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cali

(114,904 posts)
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:32 AM Apr 2013

In Forbes: The worst justification for exploiting overseas workforces. EVER.

Last edited Mon Apr 29, 2013, 06:29 AM - Edit history (1)

Sadly, Bangladesh Simply Cannot Afford Rich World Safety And Working Standards

The horrible disaster in Bangladesh, where hundreds lost their lives as a shoddy building collapsed onto the various workforces, forces us to face an unpleasant truth. Bangladesh simply isn’t rich enough to be able to have the same safety and working standards as those we enjoy in the rich countries.

<snip>

To which there are two responses I’d make. The first is that this is all a bit colonial really, isn’t it? Bangladesh does have a government, they do have laws about who can work where, for how long, how much they should be paid and so on. They also have building codes, building inspectors and all the rest. It really is a colonial attitude to insist that the locals cannot work these things out for themselves and that they must have some set of foreign rules imposed upon them. In a certain light we can even say that it appears racist to some extent. Poor brown people just aren’t good enough at this governance stuff so we enlightened ones will have to do it for them.

<snip>

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/04/28/sadly-bangladesh-simply-cannot-afford-rich-world-safety-and-working-standards/

Appropriately, the name of this vile shit stain is Worstall.

23 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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In Forbes: The worst justification for exploiting overseas workforces. EVER. (Original Post) cali Apr 2013 OP
This would be more palatable if the same people weren't trying to get rid of standards here too n/t Fumesucker Apr 2013 #1
that's one of many problems in this column Enrique Apr 2013 #20
INHUMANE Skittles Apr 2013 #2
'sadly' = crocodile tears. i hate these people, vile is the word. HiPointDem Apr 2013 #3
well it looks like we do have something in common cali Apr 2013 #4
"WE didn't do it. The LOCAL supplier is responsible." Junkdrawer Apr 2013 #5
Wahh! They MADE us do it! n2doc Apr 2013 #6
"Business Ethics" once again seen as oxymoronic panzerfaust Apr 2013 #7
Even worse, he's a moron. He applies US-level prices for safety & regulation to Pakistan! reformist2 Apr 2013 #8
Well, gee, it wouldn't occur to Worstall or the manufacturers and retailers whose big a***** he Skidmore Apr 2013 #9
The writer timdog44 Apr 2013 #10
There is some reason for hope... he's being thrashed in the comment section. reformist2 Apr 2013 #11
The US got to where we are now by being a sweatshop first Recursion Apr 2013 #12
I am way too angry to omment on this. All I can think of is a very special place in hell for him. marble falls Apr 2013 #13
Look at some of the other $hit he has written (listed in left column) AllyCat Apr 2013 #14
He also doesn't think wealth inequality is a problem . . . in 3 of his columns. HughBeaumont Apr 2013 #16
I guess I am in minority who agrees with the author Trekologer Apr 2013 #15
that's absurd. first of all, the workers have been trying to demand it cali Apr 2013 #18
+1 n/t OneGrassRoot Apr 2013 #19
you got punked Enrique Apr 2013 #22
If they don't get the work without some "encouragement" from the outside, AllyCat Apr 2013 #23
And just think... 99Forever Apr 2013 #17
"Labor conditions didn’t magically improve with increase of wealth." Enrique Apr 2013 #21

Enrique

(27,461 posts)
20. that's one of many problems in this column
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 10:41 AM
Apr 2013

when we haven't just had a massive tragedy due to lack of regulations, then the Forbes types are all "lack of regulations is FREEDOM".

Then in the wake of this tragedy they take a pose that of course regulations are good, but not everyone can afford them. Bullshit. Bangladesh is their ideal, the only reason we're not like Bangladesh is because the Forbes types LOST.

n2doc

(47,953 posts)
6. Wahh! They MADE us do it!
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 06:31 AM
Apr 2013

Was this person being sarcastic? Sounds like something written by a pampered, privileged freshman in a high end private college...one can even imagine the faux 'cultured' accent....

reformist2

(9,841 posts)
8. Even worse, he's a moron. He applies US-level prices for safety & regulation to Pakistan!
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 07:41 AM
Apr 2013

In any case, he doesn't mention that it doesn't cost a dime to tell people to stay home because, you know, the building might collapse.

