NYT: "Meet the Zippies" by Tom Friedman

[gristy]

Meet the Zippies
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Published: February 22, 2004

BANGALORE, India

We grew up with the hippies in the 1960's. Thanks to the high-tech revolution, many of us became yuppies in the 1980's. And now, fasten your seat belt, because you may soon lose your job to a "zippie" in the 2000's.

"The Zippies Are Here," declared the Indian weekly magazine Outlook. Zippies are this huge cohort of Indian youth who are the first to come of age since India shifted away from socialism and dived headfirst into global trade, the information revolution and turning itself into the world's service center. Outlook calls India's zippies "Liberalization's Children," and defines one as "a young city or suburban resident, between 15 and 25 years of age, with a zip in the stride. Belongs to generation Z. Can be male or female, studying or working. Oozes attitude, ambition and aspiration. Cool, confident and creative. Seeks challenges, loves risks and shuns fears." Indian zippies carry no guilt about making money or spending it. They are, says one Indian analyst quoted by Outlook, destination driven, not destiny driven; outward, not inward, looking; upwardly mobile, not stuck-in-my-station-in-life.

<snip>
"The fundamental question we have to ask as a society is, what do we do about it?" notes Robert Reich, the former labor secretary and now Brandeis University professor. "For starters, we're going to have to get serious about some of the things we just gab about ? job training, life-long learning, wage insurance. And perhaps we need to welcome more unionization in the personal services area ? retail, hotel, restaurant and hospital jobs which cannot be moved overseas ? in order to stabilize their wages and health care benefits." Maybe, as a transition measure, adds Mr. Reich, companies shouldn't be allowed to deduct the full cost of outsourcing, creating a small tax that could be used to help people adjust.

Either way, managing this phenomenon will require a public policy response ? something more serious than the Bush mantra of let the market sort it out, or the demagoguery of the Democratic candidates, who seem to want to make outsourcing equal to treason and punishable by hanging. Time to get real.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/22/opinion/22FRIE.html

[cornermouse]

1. Well, speaking as someone who has

several family members into computer programming and has watched their struggles, I would like to point out that the loss of the amount of jobs and the speed with which we have lost them could be considered as destruction of the country's economic base. That, in turn, could be considered treason. I do disapprove of hanging people, though.

Either Mr. Friedman isn't thinking very clearly or else he is one of the priveleged and special 1% in this country.

[Taeger]

5. Friedman (both of them) are exceptions!!!!

I'd approve of hanging them particularly. They are proponents of de-democratizing the world indirectly through (free trade).

The elder Friedman is indirectly responsible for the deaths of Tens of Thousands of Chileans who were "dissapeared" under General Pinoche's rule. Friedman the Elder wrote the blue-print for the plan that ousted Chile's democratic government in the 70s and replaced it (under Nixons orders) with a blood thirsty dictator.

ANY effort to destabalize a proper Democracy ANYWHERE in the world is treason against Democracy AND the United States of America!!!!!!

Hang em HIGH!!!!!

[robertarctor]

2. Friedman is a moron

...who is not thinking clearly, who never thinks clearly, and who is a member of the privileged class. He's a Bush-tool-sucking imbecile.

[sadiesworld]

3. Friedman is not part of the solution, Reich may be.

[Taeger]

4. It is TREASON!!!!

And I would gladly run their neck up a flagpole if the law allowed it!!!!!

Globalizers are undermining the social and economic foundation of our nation. They are making our nation dependent on foreign dictators who control the vast virtual slave labor workforces that the outsourcers are largely targeting.

Our country is increasingly becoming dependent on CHINA to meet our basic daily needs. How can we stand up to foreign dictators if they control all our access to goods and services.

The great strength of America is our democracy tied to our relative independence from foreign influence. We have controlled our own destiny (right or wrong) from 1800 on. I do NOT wish to sacrifice that independence. I do NOT want all our manufacturing to be sent to China.

When we become an "all service" economy, we will be in service of non-democratic institutions like international corporations and overseas dictators.

Not me ... I serve the US Constitution (and Wesley Clark if he asks). These assholes are trying to undermine the foundations of America. They are trying to undermine the Democratic powers of Western style nation states. THAT is TREASON of the highest form.

If it comes to it, I WILL raise my hands in arms against it!!!!!!

[Virginian]

6. As an IT professional

who was building toward retirement (in ten years or so) and instead got unemployment, I cannot believe a company gets tax breaks for putting Americans out of work. I am all in favor of eliminating any tax breaks a company gets from Outsourcing.

Maybe, as a transition measure, adds Mr. Reich, companies shouldn't be allowed to deduct the full cost of outsourcing..."

They shouldn't be allowed to deduct the full cost!!! They shouldn't be able to deduct any of the cost and additional taxes should be levied. :mad: (rant)
Outsourcing and H-1b and L-1 all contribute to the eroding tax base in this country. All of these sources of labor need to be taxed to the hilt until Unemployment levels for Americans, IT workers and others affected are at a reasonable level, whatever that is.:grr:

But then again I am only speaking as one person who is directly affected.:shrug:

edited for clarification

[SharonAnn]

8. This person, also directly affected, agrees with you.

It's unbelievable that our tax structure (which these glabal corporation bought and had changed to suit them) rewards them for moving jobs overseas.

[Cocoa]

7. Friedman saying nothing, as usual

his one-sentence portrayal of the political debate is laughable, not worth being published.