;s right to levy taxes and labor, and the result was a contract detailing the mutual obligations of lord and peasants on the island. <i>Source Wikipedia</i><p>Serfs have rights under the law. Gig workers have none. The only thing they can do in order to earn rights is to sue to be treated as an employee.<p>The article gets it wrong. Traditional employment is an evolution on the master-serf relationship. Gig employment is lower status, akin to wandering laborers with no land or family. Gig workers wish they could be serfs.