From: Zhang, Yangkun (Yangkun.Zhang@FMR.COM)
Date: Mon Nov 27 2000 - 13:07:47 PST
> 1. While some protesters were principally concerned with keeping U.S.
> incomes high, some others were principally concerned with raising Third
> World incomes to prevent a race to the bottom. The first group tended to
These protesters are morons who doesn't know a damned thing about history.
South Korea, Republic of China (Taiwan), Japan, and Hong Kong all had
extremely low wages compared to the U.S. after WW2, and their economies
survived by having basically, sweat-shops. As their economies grew, so did
their wages. Every country has to start somewhere, and by cutting off trade,
you're cutting off these countries' one shot at making the first step toward
modernization.
> be old school labor unions. The second group tended to be more progressive
> unions and peace/justice groups. But in both cases, the groups were
> pushing for minimum living wage standards for trading partners. Exactly
> how is that racist again? It's certainly not racist on its face. Were
It is racist because the "living wage standard" simply allows American
industries more excuses for protectionism, and ends up hurting the exact
people it's supposed to help. It is racist because the negative impact of
such policies end up hurting the non-whites in the third world. They may be
well-meaning, but it makes it no less racist.
> all the protesters in on a conspiracy, or were they just in denial of
> their true feelings? These 50,000+ people came to Seattle because they
> felt so strongly that Third World workers need to be kept in their place?
Gee, do tell me, how many of these 50,000+ were lily white? How many of
these protesters are actually Indians, Chinese, etc. How many of these
protesters are actually from the group they supposedly represents? Why don't
you travel to PRC and ask the workers who work at slave wages whether they
think they have a better deal? Why don't you go to ROC and ask the older
generation whether they think they were being exploited in the 50's. Why
don't you ask that of Indians in Bombay? These assumptions, that you know
better than they do, even if well-meaning--is EXTREMELY RACIST.
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