The new slave trade

[Ariannda Kusanagi]

The problem IS Embar that while these choices exist for someone like myself, who's a single mother, I have other things to think about. If it was just myself then yes I could pick up and move, or work several part time jobs, or live in some ghetto hovel or that kind of thing, but the reality is that while i'm going to school someone still needs to be feeding my kids, and taking care of them, and who's going to do that exactly ? I have no choice but to use myself as an example, because I can't account for anyone else's feelings, thoughts, views, opinions or situations. I'm not saying anyone OWES me anything, I'm saying because of the choices I made to be a stay at home mother, instead of out in the workforce getting more experience then waitressing would provide, I'm having a hard time finding a job now. I would be an excellent doing something like Receptionist, Data entry, Admin work, Admin Assitant, anything of that nature, but I have no experience no no one's willing to hire me. however if they DID hire me, at less then they'd pay someone wit more experience then aren't we right back where we started in the rant ?

Just because there are choices doesn't mean that any of them are available, realistic, or viable, and that puts you in the exact same spot as before. Stuck.

Being a victim of circumstance is still being a victim, the same as if someone takes your documentation and forces you into prostitution. Obviously you made the CHOICE to go to that part of that country, but it's still circumstance.

[Kulaf]

How are your skills at keyboarding? Have you considered court reporter? I know several ladies who did a short schooling for this profession and it pays pretty well.

[Harlowe]

Its not oppression, they aren't victims, and you aren't owed a job.

Going to have to agree with Embar. No one is owed a living. You have to make your way in the world and through out this country's history people have come here with nothing, not knowing the language and were able to rise up from that. You take that chance when you go to another country. Are you saying we owe THE WORLD jobs and a working living? So anyone that comes here from another country is owed a living wage or it's just modern day slavery? That's kind of crazy.

Most of the time, getting a head in life takes hard work. Being defeated and just shaking your fist at the unfairness of it all, at companies not paying what you think they should pay - isn't going to get you anywhere, either is feeding your or anyone else's sense of entitlement.

I know of a lot of single mothers that raised kids while going to college. None of them were prostitutes or strippers.

[Garrdor]

Kids suck.

[Partha]

Ah, yes, classic libertarianism at play. You too can be a millionaire! Really!

http://faculty.chicagogsb.edu/erik.hurs ... _final.pdf

(Table 1.5 for the reality)

[Ariannda Kusanagi]

Keyboarding is ok Kulaf, the problem is as a stenographer again you need to have a class and experiance. I've looked into the local government jobs, and they're mostly in house hires.

Actually they were hiring court reporters recently, and they wanted a BA. I was a bit perplexed as to why the job required a BA. I guess it's just better to have "well educated people" in some jobs that dont necessarily need it, because it shows effort on your part anyway for bothering to get a degree. I applied anyway lol

Well at least i won't have to be a stripper or a hooker.. I guess i can toss the tube top and sparkley heels now =D

[Embar Angylwrath]

Just because there are choices doesn't mean that any of them are available, realistic, or viable, and that puts you in the exact same spot as before. Stuck.

Being a victim of circumstance is still being a victim, the same as if someone takes your documentation and forces you into prostitution. Obviously you made the CHOICE to go to that part of that country, but it's still circumstance.

Being a victim of circumstances which are a result of choices you made is essentially saying you're a victim of yourself. You are keeping yourself in "slavery" if you want to call it that, no one else. I hear a lot of excuses about why you can't get ahead, but not a lot of reasons why you will get ahead. You've defeated yourself, and it's easier to blame everyone else and put the responsibility on them, than it is for you to accept that you're the master of your destiny.

[Harlowe]

Ah, yes, classic libertarianism at play. You too can be a millionaire! Really!

http://faculty.chicagogsb.edu/erik.hurs ... _final.pdf

(Table 1.5 for the reality)

Who said anything about "millionaire". I'm talking about making a living wage.

Oh, I suppose I should say "oh gee typical liberal response" to anyone even suggesting people put some hard work into getting ahead rather than wallow in victimhood.

