Stitch, I wish I could think half as well(/good ?) as you can write...<g>
I remember riding through the streets of Penang in 1982, then returning 8 years later. The differences I noticed both in the factories that I was visiting and in the general city/town traffic were eye opening. Much progress had been made. The same was true
Singapore.
I also remember in the early 1990s traveling to Steve's corner of the world. One of the notable memories of my several visits to Cebu/Maktan Island industrial area, was the moment of disembarking from the plane. A tall metal fence, the kind you might see surrounding a sports field in the US kept the locals out of the baggage/arrival area. Through this fence, literally dozens of men would beg for attention, thrusting resumes through the chainlinks, badgering anyone within earshot for a chance to get work. It was emotionally painful for me, to pass by this. The factory that I was visiting there in Cebu was a transistor manufacturing factory. Talk about sunset technology and of course I came with zero clout, but how were they to know this ? What were their alternatives ?
I believe large international businesses did the right thing in seeking out areas where large willing work forces were/are available at low costs, they have a responsibility to the shareholders to maximize profits and corporate value. I also think that the management of these businesses truly believe they are helping their employees and are not merciless at the core, at least this seemed true of the American businesses that I have known. A sliding scale of course, and some would say differences exist between businesses of one national culture and another, American vs Japanese for instance. This is not to say that sweatshop situations don't exist but that opportunities for both the sweatshop and personal economic advancement exist. Life is what you make of it. I know of a computer operations person running Unix systems at Adaptec in Milpitas that started on his journey to that position at age 14 with an AK47 in his hands as he left his home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia several years before to walk through the jungle towards Thailand. I know he is an advocate of progress. |
