Outsourcing

Just to make a quick observation how in the story the United Arab Emirates and other countries surrounding the Persian Gulf have few natives boating across the gulf with their oil and other exports/imports. This is neither unfair nor inhumane, they are merely protecting their own people and preventing their citizens from undesirable (and dangerous jobs). I found it interesting how Indians, Koreans and other people from all over the globe were boating across the gulf at around this time. While outsourcing to the point of slavery and poor job treatment is wrong, my argument is when countries such as the U.S. do it, it cannot be blamed. Sweat shops, for example, with all of their atrocities, create jobs for those that have the worst opportunity for them. People working in sweatshops do not always deserve the treatment they receive (rarely ever, seeing as it appears like very poor treatment), but these people are actually improving their lives. From the standpoint of U.S. citizens, it is atrocious that ‘we’ could do this to people within our country, or anywhere outside it just for our ‘material needs.’ While I believe much material possessions-especially those commonly made in sweatshops-are superfluous and trivial, some person some where wants them made. With this continual demand, we will see the misfortunes of the continuation of extremely low wages and poor working conditions. We also need to ask ourselves though, if we would rather have a bad job and barely provide for our family, or not have a job at all and (unfortunately, literally) sift through dumps-thus not getting anywhere. I agree that the majority of outsourcing that the United States of America does is not with the correct integrity or fairness. I wish that selfish company owners would improve wages and conditions for their workers. These business owners won’t unless they are made to, however, because they understand that a) since their workers are already working their hardest his or her (the boss’) company will not improve with increased wages or improved conditions, and b) these jobs that people have are better than no jobs. All of this seems very different than the skilled boating needed throughout the Persian Gulf, but I would argue it is similar. 1. These foreigners-from dangerous places with poor economies-take jobs that the locals refuse to. In the case of the United Arab Emirates, their economy(s) was flourishing at the time, so they had even fewer willing employees than usual. Who can blame people who recently got rich off of the oil industry that don’t want to boat for weeks at a time through bombed and mine-infested seas? Why would anyone take such a dangerous job? In the case of the Indians that Tony meets, they do it because they are good at it. With all of their experience, they have faith they will not blow up. They make sacrifices for their families, however, and take these jobs with POOR CONDITIONS. Something to mull over.
-C.S.