From: Brett Paatsch (bpaatsch@bigpond.net.au)
Date: Sat Aug 09 2003 - 03:02:04 MDT
Rafal Smigrodzki <rafal@smigrodzki.org> writes:
> ### The drones who used to work, [and] now can't find
> the same or better position, but still feel entitled to the(ir)
> previous wages, [that are] now going to the poor but
> hardworking people of Calcutta, should indeed face the
> difficult decision - adapt, demand less, offer more, or
> make room for those who will.
>
Those who are unemployed *do* indeed face difficult
decisions, that is a given. And drones *do* historically
die, that too is a given.
But when one says that they "should" die, that suggests
to me a moral judgement. Is it? If it is I think it may not
stand to deeper scrutiny.
> PS. In case it is not clear, I used a bit of hyperbole to
> drive home the point that protectionism, aside from being
> harmful for the US economy, is in the end a form of crude,
> selfish and inconsiderate short-term greed, depriving
> others of chances for significantly improving their lives,
> and impoverishing all.
That protectionism is harmful for the US economy seems
to me to be a pretty sweeping statement carrying many
assumptions such as how quickly and on whose shoulders
the burden of reducing protectionism should fall.
"In the end" also seems significant. I wonder if there can
be "in the end" a US economy that is distinct and separate
from the economy of the rest of the world? Doesn't seem
like an end point with much internal logical consistency to
me.
And in the interum, are we not really wrestling with the
difficulties of negotiating our path from where we are now
towards where we would be?
I imagine there would be little disagreement between Rafal,
Hubert and Damien that before "the end" the human condition
globally could and should be much better than it is now. The
point then seems to be to find ways to traverse the terrain
between here and there. This will require negotiation and
careful deliberation. I wonder what the value of hyperbole
is, even amongst friends, in the face of such challenges?
Regards,
Brett
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