* <<G55.0857>> Trickle-down ethics
It's a sick world we live in, where low-wage workers in developed
countries are forced to support the exploitation of low-wage workers
in other countries because they can't afford to buy
ethically-produced goods.
An "ethically-produced" set of clothes: one each of jeans, socks,
shoes, t-shirt, sweater, jacket, and underwear, could run ~$1000. How
many such suits of clothes do you think it's reasonable for a person
to be able to purchase in a year? One? Two? Five? When the minimum
wage is $10/hr, and take-home pay is only $7.50/hr, a full-time
worker only brings home $15,600 per year, and 60-70% of that will go
directly to housing costs, leaving, at best, $6240 to spend all year
on food, utilities, clothing, and entertainment. Is it realistic to
expect a person with ~$500 in non-rent expenses per month to purchase
"ethically-produced" goods? Certainly not.
As far as "fair trade" is concerned, shouldn't we expect/demand a
high standard of ethics in trade practices from all producers? And
what about the ethics of pricing? What are the profit margins for
the people at each stage of the supply chain? If you produce goods
that you know can only be consumed by people whose income is above
the national median, are your goods ethical to consumers?
--
Excerpted from:
PUBLIC NOTES (G)
http://alph.laemeur.com/txt/PUBNOTES-G
©2016 Adam C. Moore (LÆMEUR) <
[email protected]>
