Re: Re: Outsourcing: (was: Russell / Capital Destroying Jobs / Mar 04

On Fri, 5 Mar 2004, Nicholas Bonfatti wrote:

> Aaron:
> 	wtf? You're doing a shitload of ranting without positing a central
> argument, (or organizing your thoughts, for that matter.) What do you
> think should be done about this recent offshoring phenomenon?

i guess i'm just following the format.  regardless, i think you caught on:
i didn't propose "what should be done."  you're right.  i'm just trying to
raise the point that we shouldn't fall for these lines that outsourcing is
done in the best interest of everyone (koom-by-yah).  they sold (and still
sell) nafta and free trade this way (see Tom Friedman's February 29, 2004
opinion piece in NY Times).  wait awhile and you find out the moved jobs
just move again (as they are from mexico).

we may want to get all religoius about the industry and how wee see
ourselves in it. seeing things in terms of "innovation", "superiority" and
that the problem is ourselves (self-guilt--another religious practice),
but that same shit flew over the manufacturing industry too: "American
products are the best in the world.  They'll never move them.", "We need
more training."  and all the companies that used to manufactur goods now
just maintain patents and marketing control over their "innovations".
not a lot of production.

now this won't happen exactly the same with IT workers.  they *know* their
jobs are going elsewhere (shit, some are training the very people they're
losing their job to) .  they're just becoming complicit because they think
business always works out for the best.  shit, the IT industry can't even
dole out jobs to women and minorities in an equitable fashion.  who trusts
them a chance on the international scene?  so this "oh well" and "we've
got to evolve (into management)" attitude is junk.

so, once we get rid of these *assumptions*, perhaps we *can* talk about
"alternatives". i'd say a simple alternative is a world where jobs can't
be moved from country to country just for profit motives.  maybe i'm
naive.

i do look forward to working with computer professionals throughout the
world (India has an FSF installation <http://www.fsf.org.in/>).

> 	I've tried to answer some of your questions below.

thanks.

/a
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