5 ms·
If ever there were a moment for tiny violins.
by _bxg1 6y ago
If ever there were a moment for tiny violins.
- aaron695 6y agoI saw one estimate there is one million people employed in diamond mining in Africa. What now happens to their families? In India where diamonds are cut they also employ a million people. What now happens to their families?
- freyr 6y agoYou're arguing to prop up overinflated diamond prices to protect an industry complicit in widespread corruption, human suffering, and political strife across the African continent [1]? You might want to re-think this one. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_diamond https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_diamond
- sho 6y agoWhat exactly is your point? That no evil enterprise is that bad so long as it employs people? You will find yourself defending some pretty bad shit with that argument.
- aaron695 6y agoHow about some respect is shown for the 2 million human beings I mentioned working in developing counties who's jobs are at risk during what could be the largest economic downtime in 100 years. How about violins are not pulled out and instead we think about the million (an estimate from a NGO) Africans who work in artisan diamond mines, their work is horrific and vital to their families. And something really hard, don't just ignore the fact their lives are ruined because we hate De Beers and think about what happens now and how can we fix this? If you don't want to fix this, at least don't jump around with glee about the fact lives are ruined.
- neilwilson 6y agoLook up “Job Guarantee”. Then you’ll have your answer. Unemployment is always a political choice.
- sukilot 6y agoIt's interesting that people are downvoting (from their computers made from Blood Rare-Earth Minerals) you but no one is posting links to relief efforts they've donated to or paid taxes for. It's easy to martyr other people.
- rowanG077 6y agoAh yes, because you aren't allowed to criticize something unless you yourself are perfect morally clean.
- perl4ever 6y agoI don't think I understand the viewpoint that an industry is evil because people involved in it do bad things. If the output of the industry makes the world worse, then it makes sense to me to consider calling it an evil industry. Like, I have doubts about ad-tech, whether it benefits society. But if on the other hand, it's just that an industry is lucrative and attracts evil people, I don't see that evil as accruing to the industry. Mining stones and making pretty jewelry doesn't, that I can see, have any inherent component of injustice. I mean, there are diamonds mined in Canada; are they tainted somehow?
- mavhc 6y agoThey can get jobs that actually contribute to improving society instead of causing pollution, thus improving the living conditions of everyone around them. I could pay someone to break windows and then repair them, but that would be a bad thing.
- delfinom 6y agoWhat do you propose, the governments spend trillions on a bailout for diamond corporations because nobody wants or can afford diamonds? And the reality that diamond prices are hyperinflated through collusion and monopoly.
- klyrs 6y agoYou say "employ" but the industry is still using child slaves, and even the children who get paid are in abysmal working conditions.
- raincom 6y agoJust like many Chinese workers suffer when Nike and Apple stop producing problems, for sure. However, majority of the profits go to Nike, Apple, and diamond companies. Chinese and Indian factory workers just get paid for their labor.
- sukilot 6y agoAnd now they will get paid nothing for non labor.
- Konohamaru 6y agoYou are so innocent my child.