[Embar Angylwrath]

Well.. when you consider that Partha thinks everyone is entitled to be millionaires, and the government better damn well see to it by taking money away from other millionaires..

[Ariannda Kusanagi]

How did this turn to me and my circumstance ? I'm a bit frustrated because I feel stuck, but I am not the issue. Perhaps my personal situation has given me a different view of the world, the one I'm choosing to share, but this isn't about me.
I will however give you a bit of satisfaction by saying you're right about one thing, I am the Master of my own Destiny, and I don't blame everyone else. I an frustrated that I can't get a job, and every time I've made a plan that something, or everything falls through and I'm back to square one, but I am the master of my own choices... but we're not talking about my choices, are we =)

Kulaf had a good suggestion, as did Partha... sort of . you say I'm wrong to feel the way I do about corporations like Perdue but you yet to say WHY I shouldn't feel that way. tis isn't about me, it's about the way people are being both treated and duped in general and how America is still running on the backs of others, and I feel for the most part that a LOT of people, more then you're realizing, are being treated just like slaves. I still maintain that just because you CAN leave doesn't mean it's a viable choice, and it's still slavery in it's own right.

[Harlowe]

It turned into a discussion about you when you brought up all your personal business in this thread. Yet your indignant about that?

The success of all countries is on the backs of it's workers, but factory workers in the US are hardly slaves. Take a look at how other countries treat their factory workers then get back to me. Without all these horrible companies, there wouldn't be jobs right? It's certainly easy to demonize corporations, but what do you think they should be doing when they are competing in an ever growing global market? Pay workers more "just because" you don't feel the wage is fair and price themselves out of the market entirely? Competition from other countries that can do things cheaper, and better than us is brutal. The economy isn't so hot either.

Honestly, I can't judge your situation, but from what you said - I've seen women in shittier situations. Shittier than yours, than these "slave" laborers. I've mentioned this a few times here, but I volunteer at an alliance for women organization and I have done so for years now. I help arrange safe housing, childcare and job searches. These women generally come from abusive environments, many of them are uneducated. The ones that make it are the ones that really work to get out of their situation. They certainly don't blame corporations for their situation. I have really never heard a woman do that and I've taken virtually hundreds of calls and met with dozens of women. They stress about childcare and going to school, but there are resources, there are grants, there are programs for displaced homemakers. You should search that term (displaced homemaker) each state has a different program and also "single parent" to find out what sort of assistance there is to get you back into the job market. There are community colleges that have daycare on site and offer grant money. Churches that have programs. You just really need to be your own advocate and find the information.

There are many single mother sites that have all this information. You just have to do some work and look. Complaining about the state of things isn't going to move you an inch out of your situation. Neither will people enabling this whole "It's the evil corporations fault" attitude.

[Embar Angylwrath]

Harlowe is spot on...

Ari... setting aside my usual assholeness, I want you to try something that may open your eyes. But first, a statement or two.

Corporations cease to exist if people cease purchasing their products. No money.. no corporation. I think that's easy enough to grasp. So when you buy a product associated with a corporation that employs tactics which you see as slavery (depressed wages, poor working conditions, ethnic stratification, etc), you in essence support that corporation's policies. Also, if you buy from corporations operating under a general governance that allows those conditions to exist, then you are supporting that governance.

Now... here's what I'd like you to do. Go through your home, look at the clothes, the toaster, the microwave, the TV, the sheets, the towels, the shoes, etc., etc., and tell me how much of those items are made in China. Or India.

Then come back here and let us know how much of your cash went to corporations in other counties where working conditions are a lot closer to slavery than here.

Let me save you some time... you'll find that about 90% of your purchased goods were manufactured by corporations in countries where decent working conditions and a decent wage are laughable. You've been supporting what you call slavery, with your dollar. And like most people, you've been doing it for a long, long, long time. You just didn't know.

And don't get me started about diamonds. Do you have one? A ring perhaps? Earrings? All the destruction, war, rape and human suffering resulting from the desire for crystallized carbon, just for vanity's sake, just sickens and infuriates me.

