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Was she forcing them to write articles for her? If they agreed to do it for free, then where is the exploitation?
by jdludlow 16y ago
Was she forcing them to write articles for her? If they agreed to do it for free, then where is the exploitation?
- radicaldreamer 16y agoI think a lot of authors and journalists voluntarily write for Huff Post to raise their profile... and I think it's great! If I were a journalist, if Huff Post or Talking Points Memo published articles that I authored, I'd be ecstatic, especially considering the economic situation a lot of journalists find themselves in these days.
- lachyg 16y agoThis is the exact same argument that is used for people in-favor of 'SPEC' work. Which gets down voted to nothing on HackerNews, yet this and its parent are getting upvoted. Interesting.
- wmeredith 16y agoIt's all about context: If someone asks me for spec work I tell them no, if I ask someone to do spec work for them to raise my profile I'm hoping they don't tell me no.
- earl 16y agoProfile doesn't pay the rent. http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/4/29/ http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/4/29/
- cookiecaper 16y agoI think the theory is that high profile is an investment that makes it easier to find rent money down the road.
- gaius 16y agoYes but the practice is there's always someone a year younger than you who thinks that too, and so he's working for free and hoping the same thing. Then a year later, another one...
- cookiecaper 16y agoTrue, but next year you shouldn't be working for free anymore. There are always going to be clients who care most about getting something cheap or free, and there are always going to be clients who care most about getting something good. Do a few deals for the cheaply oriented clients so you have something that will impress the quality oriented clients and then move up quickly, don't lollygag in the cheap valley very long.
- gaius 16y agoA year just isn't that much experience in many fields. You'll be competing with people who are 90% as good as you but cost infinitely less (as in, nothing).
- kmfrk 16y agoJust ask world-renowned David Prowse.
- JonnieCache 16y agoI know this is not what we're talking about, but you must be very careful using this line of argument. Would you apply it equally to prostitution?
- Samuel_Michon 16y agoJust wondering: where are all those hookers who perform their services for free?
- steveklabnik 16y agoDisregard the payment: his argument is that "They knew what they were getting into" doesn't make it moral. People can (and often do) enter into exploitative relationships knowingly, with open arms. Ever been by a lottery counter? Exploitation is about power, not the money that's involved.
- JonnieCache 16y ago>Exploitation is about power, not the money that's involved. Yes. I was also talking about the fact that sometimes circumstances force people into exploitative situations. Heroin/crack addicts often face a choice between prostitution or death from withdrawal symptoms. The obvious answer is to jump up the ladder and say "well they chose to start taking drugs;" it is often not as simple as that either unfortunately.