People usually opt for slave labour in sweat shops because their governments allow no freedom in the market.
Sweatshops are NOT products of the free market, period.
JAlanKatz, I think this is probably the best post I’ve seen on this site today. applauds
I don’t see how Friedman is “smeared.” His policy suggestions lead to a lot of real atrocities and exploitation of labourers and entrepreneurs on the side of government favored businesses.
He’s just as bad as Marx and Engels, if not worse for legitimizng pure-positivism - i.e. data snooping.
Friedman WAS smeared. The author claims that Friedman was pro-Iraq War when, in fact, he was not. Lieing about somebody and then attacking them for taking a position they did not take is “smearing” them.
Which suggestions in particular? I am no Friedmanite, but I do not think Klein offered him an honest hearing.
-Jon
Its true, but probably not how you imagine it.
Friedman: No question. The story I remember best happened at the initial Mont Pelerin meeting when he got up and said, “You’re all a bunch of socialists.” We were discussing the distribution of income, and whether you should have progressive income taxes. Some of the people there were expressing the view that there could be a justification for it.
That’s nothing. I’ve read that Klein associates Milton Friedman with Chile’s Pinochet regime, actually stating that Friedman was a Chile’s economic advisor. That’s since stated as fact by (or maybe that’s where she taken it from) “alternative” documentaries such as The War On Democracy.
This summer I had the opportunity to hear Klein speak in person, and I can tell you that she is indeed ignorant of basic economics. The majority of her remarks were an attempt to analyze current events. When she commented on the prospect of opening up ANWAR and allowing more offshore drilling, her illiteracy was on full display. I don’t remember her exact remarks, but let me paraphrase for you.
“What is never pointed out in the mainstream media is that it would actually be years before oil from ANWAR hits the market. This is the secret that the oil corporations don’t want you to know. And of course, the shills who work for these corporations want you to think that somehow the prospect of more oil on the market in the future will MAGICALLY lower current prices. This is nothing but a lie! If we allow drilling in Alaska, the oil corporations will make billions but there won’t be any benefit whatsoever for you and me when we go to the gas pump.”
I’m certain that the line about magic is in fact what she said. Now, I do believe that the market is a wondrous and awe-inspiring phenomenon. However, there’s nothing supernatural about it as Klein believes.
Unfortunately millions of people read The Shock Doctrine and nodded their heads as it re-confirmed their belief that “free-markets” are evil and the only thing that can save us is more government control and regulation.
Naomi Klein and Andrew Sullivan have it out on Bill Maher’s 19SEP08 broadcast, See the 8-minute video clip here.