Then, why aren’t you a Republican?
I like my intellectual independence.
I’ll take a year’s worth of Modern Running Dog Lackey if you’ve got it.
Robin
Well those of us on the Front Lines of exploitation like to have a bit of man of the people about us, you know Cuban rhum to give that dash of something.
Did they make you cheese?
Although I have little sympathy for the naive trusteraferians that seem to comprise much of the antiwar and anti-globalization movement, the business section of the Austin American Statesmen yesterday featured an article about Dell moving it’s call centers from India to Panama because trained technicians there are willing to work for less than $2.50 an hour. Of course, we’ve already seen massive lay-offs here in Texas by Dell last year.
Last month, another article documented the relocation of garment factories from North Carolina to Nuevo Laredo to Sri Lanka. The 15 year old that operates the machinery in Sri Lanka makes less than .15 an hour but what the hell-now her family can afford chicken every two months if they’re very frugal and have no emergency expenditures.
I know quite a number people in the IT industry personally that cannot find jobs anywhere and I fielded 6 phone calls from out of work techs yesterday desperate for jobs.
Given all of the above, this just cuts a little too close to home for me:
So, what should a developing country compete on if not on price?
In any case, the citations to x wage which seem so scary ignore large productivity differentials and increased costs of doing business.
Exploitation, in any case, comes largely from the indigenous business community and not from the multinational.
Would it cut closer if I told you I wasn’t joking?
Seeing as you’re such a capitalist, then I find multiple levels of irony in the Cuban booze. (And why do you spell it *rhum, * by the way? French spelling seems odd if you’re writing in English about a product made in a Spanish-speaking country. It’s ron in Spanish, if that helps.)
So essentially, if your Cuban rum is state-produced, are you are helping to prop up a failing socialist regime? Or are you encouraging Castro and his ilk to see the error of their ways by showing them, even in a small way, the happiness that capitalism can bring them? Morally speaking, is it better or worse to profit from Iraqi reconstruction than to support the Castro regime by enjoying the fine products of its military/industrial complex?
Were I not ideologically opposed to smilies, I might just use the big ass smiley.
I don’t know, spelling tic of mine.
Much like my sig line, I prefer to leave this question ambiguous.
Well, certainly it does go for a bit of contradiction. I like that. The whole cuban rhum and capitalism thing really did puzzle my interlocutors.
My dash of man of the people, or New Soviet Man thing. Always did like those posters, having something of a 1920s art fetish. NEP, NEP!
Mr. Kumquat and Mr. Collounsbury , I know that you are both far wiser than I on the subject of multinationalism and economics.
I would never presume to debate you on these issues-especially in the dreaded Pit.
I have no quick and facile answers.
I have seen the living conditions of low-income workers in the third world, however.
I’m seeing jobs disappear all around me in the U.S.
I never said that the phrase
was an attempt at a joke.
I am saying that I’m seeing its ramifications more and more in my every day life.
I have seen the living conditions of workers in the 3rd world, I live there. And? Shall we engage in good natured hand-wringing about me exploiting the people and wage slavery?
Never accused anyone of either wage slavery or exploitation, now did I? Not really my style to bandy accusations anyway.
Don’t see the point of it.
And I’m not sure what
will accomplish.
I grew up in the third world (Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Pakistan.)
I’ve traveled extensively in Mexico and Central America.
I am reasonably cognizant about the quality of the lives of third world workers that produce cheap goods for first world consumption.
My (admittedly feeble) attempts to rectify what I consider gross economic injustices are to shop as judiciously as possible and to express my political opinions by voting for candidates that share my concerns.
I’m not trying to sound sanctimonious or priggish, I’m just not all that amused by labor exploitation this week.
jlzania,
nobody is blame-free, you know. I mean: you want the cheapest price for your goods, right? You do not only buy fair trade goods, I’m assuming? Neither do I, and although it’s not nice seeing all the work that is labour intensive disappear to 3rd world countries, but who’s to blame? Ultimately?
The consumer, because he’s the one refusing to pay the full whack.
I think it’s only fair that work is now going to those area’s, there should be more. Western countries should seriously cut doen on work, I’m all for a 4 day week with loss of pay, i’ll take it straight away. That’d creat so much more work for all thos on unemployment benefit at the moment.
There are solutions for everything, if only humans weren’t so greedy.
To get bacjk to the Humand Shields: all good and well, but what did it really achieve? I’m all for being an idealist, and trying to change the world, but getting yourself killed is a bit, erm, how shall I put it…defeating the point?
Get more political and go out and vote if you want things to change. You can only protest that much, but that doesn’t really change anything, in the long run.
(just my 2 cents worth.)
OK, let me get this straight.
Things about which you wax ideological:
U.S. foreign policy
Middle East history/politics
Smilies
Things about which you have, so far and to the best of my knowledge, avoided waxing ideological:
Rum, regardless of the ownership of its means of production
Cheese
Things about which I haven’t seen you wax ideological, for unknown and possibly varied reasons (who knows, reasons may involve wanting to separate economics from ideology in order not to have capitalist guilt about your relationship/role):
Third World poverty
Excess caloric intake
I guess the spectrum makes sense in some inarticulable way, except perhaps for the part about the smilies.
So where’s the philosophical dividing line between things that do/do not or should/should not cross over into ideological discussions, or is it all contextual? For example, would the ideology of Cuban rum have crossed your mind if your conversational companions hadn’t raised the issue?
Righto
Well, fair enough.
True, rum is an absolute good. So is cheese. Except feta.
Well, you should read some past encounters between Kimstu and myself.
Smilies are evil, stupid devises which I despise for their attempt at some pitiful and artificial attempt to convey emotion through some idiotic little icon. I feel the same way about those moron ‘icon’ hugs’ – bloody stupid ass half-witted pseudo-emotions.
Probably not.
[sub]Let’s see I could either make a reasoned post about how the whole capitalist system is based on the exploitation of resources, whether they’re physical, intellectual or personal…or I could make some flippant remark designed to really wind up those who see hiring people in developing countries as exploitation. No contest really, is it?[/sub]
I am…made me a bloody fortune. Foei gras, anyone?
With all due respect, elfje, did you read my post at all or did you just decide to lecture me for the fun of it?
No, I
You’re quite quick to tell me to
which makes me curious as to what part of
you didn’t understand?
No thanks Gary, never for breakies.
[sub]paying some one a fair wage to perform a job where ever they may live hardly constitutes exploitation in my book.[/sub]
Well, I think I’ll agree with you on the rum, with some caveats:
- Only good rum is an absolute good.
(It’s even better, though, when combined with fruit in some form…I make a mean mango daiquiri. Also a mean caipirinha. Although come to think of it, in Spain they used to call rum and Coke a “Cuba Libre.” I’m moving in a few weeks to a new apartment with a back porch overlooking a lovely garden, and am much looking forward to hosting some casual summer barbecues, perhaps accompanied by a pitcher of one of the foregoing. Anyone want to come to my housewarming?)
-
Absolut corrupts absolutely.
-
I’ve never had the opportunity to try the Cuban stuff, but it’s got to be better than the horrifyingly nasty Algerian red wine some moron imported into the Soviet Union in 1989. The stuff compared unfavorably with pureed tree bark. One theory was that some genius exported Azerbaijani oil to Algeria and refilled the tanker with wine on the way back, without washing it out first.
And what do you have against feta?