Om Malik on Outsourcing... is it just a headline?

Om Malik on Broadband: Outsourcing... is it just a headline?.

Om Malik posted this a few days ago about outsourcing/offshoring. I think the real money quote is his opening line:

Over past few weeks, it has become clearer and clearer, that outsourcing/off-shoring is the new third rail of American politics.

I think he's right. This surprises me no end as I believed up until a short time ago that healthcare policies and costs were going to become the domestic and economic policy third rail issue for this electoral cycle. But it's clear that outsourcing - actually offshoring - is becoming an issue both in its own right as well as a proxy for other issues.

I'm going to start using this weblog to track the discussions on all sides of this issue. I'm actually somewhat conflicted on the whole subject myself - torn between the long term view that this will all sort out as long as the policies we implement as cures aren't worse than the disease and the short term sympathy for those who have lost jobs.

As Om notes, the mass media are riding this issue for all that it is worth.

Every media outlet has jumped on this issue. Wired has put some exotic Indian lass on their cover, Business Week continues to find a new angle every week to cover outsourcing. And Salon does its bit of bashing everyday. This Pollyannaish coverage of the whole concept of outsourcing does nothing but play on the sentiments and fears of programmers and laid-off workers.

Om is troubled by the focus on India as the villain of the piece.

Not a single news outlet has offered an alternate view or that India is not the only country, which is getting the big bump up from outsourcing. This report, which cites McKinsey Consulting, in 2002 Ireland’s share of outsourcing dollars was $8.3 billion. India came in second with $7.7 billion and Canada nailed $3.7 billion. Just compare the three countries, and I would let you draw the conclusions.

It reminds me of the 80s when Japan became the symbol for the loss of manufacturing jobs in America. Om notes that there may be more than a little bit of racism in the focus on India. They are an easy target - they are people of color (well, they ain't white anyway), they talk funny, they are furriners, they work hard, they'll do stuff that a lot of us don't want to do, and there are a lot of 'em.

But despite all of that, he also notes:

I think the anger of many displaced workers is right, and they should be fighting tooth and nail to keep the jobs in this country.

We should fight tooth and nail to keep jobs in this country - or rather, we should fight tooth and nail to generate more than enough jobs for all Americans. Those may not be the jobs we are working in today. But we'll explore all of that more in posts to come.

Comments

[peters]

Ouch..sourcing has damaged the American economy in a way that the terrorist networks can only dream of. Congratulations to all these filthy greedy Marxist Communists Elitists Insiders that are participating in the systematic destruction of the American starting with the middle class in the guise of "profitability" and "free trade".

The United States executive, legislative and judicial branches have all abandoned a core responsibility, to secure and protect the economic lives of their constituents with the passage of NAFTA an possibility of passing FTAA.

In fact this is fraud, in that our elected have subverted their duty to the citizen. The most important function of the United States is the protection of our citizens, not the world's!

The future fall of America will be from the result of outsourcing. Think about the future of you children and contact your local government to stop this pillaging of America Enterprise.

[peters]

Out sourcing starts with Hate Speech

"Sweat shop" is a emotionally charged word.
used by people who have never worked in a factory and who don't like seeing other people work with their hands.
The people who scream "Sweat Shop" and point fingers to what their eyes are to blind to see or brains too small to comprehend are people who probably couldn't qualify for such for not have the IQ or dexterity required to operate machines with their hands while using eyes and both sides of the brain.
I think they are jealous of the success and are trampling on our rights with the miss labeling of our work.
I would call it a form of "hate speech" to call my line of work by this name "Sweat Shop".
Kind of like me calling city council people "Nazis"" Stinky sweaty rats" or "Dirty atheists who work in slum's".
Now that is another emotional charge word.
Do you want to call each other names?
We could try pointing fingers too especially the middle one.