Slave Labor

I used to work for a software firm that had a fair amount of its programming done in Shanghai. That was of course several years ago, but since then I was always interested in what programmers made out there versus their spoiled, hoity toity American counterparts in Palo Alto (yeah, those $70,000 per year C++ programming jobs didn't last out there did they, boys?)


Anyway, my personal interest aside, what I noticed with these figures is how (BY GOSH!) they're making decent money out there in dem der third world countries. In Kuala Lumpur one can almost make $10,000 a year as a programmer. And don't even get me started about how it isn't adjusted for purchasing power parity.

Regardless, the whole point is how I remember back in the late 80's and early 90's being told that American companies were taking advantage of these poor third world laborers and paying them nickels per decade. That you shouldn't buy Nike because they force children with one arm and 3 toes to work 15 hours a day and drink acid for lunch, if they're lucky enough to have a lunch!

Yes, well every country must start somewhere. Last I recall working on the American frontier in the 1820's wasn't exactly up to UN Human Rights Code. And look, within 15 years and billions of dollars worth of FDI, decent jobs with decent pay are starting to show up in the developing world...well maybe not Bolivia or Venezuela, but the developing world that at leasts wishes to progress.