In Thomas Friedman’s 30 Little Turtles he explains the benefits garnered from outsourcing low-end American jobs, such as call center attendant, to people living in places like India or Pakistan (p. 177). However it also demonstrates how powerful countries, such as United States exploit communities/countries where opportunities are limited.
Friedman indicates that the opportunity to work, for example, at a job which starts at $300 a month helps give these people self-confidence, dignity, and optimism (p. l77). However, in exchange for that, Friedman indicates that a newly-hired employee is expected to loose their native accent through a process called “accent netralization.” An instructor teaches “would-be Indian call center operators to suppress their native Indian accents and speak with a Canadian one …” (p. 176). or British or US, depending on where their job market is. So part of what we ask of them if they work for us is to give up their culture.
Friedman indicates that many of these unemployed men and women have college degrees yet have limited employment opportunities in their own country. So, rather then providing any likelihood of an education-relevant job, but yet tapping into these individuals’ desire to better themselves he purports all the benefits they garner by accepting these token opportunities. These jobs “transformed their lives” (176). We fail to recognize that by tapping into their intellect they may transform our lives.
Finally, companies which offer wages as low as $200 to $300 a month should be called upon to be accountable. This is an impossible wage to live on or to support a family in a more industrial country so the job described can only target a disadvantaged group. It is an example of a larger, wealthier company or country exploiting those who are less so. This doesn’t seem like an appropriate time to stand up and accept an ovation because we threw them a crumb their way.
Do you think companies, especially those that show such huge profit margins, should be required to pay fair wages to their employees so that they can have a means to support themselves and be less reliant on social services?
Hi Russ,
ReplyDeleteFriedman may not get a standing ovation but you do for addressing the flaws in his argument. I was reminded of Stephen Lewis's point that we take all the talented doctors and professionals from developing countries when we open the door to them in Canada. Now, it seems we want their college-trained employees to work in our call centres rather than the jobs they were trained for. Yikes!
I was also happy to see all the intext citations and paragraphing --everything I'm looking for in a good response.