Third-World Labor Exploitation

Oh no, paying people what they're worth instead of exploiting those in poorer countries, how terrible

There's people participating in that economy benefiting from people in other countries being exploited in order for those participants to get cheap products.

Only to the extent that your consumption involves cheap labor.

Almost everyone in the world who provides anything for us already lives in terrible conditions and makes a few dollars a day. The people nearby are even less deserving since they’re so much less cost efficient to help.

Cheaper products come with worker exploitation.

Somehow you've convinced yourself that the widespread exploitation of economically inferior nations by the first world is actually beneficial to those nations which is wild to me. I would argue that the massive amount of human capital dedicated to creating useless trinkets and baubles for first world consumers would be better served improving the countries in which they live. A worker in an impoverished country toiling away to manufacture fast fashion or e-waste that will ultimately

This thinking leads to more poverty and less social mobility.Factory workers in China get paid less than $5/hour, yet this so-called "exploitation" directly led to a large reduction in poverty[1]. If everyone had accepted your framing and refused to do manufacturing business with China on that basis, the consequence of that would be more poverty and human suffering.If a person is being paid $4/hour and you come in and offer a $5/hour job, you are making their situa

Some of the commentary is sad.Injustice is injustice no matter where it happens.The reality is that masses of people in third world countries are exploited and they don't have very many options to do otherwise. The governments and multinational companies are very interested in maintaining this status quo -- that is how you can earn billion (get cheap labor for low costs and sell at high prices).Apple doesn't sell their products at 1/5th the price in the US to reflect the local rates (fo

Let me play the devil’s advocate: you buying those products is measurably better for those disadvantaged blue collar workers, than you not buying it (on a 10 year horizon IIRC - There are some UN studies on this, on phone and can’t find them right now).So you are damned if you don’t enjoy them, damned if you do (but a bit less). Obviously, it is better if you could improve their situation to the point where their labor stops being cheap.... but how can you do that?

Interesting perspective. I wonder if you yourself take part in the exploitation by purchasing things made/grown in poor countries due to cost.