6046: About working in factory jobs (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: "J. David Lyall" <david@lyalls.net>

This discussion about whether a low wage job is demeaning or
empowering remains fascinating.

I don't wish to seem disrespectful to those who decry the
necessity of working at a minumum wage job, Lakat included,
but a minimum wage job in california is almost as unlivable
as one in Haiti. If you look around you tho, you will see
millions of people doing just that in America.

I have said before that most of the folks here on the list
who say that no job is better than a haitian minimum wage
factory job have never talked to a hatian with such a job.
Or who used to have such a job.

I know people who go to a haitian job every day who literally make
nothing at all for days at a time. It is, however, something to do.
Even a job that pays NOTHING is better to these folks than
no job at all. It is regarded as better than begging or stealing.
Going to a job which pays NOTHING means that you at
least are not a vagabond.

Probably most of us here in corbettland have not worked for
wages in north america. The working class life style is not
something to be looked down on. Having any sort of job
at all gives people some dignity.

:;>Which is worse:  no jobs, or low wage
:->jobs?  It's Disney etc. all over again.  I hate the exploitation,
but maybe
:->it's better to get into play than to stand aloof and unemployed.  If
there
:->are jobs, we can fight for decent conditions and work rules and fair
:->practices  - and relatively decent wages. No jobs - nothing to fight
to
:->improve?  Not a nice choice, is it?
:->,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
:->It seems to me that it is easy for people who do not have to work
too many 
:->hours, for too many days a week, enduring inhumane conditions,
working too 
:->hard for too little money to support the idea of having foreign
manufacturing 
:->companies in Haiti.  It is dehumanizing to have to work this way. 


----
J David Lyall
   or, Jedidiah Daudi in full ki-swahili
***** david AT lyalls.net *****
http://www.lyalls.net/