Sobering thought, eh?

[Fallakin Kuvari]

1 thing:

People who feed McDonalds and other Fast food shit to their children are just fucking lazy.

[Ddrak]

I'm still at a loss to see what exactly the problem is. What do you want Perdue to do? Seems to me that they're giving these people a more than fair deal - hiring them at above minimum wage, rehiring them if they want to quit for a bit to take vacation, putting up with bad language skills and all the other junk that comes with it, not to mention probably having to deal with the INS on a regular basis. How are they treating these folks like "slaves"?

It seems to me you're ranting against something that you can't quite define, and certainly have no suggestions on exactly what to improve.

You say people are being "duped" but you haven't shown where they've been misled. From the sound of your description, these workers know exactly what they're getting from Perdue and that honestly seems like it's a pretty good deal for the skills they are presenting (ie none). You say America is "still running on the backs of others" but you haven't defined exactly how else you'd want it run - are you saying we should all pool our resources and just all work to our abilities for the common good (ie communism)? Exactly *what* is your opinion on how a country shouldn't live and die on the backs of the workers?

I just don't see the people being "treated like slaves" in your scenarios. They're paid, they have the choice to leave and go out on their own or even go to a different town. They make the choice to stay and are compensated well for it. Tell me again what's wrong with that in your view?

Ask yourself - why is it Perdue's fault that they are offering the only *viable* choice? Sounds to me like you should be praising them for there actually being a choice that is viable! It's not slavery - it's employment. Would you prefer them all unemployed with no employer at all?

Dd

[Ariannda Kusanagi]

Embar, Ok I'll give you that one as well. I can't stop the fact that people are outsourcing, or are importing, and I won't pretend I can try. Likewise I can't avoid buying something that was probably made in a sweatshop unless it's fairly well known (ie the Kathy Lee line of clothing, a lot of Nikes I believe as well) and in that case I do try to avoid it.

And no I don't have any diamonds, period. The boyfriend has actually discussed a diamond ring with me and my reply was that I'd rather have an emerald, even lab created, to avoid the entire diamond conflict. You never know where the thing came from, no matter what the certificate says.

I have no idea what feeding your kids McDonald's has to do with being lazy, considering my kid eat McDonald's twice a month, if that (and no thats not supplementing McDonald's for Wendy's or something similer, they get it as a treat, otherwise they have to suffer through foods like pork chops, pot roast, london broil or chicken marsala).

Harlowe, I'm ok, my situation could be better, but it could be much much worse. I have a good support system for the most part, my parents have always done whatever they could to help me out and i don't get a terrible amount of lecturing. I want to go to school, I'd like to graduate college before my oldest child (who's 11) does, I'd like a degree in Secondary Education and I'd like to become an English Teacher (scared for the future generations yet ?) however I'd like to both be able to work, and be here for my kids while they're still young. the baby is 10 months old, and the only daycare he's ever known is the hour at the gym. My mom was a stay at home mom, I was at home with my other kids until situation dictated that I no longer had that option, and now I'm trying to go back to work and admittedly I'm having a problem finding employment. My parents insisted I look into an X-Ray Tech program. If i do that I have 2 choices, work part time for the next 4 years while getting my Associates or go to school full time for 2 years then get a job where i'm making decent money. Problem is I'm not really interested in the program.

Last night I had a nice long paragraph written on Public Assistance and the social stigma attached to it, combined with the fact I DO have more then one child and the common thoughts that most people seem to have about people receiving Public Assistance, but I figured that'd just open me up for ridicule more then applause so I deleted the idea. The fact remains is that I HAVE checked into whats available, and for me, for whatever reason it isn't a whole lo, however I will do some more research to see what's available.

My intention wasn't to start a debate, I assure you, nor was it to have this directed at me, but since it has become directed at me then I appreciate the comments, seriously I do. I know I'm not considered the brightest crayon in the rants box, and I'm ok with that. The truth of the matter is that I do live a different life then most "normal" people, and perhaps it slightly jades me, because in a lot of ways I am bitter about it, but probably not for the reasons you all think... I never intended on being a single parent, not that we were totally making it when I was married either, but things were different then.

