In an ideal world we could do that, but only because you put a lot of effort into something doesn’t mean it is of higher value to society
Again, ESSENTIAL jobs during the pandemic. They are the ones of highest value to society, to the point that it would crash without them.
If its standard stuff someone else could do or you just aren’t better than many others you don’t get valued as much
I’m fully aware that’s how it works now, I argue that it shouldn’t be like this.
This might be true, but even more industrialized countries like Germany or the Netherlands have a decent welfare state. They export a lot as well, yes, but I don’t see it as much of an issue if the other countries were more industrialized and had higher pr capita productivity which would leave more things for everyone involved.
Again, that’s not how it works. If you allow currently poor countries to develop, they’ll stop providing cheap labor and raw materials to wealthy countries, and stop buying expensive manufactured products like cars and planes at a premium. That’s what the western welfare state relies on: exploitation through unequal exchange of the poorer regions of the world
Again, that’s not how it works. If you allow currently poor countries to develop, they’ll stop providing cheap labor and raw materials to wealthy countries, and stop buying expensive manufactured products like cars and planes at a premium. That’s what the western welfare state relies on: exploitation through unequal exchange of the poorer regions of the world
I don’t agree with that assessment. I believe that the amount of manual labor and cheap outsourcing isn’t needed for wealth. I believe we could all increase our standards of living
I believe we could all increase our standards of living
I believe that too, I just don’t believe it can happen equitatively between countries in Capitalism. I’m not making up this “import raw materials, agricultural produce, cheap labor; export high added-value goods and services” approach to the economy, it’s been there alive and kickin’ since neocolonialism and the industrial revolution, and it’s the boot that has been keeping the poor countries poor with the help of the CIA and the IMF. Countries that dare elect leaders who want to invest the surplus of the resources of their countries into modernizing them and into improving the lives of their citizens, are declared enemies of the west, like Venezuela (as bad as its policy may have been), like Libya under Gaddafi, like Iran under Mosaddegh, or like Patrice Lumumba in Congo. The list is truly endless. And simply by partaking in the system of international trade established by the western countries, who claim to want the best for everyone through free market but apply sanctions and economic warfare when their strategic economic sectors are threatened (see the current import taxes to Chinese EVs), the exploitation takes place and perpetuates itself. It’s the reason why 1h of labour of Finnish or Swedish or Danish worker can be paid at 10 times the rate of that of a Congolese one.
The chinese government heavily subsidises EVs in a way unsuitable for the EU for example. I think 100% on top is too much but I guess that was Biden’s gambit for not losing the public to Trump’s protectionist agenda. Also, china has really done a bad job diplomatically to place itself as a rival of the US with their wolf warrior diplomacy.
