dan, of course ancient societies had little control over their lives, but we
live in the 21st century now, and it still goes on. i am not denying that
wealth can be created and technology increases production. it is also
unquestionable that medical science, diet and other factors have increased life
spans and infant mortality.
there are still a few places left in the world where hunter gatherer societies
are poor to the point of starvation, and barely eke out survival. even low
tech subsistence agriculture, using the yak drawn plow, donkeys pulling heavily
loaded carts, or women carrying heavy loads on their back, all increase the
carrying capacity of the land. of course no where near as much as agribusiness
methods where the profit motive forces more and more people to live in squalor
in the cities. industrialization provides jobs for some, at barely subsistence
wages. doesn't make it right.
as for trade, i obtained my information from a lifetime of traveling and living
in poor countries. people will work for pennies an hour to avoid starvation.
doesn't make it right. i grew up in japan in the 50s and we paid our maid a
dollar a day, which was more than she made as a teacher. in the late 70s i
rented a villa in egypt from a former ambassador for two hundred dollars a
month. i didn't know it came with a family living under the house who would
clean, shop, fill the house with flowers, etc., all for "baksheesh". if i did
not keep them, the family would be homeless and destitute. doesn't make it
right. ball point pens and cigarettes were a form of currency, i don't know
why.
i have written here before about my experience in tchad. we hear a lot about
"free" trade, but what about FAIR trade? i understand that trade barriers can
be devastating to undeveloped countries. i blame their own governments as much
as western countries and neo-colonialism for the utter poverty that still
exists in many countries, just as it still exists in some parts of america.
i don't know how to end poverty in these countries, but we are not saviors
because we buy diamonds and sell weapons in countries where genocide is still
being practiced.
should we not send aid because much of it is sent does not reach those who need
it, but ends up in the black market, or even helps dictators remain in power,
or should we require it is distributed humanely, as under the auspices of
organizations like the peace corps?
religious institutions exploit people who are starving into becoming slaves to
faith. doesn't make it right. trade may be the first step, but when it
provides money that must go through dishonest politicians first, doesn't make
it right. of course it is worse for the poorest countries who have next to no
exports, or just resources that end up profiting corrupt officials, like i saw
in tchad.
nations like china and india profit from trade with the western world, and will
eventually be driving cars, watching television, etc. countries like japan and
korea have improved the lot of their people, as they emulate the capitalist
model. mexico now has the richest man in the world and more and more
billionaires per capita.
yet, many countries still allow forced child labor and other forms of economic
slavery, so americans can shop at walmart. you can't tell me there is nothing
wrong with an economic system that justifies this sort of neo-colonialism in
the name of offering as little money as the market will bear for human labor or
raw materials, because people can either take it or starve? what kind of
choice is that?
jon
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