Skidmore

(37,364 posts)
9. Well, gee, it wouldn't occur to Worstall or the manufacturers and retailers whose big a***** he
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 07:47 AM
Apr 2013

tries to cover with this little fig leaf, that some of their profits could be invested in the facilities in which their workers are employed? That perhaps paying decent wages to workers would allow them to be able to afford the products they make and could lift the economy as a whole?

I never ever hear a journalist or economist or politician confronting the "takers" on their moral failure to the societies they take from.

timdog44

(1,388 posts)
10. The writer
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 07:48 AM
Apr 2013

is a contributor to Forbes. This should all be what is necessary to determine his tunnel vision view of the problem. $ to the right side and $ to the left side. Bangladesh did not build these plants and call Walmart or Sears or The Gap and say, "look what we can do". Some punk ass profiteer went there and set this up because he could force these people to work long hours for no money. Without all the social safety factors that should be present. To think that their economy has to evolve on the bodies of the workers is absolutely disgusting. That may have happened in the past, but it is not the way it had to happen. It happened because of the greed of these ass hat corporatists. The fact that these people can sleep at night is an indication of their lack of morals, ethics and compassion.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
12. The US got to where we are now by being a sweatshop first
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 07:56 AM
Apr 2013

Though they don't realize it, the pro-sweatshop people in the US today are recycling Marxism 101 by saying that particular development is inevitable and Bangladesh can't "skip steps". The fact that there isn't a blueprint doesn't mean the developing world today can't make one.

AllyCat

(16,036 posts)
14. Look at some of the other $hit he has written (listed in left column)
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 08:38 AM
Apr 2013

Apple and FoxConn are the best thing to happen to China?

HughBeaumont

(24,461 posts)
16. He also doesn't think wealth inequality is a problem . . . in 3 of his columns.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 08:48 AM
Apr 2013

Small wonder why he contributes to Forbes: he's a neo-lib offshoring apologist to the highest degree, an odious piece of garbage.

Trekologer

(994 posts)
15. I guess I am in minority who agrees with the author
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 08:39 AM
Apr 2013

The author points out that the only way that lasting working condition improvements and safety reforms will happen is if the population in the country, and especially the workers, demand it. If it is forced by the outside, the factory owners will clean up the places temporarily and trot out some workers who attest to how benevolent the owners are but then go back to how the conditions were before when no one is looking anymore.

 

cali

(114,904 posts)
18. that's absurd. first of all, the workers have been trying to demand it
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 09:00 AM
Apr 2013

but they have extremely limited power and the forces of intimidation have targeted them brutally. Secondly, it's not an either/or situation. Forces on the outside can work with people there.

Hundreds and hundreds of people died in fucking agony. Your placid acceptance of this is hard to stomach.

Enrique

(27,461 posts)
22. you got punked
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 11:14 AM
Apr 2013

the author does very sneakily imply that the Bangladeshi people are ok with this lack of safety, and you believed it.

AllyCat

(16,036 posts)
23. If they don't get the work without some "encouragement" from the outside,
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:46 PM
Apr 2013

the people will still get safety and the jobs will still land there. What better way than to learn from the people who fought this crap for decades and lost many, many lives. We can guide them on how to do it and they can still have their cheap products to sell back to those of us who can barely afford them anymore.

Enrique

(27,461 posts)
21. "Labor conditions didn’t magically improve with increase of wealth."
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 11:13 AM
Apr 2013

a great point from one of the comments under the article.

Labor conditions only improved because people fought for them. And most importantly, people fought AGAINST them, and such people often write for magazines like Forbes.

I can see why the RWers don't like labor history being taught in schools. It's a lot like Civil Rights, they want people to think these things just happened by themselves. As soon as people learn about these movements, they recognize the movemements' opponents, who are still with us, they are the rightwingers. Now that they have lost, they are pretending they were on the winning side all along and they need to be called out.

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