The New York Times' columnist Nicholas Kristof.
In his op-ed article yesterday, Kristof argued sweatshop labor is a relative blessing for people in the world's poorest countries. There are many jobs that are more dangerous and hazardous that pay less. Then, of course, there's the jobs in the unemployment pool which pays $0. Sweatshops suck, but we all have to eat.
Why do people campaign against sweatshops? Because to the West, these working conditions are inhumane. What we sometimes forget is that the living conditions in the poorest countries can be even more inhumane. Maybe this is just a crazy thought, but it's an idea to consider, maybe sweatshops are as bad as we think they are, but that can actually be a good thing for certain people in relative terms.
