DontRunMeOver

Big3, do you share my opinion that the problem regarding sweatshops isn't the pay, it's just the conditions? People generally wouldn't go and work in sweatshops if there were more financially viable alternatives available. They work there because however bad the pay may be in our terms, it's ok pay for where they are, or at least better than the alternatives.

If people are working in bad conditions for low pay, the bigger problem is that they are working in bad conditions. Companies can defend low pay because it fits into their financial planning - lower pay can lead to more profit and this would hopefully lead to a more stable company which is able to offer more jobs which are more secure (I don't know much about economics so if anybody sees a flaw please mention it). Companies can't really defend not giving decent working conditions to their employees though, or at least improving the conditions as much as would be possible without incurring any major costs.

I think your idea of more sweatshops being opened to increase demand for labour could work, but only if the sweatshops are geographically situated such that workers would be able to choose between different sweatshops. In 3rd world countries it takes so long to travel between villages and different parts of each city that unless the sweatshops were almost side by side, or people were to relocate just to try out different sweatshops, then the competition for employees wouldn't work that well.

Or did you mean that more sweatshops offers the more ethical distributors an opportunity to choose one which gives better working conditions to its staff? The purely capitalist would still go for the one offering the best value item, which chances are would be the one paying the least to its workers.

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boo boo

Pretty much. Seriously, it's not really helping anyone over there, while people here who need jobs aren't getting them because all the corporate think tanks know that they can get someone in Bangladash who will do the same job for less than half the wages an American get.

Don't lie to yourself. Companies don't relocate to other countries because they want to help them, they just want to save money.

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http://www.progarchives.com/

Trauma

I meant you sound like one, not you are; do you think I have any clue your economic condition whatsoever?
No, in fact I try to explore every facet of thought in matters concerning the majority, this allows one to be biased.
Still, you're one to talk, quote Friedman one more time.
I haven't read much of his works, but I know he publicized capitalism like there was no tomorrow.
Also, I'm pretty sure he didn't write any books on communist economic theory, just exploit its flaws because of the way it was put to bad usage by Stalin.
For the last point, you're accusing me of being cursory??
What citations must you find by next semester for the counterpoint against Marx to be rationalized, college boy?
No, this is not ironic.
You obviously are not supporting communism, especially according to Marx.
If you were, you would be waiting for the demise of capitalism and not self-righteously preaching a free market economy.
Also, in no argument did I say the October Revolution was just or support any overthrow of the capitalism the United States has accepted since its conception.
Supporting the demise of capitalism would not only be illegal, but I would be sent to Cuba, according to the Patriot Act.


Canada.


He backed up everything he said in a logical fashion.
You cannot speak for them, you don't know; I don't know.
I'm not advocating full-fledged anarchy but I'm certainly not promoting the funding of sweatshops.
If anything, I think your idea would be more applicable to cheaper facilities with lower wages and the same number of hours- not sweatshops.
The only thing sweatshops do is sell out corporate vendors to other nations because they're trying to maximize their revenue.
Of course it makes sense that people would choose to work a 15 hour shift and make $10 instead of $2 for the same number of hours, but it's not like these patrons couldn't pay them more; clearly economic exploitation based on living condition.
Also, I like how you said I read one-sided idealogy when your bias for capitalism flares out with the statement "unhygienic dystopia".


I'm sorry, I forgot that what you wrote is just a watered down version of every thing you've read.
Honestly, I regret not reading any books by run-of-the-mill "well to do" conservative capitalists.


Never did I say capitalism was completely evil.
"unhygienic dystopia", hypocrite.
Yes, you are the one in the box.

Until the U.S.A. was conceived, capitalism was not the shimmering obelisk you see it as now.
Many countries that endorsed capitalism in the past got screwed because most of them didn't have sufficient resources to maintain a near 1:1 import/export ratio.
Bad employment of capitalism insured high tariffs for citizens wishing to export goods and higher tariffs for the government wishing to import necessary goods; ultimately raising taxes and putting individuals into poverty.
The U.S.A. took a long time to become extremely good at its living.
If you had typed this 400 years ago, the same could have been said to you.
"Idiot system", hahaha.

I just thought you had girl troubles, I'm not gunning for you!
Just because we have different opinions in no way makes you a fool; I respect what you think but disagree with your opinion, that's all.
I do not disrespect you as an individual.
Most people can barely formulate a coherent sentence, let alone follow any sort of theory and understand it, all the while backing it up in a debate; you happened to do all those things just now.
Besides, I know you're one smart motherfucker, so shut your trap.

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dieego112

well i really think punk would be better off as not being know to so many people, because then if everyone knew about it, there would be millions of new ****ty bands trying to imitate punks, but thats just the way i look at it

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o rly?

Frances

??? ummm...ok. Wrong thread, but you have left me wondering what kind of bands you're into.

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Yup.

jgd85

wow this thread has got people talking. ok so here is my point of view.

like many of you said before every government system is flawed. that is because they are all creations of man (like religion) and thus are going to continued to be flawed. they will however get better and better, but never perfect. my biggest problem with capitalism is they way you get raised. people stop being taught what is WRONG or RIGHT but what is LOGICAL and what ISNT. like regardless of what i feel like im being called to do in life i ignore it to an extent because i feel it is LOGICAL to get a engineering degree. people dont think its LOGICAL to take care of their parents so they put them into god awful retirement homes all lonely and whatnot. beyond that, it has definitely been quite successful. the reason so many punk bands are anti capitalist is because they usually feel cheated by the system (were poor growing up) and want to 'rebel' against it by writing catchy songs their friends might like. then one day someone says 'these guys actually arnt that bad and could sell some records' and 90% of them hop on the $$$-train and say goodbye to ACTUALLY being anti-capitalist...otherwise their albums would be free.

just my 2 pence

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all you need is love. - john lennon

think for yourself and question authority. - timothy leary

death makes angels of us all / and gives us wings / where we had shoulders / smooth as raven's claws - jim morrison

Alexander the Grape

If you think about it DIY is about the purest form of capitalism there is. It just doesn't involve screwing eveyone else over in order to make as much of a profit as possible, which is a philosophy that has come to be associated with capitalism.

Being anti-capitalist does not mean you think everything should be free, though. In communism, for example, everything isn't free. You still have to contribute to the nation state in order to receive goods from the government.

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I'm back like JC lol.