| I employed extravagant terms like “slave labor,” “wretched working conditions” and “ziltch” salaries to conjure up absurd employment scenarios—deliberately overstated to pique your imagination. I further certified that no ethical diecast manufacturer fosters or promotes such practices, nor was I suggesting they do.
So, no, SneakyPete—I wasn’t implying modern-day work dungeons gush with wretches embroidered in heavy chains. Of course I indulged in hyperbole.
On the other hand, who of us has actually visited factories in far-flung countries? Observed their production lines and measured their working conditions? “Slave labor,” “wretched working conditions” and “ziltch” salaries are relative terms: overlarge perhaps, but very possibly closer to reality than we’d like to believe. Clearly, marginal economic conditions around the world suggest that some workers—perhaps many workers—are bound with chains (economic). |
Gort, I was really responding to Cardinal's comment, "Many of the responses thus far fail to distinguish between low-wage economies and the concepts 'slavery', 'wretched' and 'zilch.'" It seemed to me that he was taking 'slavery', 'wretched' and 'zilch' more literally than you intended.
Are there "low-wage economies" that do not foster a sweat shop atmosphere for laborers? I don't know the answer to that one. How is the term "low-wage economies" defined?