"Terrible!"
"Oh no, that's too bad. What's going on?" I asked.
"I have been exploited, taken advantage of and completely devalued."
Like any good friend, I did the right thing and simply listened to him, "Go on Mark, what happened?"
"So I was driving home from work and I was inspired to pick my wife up a gift at the mall. While blitzing each store, I came across a really neat gift. It was a beautiful jewelry box. Right before I was going grab it, some 8 year old girl snags the last one from the shelf. Then I proceed to tell the girl that I was emotionally moved by the jewellery box and that I had my eye on it first. The girl gives me attitude and says, "I got it first, and I am now going to pay for it, it's mine."
"Dear God, this is terrible" I sarcastically quipped.
Not picking up on my fading interest in his crisis, he continues, "I really, really, really wanted that so I tried to barter with the girl. She said, 'if you want this, I want $150.' I quickly processed her obscene request to charge 5 times the retail value and realised I am in a deep hole with my wife and this girls gift is my ticket out. I forked over the cash and I now had my gift, I felt relieved. Walking out of the store I moved toward the exit only to find another store loaded to the brim with the same jewelery box for the measly $30 price I almost could have paid. I yelped, "Oh for crap sakes."
That little girls voice in the background replied to my comment with, "If I would have told you that every other department store has loads of them, I would not have made $120 extra money."
"I was suckered Ryan. Exploited. Taken advantage of. It is simply not fair. Her 'inside information' to the world of malls and 'girly items' was an unfair advantage in her profiting off of me. It's not my fault I don't know the jewelry box is a common item. I am not an 'expert' on girly items! She should not have been allowed to do this to me. I should be able to live in a country where I am not exploited and taken advantage of. There should be laws against this."
My friend Mark just twitched a 'socialist nerve' in my body and I asked if I could ask some questions about his situation, to try to help him.
1. Did you choose to have a want? (the jewelry box)
2. Did you choose to act on impulse? Versus carefully choosing to research your options?
3. Did you choose to focus on 1 store instead of walking the mall to get a consensus?
4. Did you choose to keep silent and not ask the store manager when more are coming in?
5. Did you choose to buy something that you had a poor knowledge base in?
6. Did you choose to either reject/avoid advice from family, friends and experts? I mean, what if you got the 8 year old to advise you instead of arguing with her? Perhaps she would have directed you to another store? (people love to help)
"So, how can you be possibly be exploited and this be nobodies fault but your own given the entire process was your choice? Furthermore, why do you demand a government body make laws to protect you from your choices and the fruit thereof? What's the crime Mark? Prevent choice within a free market?"
Mark lectures me, "Ryan, Ryan, Ryan...you will never get it, will you. Perhaps I should tell you a story about my employer exploiting his workers. He's just like that little girl."
I walked away from the conversation and wished Mark well.
I wish debates were more honest.
Why do we not let people choose their wages with their employer? What are we so afraid of? Employees making poor choices? You don't trust them to negotiate? If they don't like the wages, they can walk. If the employee chooses a rate lower then minimum wage, who is anybody to deny their choice? It's their choice of their free will. On abortion, it's all about the women's right to choose. On employment contracts, suddenly choice is not only irrelevant, it is also illegal (i.e minimum wage).
Why do we not let people choose their wages with their employer? What are we so afraid of? Employees making poor choices? You don't trust them to negotiate? If they don't like the wages, they can walk. If the employee chooses a rate lower then minimum wage, who is anybody to deny their choice? It's their choice of their free will. On abortion, it's all about the women's right to choose. On employment contracts, suddenly choice is not only irrelevant, it is also illegal (i.e minimum wage).
Finally, lack of Choice Devalues People:
Erica is an honest employer. To make a profit on an assembly line she can pay a person $8.00/hour. She is law abiding and refuses to pay below minimum wage, so she does not hire for that added work on the assembly line.
Brent is desperate for work and catches wind that Erica has a job that could open if $8.00 were acceptable. Brent pleads with Erica for the job at $8.00 saying he is happy, eager and willing to work. Erica declines Brent's offer due to not wanting to break the law.
Brent fails to make rent payment and is on the streets.
Lack of choice hurt Brent with rent and hurt Erica's company from further profiting.
If 'choice' is the basis for a woman's right to terminate a child, then choice should equally be the right for an employer and employee to choose...especially since both employer and employee are willing participants...unlike the child who has no say in the matter.
The hypocrisy is pathetic.
(P.S, Should minimum wage be abolished, I would not lower any employee's wage, I am grateful the wages in my company command greater then minimum wage and I hope it only gets better!)