Sweatshops?

[Feelings]

Comparative advantage Economics theory, friends! Low cost foreign labor is great in theory. Everybody wins. That's not the problem. It's the way that sweatshops are run that is the problem. Good concept, poor execution.

As far as quality is concerned, there is clearly a demand for low quality (or perhaps medium quality) low cost products. If nobody bought them, then nobody would be selling them.

Everybody's greedy. Unions and workers want as much money as possible, as do business owners. Everybody's fighting for a bigger piece of the pie.

 

[bickelz]

Do I like sweatshops? Not at all. But I don't see what I can do to change that except hope that the existence of sweatshops in a country is raising the standard of living in that country overall so that one day they will eliminate those sweatshops.

I got a bingo! Is that how you Americans say it? -Col. Hans Landa

You have to look at this relatively people. Sweatshop or prostitution? Sweatshop or scavenging for food scraps? Sweatshop or financial adviser? It's relative.

I am also operating under the assumption that they are operated ethically (bad grammar).

Sweatshops got their bad rap when an outsorced sweatshop that Nike didn't even own was caught with inhumane practices.

 

[tfg345i4u5lw]

I have always disliked the idea of cheap clothing and goods coming at the price of the continued oppression of other people.

I tend to buy things that I can be certain did not involve the exploitation of others, but you can never be sure.


I dislike the idea of inequality and hense believe that businesses should have to treat their workers equally, regardless of what country they are in.

Tips on how I can start doing this too pleeeez??? What brands do you buy?? How do you know people weren't exploited??

 

[bickelz]

Tips on how I can start doing this too pleeeez??? What brands do you buy?? How do you know people weren't exploited??

Research the companies. Brands like american apparel. If you buy clothing that is expensive, it is more likely to be made fairly.

 

[Feelings]

Tips on how I can start doing this too pleeeez??? What brands do you buy?? How do you know people weren't exploited??

Made in ___________ ?

 

[slant]

This is a hard question. I don't think I have enough economic knowledge/experience to answer it properly or form an opinion. But I will state that the terminology used in the OP and title of this thread has already set the tone. "Sweatshop" is generally applied to workplaces that are hazardous and do not offer sufficient pay for their workers, and already a bias has been created.