- Capitalism and Alternatives -

Defending Nike

Posted by: Stoller on December 06, 1999 at 15:52:24:

In Reply to: Shuffling About. posted by Dr. Cruel on December 06, 1999 at 11:52:07:

DC:
If one's competition were undercutting the price of our offering, it might be an effective tactic to improve one's product, to thusly justify a greater price. Advertizing the superiority of a product over that of competitors also might help. Increase the market-value, or, by your definition, "use-value". Those $15 sneakers might be utilitarian, but they're not Air Jordans. You will not be "cool" wearing them. And so on.

Stoller:
Let's completely omit all mention of INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY---more goods per hour---and LOWERING LABOR COSTS---a combination of increased productivity (which lead to market gluts and corresponding stock-market crisis), automation (also known as unemployment), and good old fashioned wage hardball---shall we, Doc?

: I have found that doing the opposite of what a communist advises tends to usually be the correct course. Let us see if this has any validity here:

: Increased Productivity: This is what buried the Soviet Union. . .

(Etc., etc., etc. . .)

I'll give you credit for one thing, Doc, you are really loyal to your sinking ship.

I mean, you ARE talking about the MOST NOTORIOUS of all oveseas companies, Nike. Sure, they are renown for their product 'improvements,' 'advertizing,' and so on---as well as they are renown for their THIRD WORLD SWEATSHOP HELLHOLES WHERE EMPLOYEES EARN ABOUT 50 ¢ PER HOUR.

Try again.

: Dodge? Like portraying Trotsky as some anointed "man of the people". . .

Yes, that's a dodge.

And, as far as Trotsky went (not that he was the subject or anything)---why shouldn't he have advocated GLOBAL socialism? After all, guys like YOU advocate GLOBAL capitalism!


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