There's No Such Thing As Ethical Consumption Under Capitalism

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > There's No Such Thing As Ethical Consumption Under Capitalism

Rodatose: Jul 8, 2008; corn, corn, corn

WhiskeyJuvenile posted:

Therefore, it is a good thing that liberals are categorically opposed to the TPP and its ability to leverage market access in exchange for real labor and environmental protections.

Good article, bad conclusion.

quote:

But going around these governments won�t solve any problems either. One theory on why last year�s Ebola outbreak was so bad is that local hospitals, after years of being bypassed by international NGOs, didn't have the training or equipment they needed to treat their own communities. For decades, we�ve been doing the same thing with factories. In the �90s, while we were telling Western companies to audit their suppliers, the World Bank was telling them that government inspectors didn�t need to anymore.

Paul Farmer with Partners in Health makes a similar point about why the earthquake in haiti was so devastating in their book about it - lack of governmental infrastructure and inability to implement coordinated efforts for the public good (instead of NGOs doing what looks best) thanks to years of services being taken over by NGOs in the free-trade neoliberal era. However, they also add a few more points, like how improvement of conditions in developing places requires a domestic agriculture. Such prevents the continued degradation of the environment and keeps the country from having to be a net importer of food. That really important for populations with large numbers of people living at subsistence level for the reason that when famine or disaster strikes, a nation that has sovereignty over food supply will not have to rely on richer countries for constant aid - aid which, since it's run by NGOs whose cash supply comes from its image abroad instead of tangible impact, is often lacking. If a country only produces a cash crop for trade on the world market, it's much more vulnerable to shocks. As many island countries have been for the sake of sugar production. Bill Clinton even said about Haiti in response to NAFTA that, while such a trade program has worked well for Arkansas' farmers, it has been disastrous for Haiti and he regrets it deeply.

The TPP would likely undermine protectionist agricultural efforts that would allow for food sovereignty. If one really wanted conditions to improve, perhaps first world governments could send direct aid to the public infrastructure and regulatory bodies of foreign countries or build some infrastructure - things that, instead of bypassing local bodies, would bolster their ability to act. That seems like a better idea than a trade agreement which will likely leave ultimate judicial power in the hands of the world trade organization.

_{(Paul Farmer is against tpp for reference as he signed on this}

# ¿ Jul 22, 2015 10:33

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 04:31

Rodatose: Jul 8, 2008; corn, corn, corn

Also, your "markers with iran" argument supposes enforcement of agreements under the vision of one specific executive branch administration will stay the same, when it won't. Informal policy agreements will change with changing executives. If a republican takes office in the coming election, you'll see a pull-out of aid to any government smelling left of center as Haiti saw with the Bush administration. The most likely dem nominee, Hilary Clinton, still wouldn't be very good for somewhere like Haiti, since the during her time as secretary of state fought to keep the minimum wage from rising to 61 cents an hour and got it to rise only to 31 cents an hour. Also she helped build a sweatshop complex with tax breaks for sweatshop owners.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2015 10:56

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