Questionable Uncertainty
I just finsihed writing a paper for Sociology. I had to answer/address the following question:
"Do you think low-wage factory’s of multi-national corporations represent exploitation or opportunity? Why?"
Once upon a time I would have just answered the damned question, but no, now due to my philosophy and communications classes I began my paper with this:
"Either/or questions in argumentative rhetoric like the one above force a reader to think in terms of black and white, right and wrong, and in this case opportunity or exploitation as if there was not an entire world of thought soaked in gray to be considered. The false dilemma is that there are only two possible answers and life is not that simple, not for the factory workers, or for the multi-national corporations that hire them."
Honestly, I could have written an essay on the fallacies in the question alone. False dilemma, appeal to emotional belief, loaded question, guilt by association, etc, etc.
After my opening paragraph I then went on to define the terms and discuss cultural relativism to come out with a surprising essay, even for myself.
I once read that going to college makes a person move from cocksure ignorance (primary certituide) to questionable uncertainty on issues. I am certainly experiencing this but in so many classes where so much time is spent "unpacking" the meaning of a question we never really answer any. This forces me to ask myself; does college create a world of thinkers when really we need a world of doers? Did you notice, I just committed all of the same fallacies as the question above. Fuck.
"Do you think low-wage factory’s of multi-national corporations represent exploitation or opportunity? Why?"
Once upon a time I would have just answered the damned question, but no, now due to my philosophy and communications classes I began my paper with this:
"Either/or questions in argumentative rhetoric like the one above force a reader to think in terms of black and white, right and wrong, and in this case opportunity or exploitation as if there was not an entire world of thought soaked in gray to be considered. The false dilemma is that there are only two possible answers and life is not that simple, not for the factory workers, or for the multi-national corporations that hire them."
Honestly, I could have written an essay on the fallacies in the question alone. False dilemma, appeal to emotional belief, loaded question, guilt by association, etc, etc.
After my opening paragraph I then went on to define the terms and discuss cultural relativism to come out with a surprising essay, even for myself.
I once read that going to college makes a person move from cocksure ignorance (primary certituide) to questionable uncertainty on issues. I am certainly experiencing this but in so many classes where so much time is spent "unpacking" the meaning of a question we never really answer any. This forces me to ask myself; does college create a world of thinkers when really we need a world of doers? Did you notice, I just committed all of the same fallacies as the question above. Fuck.
posted by Chanta Rose: Bondage Expert at 4:21 PM
5 Comments:
Well done... :)
I think you would need lots of time(and space)to formulate a precise answer and also good communicative skills to get other people to see your perspective.
I can't help thinking that political agenda's probably often needs to make very black and white statements about things that are really in the "gray" area.
Classes are what you make of them. At the end of the day, who gives two fucks what a professor thinks of your answer to this question.
What really matters is that you wipe away the ambiguity and come to a decision for yourself. Sure, there will be shades of gray; gray will show up in everything in this world. What, I think, shows true power, is the ability (and, really, the confidence) to blast through the shades of gray and make a stand. Given the ambiguity and your understanding of it, do you favor X or Y?
The beauty--and the danger--of black and white, right and wrong, is that you have to come to answer. If you were in a position to block trade agreements or close factories, you would have to come to answer; shades of gray would be insufficient.
So, after all this bullshitting and my own natural avoidance of the question at hand, here's my answer:
Exploitation and opportunity are just matters of framing. A smart manager of one of these factories could frame the experience of workers as opportunity; and, indeed, the experience might very well be a solid opportunity. What is low is high elsewhere and what is high is low someplace else. What matters is whether people are treated well and receive wages that align with their needs, given their societies.
(Admittedly, I didn't answer the damn question. Too many years in academia, I guess.)
The correct answer is: wage slavery needs to be abolished by means of advanced automation and a basic income guarantee.
Classes are important but what will the answer of your professor if you don't answer this question.
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