Theres nothing that can be done about the situation at Perdue, in India, China or anywhere else, and no I have no good solutions minus a living wage, but that'll happen round about never. I still feel a certain way, maybe it's not in any way justified, but I think it sucks all the same. I think a lot of people, be they single mothers, immigrants, or college graduates are in the same situation, where they take a job just because it's a job, and then they can't find anything better but they can't leave their current job because they need the money and the small amount of security thats offered from the job. I don't possibly see how I could pack up my kids, and my stuff (ok theres not THAT much but still) and just up and move to a different area, with no money, no where to go and still no job when I get there. I think thats the same problem a lot of people face. When you know someone int he area who can put you up then you have a chance, but it's not possible for a lot of people to just pick somewhere better to move. Yes I'm glad they have jobs, better to be employed and have SOMETHING then to have nothing at all.

No suggestions, just complaints, I guess thats one of the biggest problems of the day. Everyone has a complaint but no one has any kind of good suggestion =)

[Partha]

Actually, Embar had the seeds of a good suggestion in another thread - but it would take a national readjustment of what we expect businesses to be and do.

Firstly, we need to stop treating businesses as having the same rights as people (see the Santa Clara decision in Google). It wasn't part of the original ruling to begin with, and we're virtually the only country that treats businesses like that, and it gives business unfair leverage with the government.

Second, we need to do like Embar said and Obama says, too: We need to stop giving tax breaks to businesses that outsource or generally misbehave, and give bigger breaks to businesses that expand in the US and offer decent wages and benefits. I'd also prefer to see a national single-payer health care system so that the cost of medical care isn't concentrated solely on the businesses, but spread out. It would also free employers to offer bigger wages to attract workers, since they wouldn't need to spend as much of their income on non-cash benefits.

[Harlowe]

Actually, Embar had the seeds of a good suggestion in another thread - but it would take a national readjustment of what we expect businesses to be and do.

Firstly, we need to stop treating businesses as having the same rights as people (see the Santa Clara decision in Google). It wasn't part of the original ruling to begin with, and we're virtually the only country that treats businesses like that, and it gives business unfair leverage with the government.

Second, we need to do like Embar said and Obama says, too: We need to stop giving tax breaks to businesses that outsource or generally misbehave, and give bigger breaks to businesses that expand in the US and offer decent wages and benefits. I'd also prefer to see a national single-payer health care system so that the cost of medical care isn't concentrated solely on the businesses, but spread out. It would also free employers to offer bigger wages to attract workers, since they wouldn't need to spend as much of their income on non-cash benefits.

I agree on all points. One of my biggest gripes with this country is that businesses have the same rights as individuals.

[Ariannda Kusanagi]

Actually, Embar had the seeds of a good suggestion in another thread - but it would take a national readjustment of what we expect businesses to be and do.

Firstly, we need to stop treating businesses as having the same rights as people (see the Santa Clara decision in Google). It wasn't part of the original ruling to begin with, and we're virtually the only country that treats businesses like that, and it gives business unfair leverage with the government.

Second, we need to do like Embar said and Obama says, too: We need to stop giving tax breaks to businesses that outsource or generally misbehave, and give bigger breaks to businesses that expand in the US and offer decent wages and benefits. I'd also prefer to see a national single-payer health care system so that the cost of medical care isn't concentrated solely on the businesses, but spread out. It would also free employers to offer bigger wages to attract workers, since they wouldn't need to spend as much of their income on non-cash benefits.

I agree on all points. One of my biggest gripes with this country is that businesses have the same rights as individuals.

Moreso then individuals because they have more investments and a single person does.companies are protected, individuals are not.

[Embar Angylwrath]

What what what?

Companies are protected, individuals are not... that's batshit loonery.

[Ariannda Kusanagi]

Want I should pass over the tinfoil when I'm done with it ?