And then some more...

Original plan: Go to the gym after watching HOUSE on Fox. LL Cool J with funked teeth isn't as sexy, but I'm excited for a new season! At least Shane West on ER is going to be one more hott doc to look forward to.

Detour: PBS' [Wide Angle] was showing a documentary on American jobs being outsourced to India (call centers, mainly). I thought it was a good distraction from my little science world, at the expense of much needed gym time.

Just a thought (coming from someone who is totally not educated in socio-politic-econo things)...with America taking advantage of cheap labor in 3rd world countries, are they shooting themselves in the foot by pumping money into an outside/foreign/non-American economy? These foreigners who have "taken away" American jobs means that unemployed Americans stay unemployed, right? I'm sure there are lots of people here in the states that can do the same jobs of these call center employees, but companies are just too cheap to pay dollar for dollar.

The show reported that the average salary for these call center workers range from $2k-10k per year. But the dollar here isn't the same as the dollar there. If you've travelled anywhere outside of the US, you know that. I could say that it's not fair to pay them such a 'meager' wage, but cost of living is totally different there, just like how cost of living here in MO is lots different than in CA. Your typical call center worker can afford a nice condo in a cush high-rise in the city.

Compared to your GAP/A&F/Banana Republic sweatshop worker, these workers undergo some level of education, having to acquire proficiency in English. (Is English taught K-12 in India, or is it a college-level course?) I don't think the sweatshop thing is more of a contrast rather than a compare issue.

With all this job outsourcing, is your blue-collar worker going to be more resentful towards foreigners because they can't find a job in the states? Is it a question of culture-driven education, where, from my observations, that traditional Asian (Eastern, Southern, Southeastern) culture values education moreso than "American/Western" counterparts?

They had two white gentlemen after the documentary talk about this outsourcing trend. They said that it's valid for them (or any American) to worry whether their kids will have a job in the future, but that we shouldn't worry because America is the most technologically-advanced, future-oriented nation in the world. Are they serious? Perhaps with biological research (gawd, how many American pharm companies are controlling the market?), but I would argue the contrary when it comes to high-tech. Don't they have gadgets in Japan that reach American shores 5 years later? (Is there anything vice-versa though?)

For me, the bottom line is education. And not just any education, but practical education that THEY can apply to the real world. (Sure, get that major in philosophy/ecology/French lit, but you better know how you can use it when you've got your diploma.)

Wow, I apologize for this lingual diarrhea. I hope I had a point...and if not, I hope I put something out there to be thought about. It's rare to be able to talk to someone around here outside of the science sphere. Well-rounded, I think not. I should really get back to work or sleep. Hah.

(Now watching local news channel. OMG, I can't believe they're showing a segment on Bacterial Vaginosis. This woman has her name, face, and the caption, "Has Bacterial Vaginosis" on this screen. They're suggesting use of this stainless steel device to deliver an antibiotic, which looks more like a sex toy, if anything, and say it's "convenient" enough to use in the shower. Sure, antibiotics, uh huh.)