I don't understand when people get outraged over low factory wages in foreign countries without also taking into account the lowered cost of living. It seems like the ratio between the two is the most important thing and I don't get why I never see this discussed.
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It’s not just about wages but other things like working conditions or schedules. Do the brands take advantage from the foreign country laws to infringe basic worker rights or avoid paying taxes?
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I doubt they intentionally are looking to infringe on rights, though it's possible they don't care if it serves a profit. Also if they can get lower taxes then I strongly advocate that.
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It is important, but 1)it's OFTEN still exploitative, 2) even when it's not, it's still evidence of corporate exploitation and 3) such practices are not sustainable & actively hurt the economy of the nations that "exported" the work.
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B/c it’s not in there interest to correlate the 2. Their intent is capitalism = colonization = exploitation = their moral & political superiority over everyone else. If you point out that this influx of wealth rises foreign ppl out of abject poverty then you = worse than hitler
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For which countries? It seems like it'd be worth checking out what overseas factory wages are like vs. the cost of living.
And perhaps seeing what that gets them.
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Are those workers paid a living wage or have any of the worker protections that US workers have or have the right to organize?Are there any environmental protections? The huge failure of globalization is not requiring other countries to improve worker and environmental standards
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That does matter a lot, but I think absolute wages also matter b/c they control purchasing power on a global scale.
E.g. African farmer makes $1 a month and is fine b/c low COL ... until there's a famine and they can't afford to import food.