In Thomas Friedman’s article 30 Little Turtles we the reader are given a glimpse into the lives of the people on the other end of the phone. Much like other essays and books Friedman has written, this is a very engaging read. We learn about Indian men and women who are talking to us by night and working on college degrees by day, men and women who are gaining confidence, dignity and purpose thanks to gainful employment.
Outsourcing in the US has become a hot button political issue in recent months. Politicians are claiming that they will get those jobs back on American soil, and I have to ask how? The reason the jobs left was because the call center companies can get away with paying people 200-300 dollars a week in countries such as India. It doesn’t sound like much due to our inflation, but a job like that in India will assist the average person to pay their parents rent while taking college courses. To get the call center jobs back (which many Americans don’t want to do in the first place) the government would have to subsidize private companies with tax breaks and other incentives in order to make those companies even think about coming back.
The key to this essay lies in the last sentence. Friedman concludes that by employing people from the Middle East with gainful employment in which they can better their lives, the Americans are protecting their own troops. He touches on the traits that make up the psyche of a suicide bomber: a person who has no hope, dignity or job. Through outsourcing, the newfound workforce picks up a phone or headset, rather than an explosive laced backpack.
So the question I pose is this, is it worthwhile to bring those jobs back or should we continue to split a piece of the pie with the rest of the world?
I never thought about the effort that it would take to bring the work back. We would be losing more than getting back. It also doesn't help that it tends not to be career or even pay the rent. I worked at a internet call centre and took no pride in my job, it was hard work for crappy pay. I think if they find it to be beneficial then why bother moving it.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading “30 Turtles”, I would have said absolutely no to outsourcing. My opinion has changed completely. I believe if these jobs drastically change the life for these people, then I am all for it. Corporations would not want to pay Canadians the amount of money they would only work for, therefore, allow the opportunity for others to benefit from these low wage jobs.
ReplyDeleteI hear what you are all saying but can these call centres not survive in North America? I think they can. These call centres would get paid through the companies who use their services such as Dell or Rogers. You can't tell me these companies don't have enough money to pay a proper wage here? I see how it can benefit others lives across the world but what about that single mother who is on assisted living, living next door to you? She had a job that couldn't pay the rent but could provide groceries. Now that job is gone because a multi-million or even billion dollar company sends the work overseas. The logic behind it is we are creating a happier and better life for the people overseas. Well what about that single mother? A job is a job in the end. Maybe if our big companies stopped being so greedy and started to share even a bit of their wealth, the jobs wouldn't be so unattractive.
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your postings and to Ben for getting the conversation going. It's such a multi-faceted topic and presented in such a simplistic and engaging way.
Does Friedman oversimplify it? I wonder. That's the niggling question for me. He gives us a soundbite and walks away perhaps hoping we won't reflect on some of the finer points like...how about that idea of suppressing the Indian accent? Isn't culture eroded in this way?
Using the rhetorical mode of pathos, he tries to convince us that everyone is better off with a chicken in the pot, so to speak. If a good job provides people with a better living, than of course outsourcing is a good thing. He gets the reader nodding their head and agreeing. I like to look at how he managages to do this. He gives us the good news story. He gives us a specific picture of what this call centre individual looks like -- fresh, young college student. He takes the money and helps support his family.
A little voice in my head starts to yell, "Are you buying this?"
Well...I want to buy it. Trouble is, Friedman probably knows this. He knows how much we hunger to be told that the right decisions are being made on our behalf.
In the end I think I'll wait for the book rather than the soundbite before I'm fully convinced.