The false equivalence in Musk is so strong, as if people anywhere should be exploited way past safe, mental and physical limitations. There are reasons for limiting work and why there are regulations about age, overtime, and compensation. Technology is already a problem where work easily bleeds into uncompensated time and leave.
This isn’t complimentary to anyone’s work ethic and falls square into the model minority myth. Many of us remember the horror of hearing about people committing suicide over work conditions or overworking themselves to death at Foxconn factories, and the reaction was to install nets and hire a PR firm. Things are outsourced to China and other “developing” countries for exploitative reasons, not because people are unwilling to do them and the safeguards against reckless profiteering in one place do not extend to corporations internationally.
This is a colonialist attitude, as if Chinese and other ethnic minorities have not been historically exploited as migrant labour–underpaid, undervalued, and put in harm’s way even as citizens of industrialized nations. People still feel the need to count how many generations their families have lived and toiled because we’re constantly reminded we are seen as foreign, discriminated against, and always a hair from being blamed for our own victimization.
Elon and his ilk can take their backhanded praise and choke on it.
Two notable factors involved here are 1) consolidation among corporations, which leads to 2) concentration of control over supply chains, (which involves things like eliminating “low cost” consumer goods options and artificially restricting supply to inflate prices, etc.)
From the article:
“One widely accepted narrative holds that companies and consumers are sharing in inflationary pain, but a Guardian analysis of top corporations’ financials and earnings calls reveals most are enjoying profit increases even as they pass on costs to customers, many of whom are struggling to afford gas, food, clothing, housing and other basics.
The analysis of Securities and Exchange Commission filings for 100 US corporations found net profits up by a median of 49%, and in one case by as much as 111,000%. Those increases came as companies saddled customers with higher prices and all but ten executed massive stock buyback programs or bumped dividends to enrich investors.
In earnings calls, executives detailed how even as demand and profits rose post-vaccine, they passed on most or all inflationary costs to customers via price increases, and some took the opportunity to add more on top. Margins – the share of sales converted into profits – also improved for the majority of the companies analyzed by the Guardian.
Economists who reviewed the data say it’s more evidence of a clear reality: Consumers are taking a financial hit as companies and shareholders profit or are largely shielded.“
It’s obvious that corporations are trying to pass on any form of short-term pain they might be feeling … and that’s serving the top, wealthiest class instead of those in need of fair wages or products that are affordable,” said Krista Brown, a policy analyst with the American Economic Liberties Project.” …. “The Guardian’s data….objectively shows a massive “transfer of wealth” from consumers, who pay higher prices, to shareholders and investment firms that reap the benefits.”
