eat joe
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Re: Re: Re: What is ethical globalization?
Gnos Grajab,That makes sense to me, thank you. If the market were fair then my concern would be valid, but for those markets where local goods are artificially being made less expensive for reasons other than combatting monopolies or providing reasonably priced necessities, that is harmful I can see.Cheap labor I think is a more complex issue than you illustrate, but again I agree with the basic concept you have expressed. I think it is an easy thing to compare dollar for dollar, which is an easy trap to fall into, rather than comparing buying power for buying power. For example, Technical jobs in one area of a given country are usually not compensated the same in another area. There are many factors that influence this, of course, but the premise remains. If factory laborers making shoes in the US get paid on average $10/hr, I am not sure that means that the same laborers in Cambodia should make10/hr US. It seems to me they should make the local equivalent in buying power, which is how it works in developed countries.In other words, $10 here buys a loaf of bread, some meat, some vegetables, some condiments. Basically a given amount of food, lets say. The wages for that same work should produce the equivalent buying power no matter what portion of the world the laborer works in. That way, as jobs flow into an area and the local economy begins to increase, the cost of goods will naturally rise, and wages must be raised accordingly.Am I still missing something? It is understanding that I am after, If I am wrong I am happy to admit it if someone can help me undestand correctly. … Read More
February 2, 2008 |
eat joe commented on Re: Re: What is ethical globalization? on February 2, 2008, 12:17 PM
Maria,I understand these things are going on, and I feel for these people. The things they are going through are absolutely human rights issues, and I never disputed that. What I was curious about is how paying more for foreign market goods rather than cheaper, local goods was going to be an over-all benefit. Yes, it would help them, but it would hurt me and the local economy.Your comment does not answer this, but I do agree with the part about something needing to be done. Just don't make the cure as bad or worse than the disease.
eat joe commented on Re: What is the measure of a good life? on January 9, 2008, 8:11 PM
I am neutral in this because I agree with some of it and not with others. I do not believe one has a right to a job, for instance, but I definitely believe that one has a right to the same opportunity as those in the areas one is willing to work in. Jobs should be given based on skill and availability, with consideration given to personality mix. It is counterproductive for a company to hire someone who will ruin morale, not matter their skill level.
eat joe commented on Re: What are the world's greatest challenges? on January 9, 2008, 7:55 PM
This is a man who understands a key part to the bigger picture, that fixing the problem requires more than fixing localized symptoms. I would be quite interested to hear what he believes the solutions might be.
I grew up in the woods and mountains of the North West United States, in a very small town where a mans word was his most important asset. This was during simpler times, when people did not worry about the difference in writing 'his' instead of 'his/hers', before political correctness caused us to spend too much time worrying about the shape of the words we write rather than the meaning of them.
I was raised to value the land and respect it, and I have a deep understanding that we are tied to it. Harming the land harms us too, it just might not be obvious at first.
I was also raised to believe that men and women are two halves of the same coin, and that each has equal but different strengths and weaknesses, and in the right relationship the two can be far more than the sum of the pieces. This does not need to be a romantic relationship, it could be a working relationship, community relationship, or any other.
I believe intelligence is less important than wisdom, because what good is it to have the power to think if we cannot effectively use the conclusions we draw? I also believe in collaboration, and that an idea should be examined from as many perspectives as possible within the available time. Perspective is everything.
I believe in privacy and accountability, and that these are not mutually exclusive ideas. I have seen no evidence that to have security one must first sacrifice freedom and privacy, but I have seen endless evidence that those sacrifices instead lead to the very opposite.
There is a reason that 'free' and 'thought' are often used together.
As far as race, color, sex, religion, and all things that are often used as methods of discrimination are concerned, I wonder just how much thought goes into such a thing. Weren't we taught as children to use colors to draw images with, images that would be far less without diversity? What happened, that some should forget those lessons? In the end you cannot draw a picture with only one color, there has to be some level of contrast or the concept gets lost in the background noise.
eat joe commented on Re: Re: Re: What is ethical globalization? on February 6, 2008, 4:28 PM
I had kept my wages comment a bit over-simplified, I think. When I was saying that jobs are not compensated at the same rate when compared across areas, and that there were many reasons for this, one of the things I was thinking about was availability of workforce. Places that have an over-abundance of workers in a given field will typically compensate much lower than places that have a shortage. Like you say, typical supply and demand. This is definitely a significant factor, and my example should have included it, thank you for expressing the distinction.It seems to me like we are pretty much on the same page, then. At the same time, you have presented a few things from angles I hadn't thought of. This gives me a few things to ponder, and I appreciate you taking the time to write them down :-)