Comments on: The Land of Excess http://www.iamspencer.com/2008/07/08/land_of_excess/ music, politics, sports, etcetera Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:14:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Spencer http://www.iamspencer.com/2008/07/08/land_of_excess/#comment-24232 Spencer Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:06:41 +0000 http://www.iamspencer.com/?p=888#comment-24232 I chose not to write this about oil because it complicates things. Yes oil might account for all of UAEs GDP, but it's the branch that the leaves grow from. If you look at America for most of the last decade, we were no different. Audacious displays of wealth have been around since the beginning of time. I guess it would be nice if someone would aspire to better than those that preceded - but that's naive I guess.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('24232','Spencer'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('24232','Spencer','I chose not to write this about oil because it complicates things. Yes oil might account for all of UAEs GDP, but it\'s the branch that the leaves grow from.\r\n\r\nIf you look at America for most of the last decade, we were no different. Audacious displays of wealth have been around since the beginning of time. I guess it would be nice if someone would aspire to better than those that preceded - but that\'s naive I guess.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> I chose not to write this about oil because it complicates things. Yes oil might account for all of UAEs GDP, but it’s the branch that the leaves grow from.

If you look at America for most of the last decade, we were no different. Audacious displays of wealth have been around since the beginning of time. I guess it would be nice if someone would aspire to better than those that preceded - but that’s naive I guess.

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]]> By: grace http://www.iamspencer.com/2008/07/08/land_of_excess/#comment-24230 grace Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:32:25 +0000 http://www.iamspencer.com/?p=888#comment-24230 I hear that a lot, that every country that goes through its industrialization era experiences growing pains and mistreats their labor forces. We did it here in the United States as well. But I don't understand why it always must be that way. Perhaps I don't know enough about economics. Even a few modest improvements for the workers in Dubai could mean the difference between life and death. The mass manufacturing of cheap consumer goods in China and other Asian countries seems to be a complicated collusion of forces which results in a long list of terrible outcomes (poor working conditions, incredible pollution, the cultivation of a disposable lifestyle in richer countries). And most people are aware of it, whether they choose to look, or to look away.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('24230','grace'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('24230','grace','I hear that a lot, that every country that goes through its industrialization era experiences growing pains and mistreats their labor forces. We did it here in the United States as well. But I don\'t understand why it always must be that way. Perhaps I don\'t know enough about economics. Even a few modest improvements for the workers in Dubai could mean the difference between life and death.\r\n\r\nThe mass manufacturing of cheap consumer goods in China and other Asian countries seems to be a complicated collusion of forces which results in a long list of terrible outcomes (poor working conditions, incredible pollution, the cultivation of a disposable lifestyle in richer countries). And most people are aware of it, whether they choose to look, or to look away.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> I hear that a lot, that every country that goes through its industrialization era experiences growing pains and mistreats their labor forces. We did it here in the United States as well. But I don’t understand why it always must be that way. Perhaps I don’t know enough about economics. Even a few modest improvements for the workers in Dubai could mean the difference between life and death.

The mass manufacturing of cheap consumer goods in China and other Asian countries seems to be a complicated collusion of forces which results in a long list of terrible outcomes (poor working conditions, incredible pollution, the cultivation of a disposable lifestyle in richer countries). And most people are aware of it, whether they choose to look, or to look away.

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]]> By: Jassim http://www.iamspencer.com/2008/07/08/land_of_excess/#comment-24227 Jassim Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:56:45 +0000 http://www.iamspencer.com/?p=888#comment-24227 And do you know that only 6% of the revenue of Dubai comes from Oil ? The rest comes from tourism, trade and other services.Im an expat dubai resident and do agree that there are issues that need to be resolved such as labour rights and their living condition.But at the same time you need to understand that these are issues that are faced by any fast growing economy.The profits of almost all consumer brands (Obviously owned by American and European Co's) such as Nike and Adidas are fueled by the cheap and and exploitative labour scene in Asia ?<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('24227','Jassim'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('24227','Jassim','And do you know that only 6% of the revenue of Dubai comes from Oil ? The rest comes from tourism, trade and other services.Im an expat dubai resident and do agree that there are issues that need to be resolved such as labour rights and their living condition.But at the same time you need to understand that these are issues that are faced by any fast growing economy.The profits of almost all consumer brands (Obviously owned by American and European Co\'s) such as Nike and Adidas are fueled by the cheap and and exploitative labour scene in Asia ?'); return false;">Quote</a></div> And do you know that only 6% of the revenue of Dubai comes from Oil ? The rest comes from tourism, trade and other services.Im an expat dubai resident and do agree that there are issues that need to be resolved such as labour rights and their living condition.But at the same time you need to understand that these are issues that are faced by any fast growing economy.The profits of almost all consumer brands (Obviously owned by American and European Co’s) such as Nike and Adidas are fueled by the cheap and and exploitative labour scene in Asia ?
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]]> By: grace http://www.iamspencer.com/2008/07/08/land_of_excess/#comment-24225 grace Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:47:10 +0000 http://www.iamspencer.com/?p=888#comment-24225 Oh, and I also saw a whole story (20/20? 60 Minutes?) about how those giant skyscrapers and deluxe condos are being built on the backs of poor immigrant workers who earn next to nothing, live in squalor, have no benefits at all, and regularly perish on the job from the sheer danger of the work. So the UAE obviously jumped in with both feet to being a rich, powerful nation. It must feel surreal to be welding steel on a high rise for a couple of dollars a day while celebrities and billionaires stroll by in their ski gear.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('24225','grace'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('24225','grace','Oh, and I also saw a whole story (20\/20? 60 Minutes?) about how those giant skyscrapers and deluxe condos are being built on the backs of poor immigrant workers who earn next to nothing, live in squalor, have no benefits at all, and regularly perish on the job from the sheer danger of the work. So the UAE obviously jumped in with both feet to being a rich, powerful nation. It must feel surreal to be welding steel on a high rise for a couple of dollars a day while celebrities and billionaires stroll by in their ski gear.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> Oh, and I also saw a whole story (20/20? 60 Minutes?) about how those giant skyscrapers and deluxe condos are being built on the backs of poor immigrant workers who earn next to nothing, live in squalor, have no benefits at all, and regularly perish on the job from the sheer danger of the work. So the UAE obviously jumped in with both feet to being a rich, powerful nation. It must feel surreal to be welding steel on a high rise for a couple of dollars a day while celebrities and billionaires stroll by in their ski gear.
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]]> By: grace http://www.iamspencer.com/2008/07/08/land_of_excess/#comment-24224 grace Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:40:19 +0000 http://www.iamspencer.com/?p=888#comment-24224 I don't know very much about United Arab Emirates. But I have read that they have so much money (from oil and gas) that none of their citizens pay taxes of any kind, yet enjoy free healthcare, college educations and any other social service that we can envy. That is one rich country!<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('24224','grace'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('24224','grace','I don\'t know very much about United Arab Emirates. But I have read that they have so much money (from oil and gas) that none of their citizens pay taxes of any kind, yet enjoy free healthcare, college educations and any other social service that we can envy. That is one rich country!'); return false;">Quote</a></div> I don’t know very much about United Arab Emirates. But I have read that they have so much money (from oil and gas) that none of their citizens pay taxes of any kind, yet enjoy free healthcare, college educations and any other social service that we can envy. That is one rich country!
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