Re: SLAVE labor? Just a darn minute...

[Brad Jensen <brad -at- elstore -dot- com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lisa Wright" <liwright -at- earthlink -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Sent: Sunday, June 23, 2002 6:54 PM
Subject: RE: SLAVE labor? Just a darn minute...


>
> I was going to stay out of this idiotic thread, but I simply
cannot
> stand idly by while you spew hate all over this forum. I'm
stunned, and
> I'm ticked. I am sick and tired of the hostility and deliberate
> misunderstandings and posturing and hate. What I'm about to say
has
> nothing to do with tech writing except that you brought it up on
this
> list and so I am going to publicly respond.
>
> Smarter people than me a long time ago decided that you have a
right to
> say whatever you want, hold whatever opinions you want (whether
you get
> to continue to express them in this particular forum is up to
Eric and
> Deb Ray). If you want to perpetuate ignorant, racist, hateful
opinions,
> you have that right. But I think every single decent person on
this list
> has an obligation to say loudly and publicly that what you, Jill
> Johnson, said is not okay and it will not go unchallenged.

Just to step back a moment, you do realize that the comment was
exactly what the anti-globalization protesters are ranting about -
competition from countries with cheaper labor pools.

I only read the one line comment, and didn't see anything
racist in it at all.

> There must be a world of pain going on inside of you to have to
blame an
> entire nation for whatever problems you have. I sincerely hope
that I'm
> wrong about you, that somehow there has been some tremendous
> misunderstanding and that the words you've written don't
actually mean
> what they appear to mean. I like to give people the benefit of
the
> doubt. But I'm pretty certain that you meant exactly what you
said.

Actaully, if what she is referring to is the much lower cost of
using non-American
workforces through the internet, this is an established
phenomenon.

I have used lower cost programming resources from other countries,
on specific
projects, only because that person was the expert on the topic.
The
inexpensive price tag was an added plus.

> I hope you will take the time to look into your own heart and
realize
> that you are wrong. I hope you will apologize to the list and
the people
> you hate and promise to try to be a better person. Such thinking
leads
> only to tragedy. Not to mention the boatload of karma you're
building
> up. We get out of this world only what we put into it.
>
> Lisa

Hey, karma is an import from India also!

Perhaps Jill is wrong about competition from India in this part of
the market.
However, the Internet is going to continue to affect markets,
particularly for knowledge workers,
as time goes on.

In our country (USA) there is an ongoing fuss about H-1B visas
that allow skilled programmers and technicians
into our country to ease the shortage of such people. The existing
workers in those areas want the shortage to
continue, or at least not be reduced by special iimmigration
permits for competitive workers, since it will keep wages high.

If we restrict the import of talents as bodies, or as work
delivered over the Internet, then everyone else in
the USA pays a hidden tax - higher prices for what the work helps
produce. On the other hand, if it is
your job that is being deflated in pay, it can be a rather
emotional issue.

I have some friends who are university professors in Cuba. The
wages for an experienced university professor are $13 to $15 (US
dollars) - per month. That's not a typo.  Doctors make less,
although a very good brain surgeon might make $15.

Which is why the Cubans tell this joke: "He is a braggart and a
liar. He tells everyone he is a taxi driver,
but he's really just a brain surgeon."

Brad Jensen
www.eufrates.com


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