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 By Argile Stox Mar. 29, 2006 Here is a hot button topic to discuss: Immigration. (If I was a casual reader of U-K, I would most likely skip over this article.) There has been, since the dawn of the twentieth century – an often heated discussion concerning what these immigrants have to offer the United States of America? Then, there is the age old fallback position – that these immigrants will do work that American born citizens will not do. I have given that rationale a great deal of thought. First job that comes to mind is a hamburger slinger at nationwide fast food restaurants. The second job that comes to mind is being a person who is hunched over every day, picking vegetables out of the ground. The third job that comes to mind is working at a recycling plant sorting out glass, rubber, metal, etc. These top three jobs are my first knee jerk reaction to that statement. The same politician’s who repeatedly assure their constituents that they want to tighten the borders, are the same politicians that expound on the rationale that agricultural and farming industries would collapse if illegal and undocumented individuals were to be turned away at the border. While I was growing up in New York City (1954-1974) I really did not give much thought to the immigration situation. My ancestors came to this country by boat in the late part of the eighteenth and early part of the nineteenth centuries to escape religious and intellectual persecution in other countries. Most of my ancestors had skills such as merchants, tailors, precision watchmaker’s, etc. From the moment that my ancestors’ feet touched the ground of the United States, the emphasis, from day one –was to have their children educated and to live a better life. Not one of my ancestors had the desire to board a train and or wagon train to move from New York City to rural communities in the Midwest. The main objective and goals of my ancestors was to have their children educated in a profession that would be profitable, socially acceptable, such as: doctors, accountants, and lawyers, go into politics, etc. My ancestors were hell bent on having their offspring use their brain and not their body, to earn a living. Let us all remember that our nation was undergoing a rapid building and industrialization period at that time. The identical issues being discussed in barbershops and over the dinner tables all across the nation, in the early and mid-twentieth century concerning immigration are almost the same issues that are being discussed today –in the 21st century. However, there is a different twist on immigration today. Yes, our nation’s economy is dependent on backbreaking low wage agricultural work, and jobs in the fast food service industry. However, what really does not get much media attention, is that our nation’s business community has to recruit individuals from third world countries –to do work that our present youth are unprepared / unskilled to do. Would you believe that there is a “cap” on the amount of individuals businesses can “import” to work in fledgling research and development technological facilities? Faced with this cap – technically oriented and manufacturing businesses that are always aware of the “bottom line” –began to tap into the intellectual population pool of third world countries and put them to work. Yes, the citizens of the United States are aware that the employees of the businesses located in India, Pakistan, Canada, Ireland, etc; earn far less than their counterparts in the United States. In one of my past articles I recounted an impossible computer program problem I was experiencing. In that article I discussed that my first call into technical support at Microsoft was routed to a technical support person in India. Since the problem could not be resolved in India, my call was then routed to Canada. I am sincerely grateful to the technicians based in India and Canada that tried to resolve my computer problem. Ultimately, the problem could not be resolved and my computer had to undergo a “Born Again Microsoft Religious Ritual.” For all those who are not familiar with that term, it simply means that my hard drive had to be completely reformatted and the XP operating system –and all other programs had to be reinstalled. Once that task was completed, I ran into the same difficulty a few days later. There was no way that I was going to perform the Microsoft Born Again Ritual. Instead, my mind flashed to the “KISS” (keep it simple stupid) Principle –and solved the problem. By using the KISS Principle, I solved the problem in about two hours. My involvement with the support staff of Microsoft in India and Canada took nine hours and the problem was not resolved. They were the ones who agreed with me that my computer had to go through the Born Again Microsoft Ritual. The point that I am trying to make here is that I did not speak to a customer technical support representative at Microsoft in the United States. For some strange reason, Microsoft decided to route my call first to India and then to Canada. Every individual who has had technical problems with their computer at one time or another is grateful to anyone, from any country or planet that resolves the problem. However, I do not understand why my technical service call could not be routed to a technician in, say, North Carolina, New Jersey, or the main Microsoft Corporate Headquarters in the United States? During my interaction with the Microsoft technical support personnel in India, both of us had problems understanding each other. We were both talking in plain English –however, the pronunciation of words that were being communicated back and forth sometimes had to be clarified by using metaphorical images. In my estimation, about 45-60 minutes was lost in our conversation trying to understand each other. I am a former New Yorker and have a thick accent. The technical support individual in India had a thick accent, as well. When I do have conversations with individuals in the United States –sometimes I do have to clarify the words I’m using. However, when I was speaking to the technical support person of Microsoft in Canada, the definitions of the commonly used words in the USA had to be explained to our cousins in Canada. About a year ago, it was widely reported that some State & Federal Agencies were going to outsource some of their call centers to India. About the same time, McDonald’s was contemplating outsourcing their drive through window orders to India. About a week ago, I needed some information from a federally funded state agency and I called the number indicated on a form. I was not surprised that the person I was connected with had a thick Indian accent. I am waiting for the day that I drive up to McDonald’s, and have my order taken by a person from India. My relatives recounted stories about their ancestors who came to this country and started a business. Since they had not mastered the English language, they hired individuals from the neighborhood to interact on their behalf. As the owners of the businesses became more fluent and educated in the English language they were then able to interact with their customers. Most of my ancestors started their businesses in communities that spoke the same language. My other ancestors started their businesses in communities that were English only. These ancestors made adjustments in the way they did business in the community, and were successful. The children of my ancestors took advantage of the free education that was offered in New York City and became doctors, lawyers, accountants, investors, etc. The most difficult obstacles which my ancestors who immigrated to this country by boat, was mastering the English language in spoken and written form. However, they were determined to do it –and they were successful. OK, what does all this have to do with our current immigration situation? The first thing is that I feel that the American population is focusing too much on the lower economic spectrum of undocumented, illegal immigrants in this country. The second thing is that the American population is unaware or is slowly becoming aware that our country’s educational system is not meeting the needs of the industries located in our own country. Therefore, these businesses have to look elsewhere –overseas, to find adequate personnel (who are willing to work for these businesses at half wages) to fill technically oriented positions. The third thing is that our State & Federal Agencies are trying to save money by outsourcing their call centers - using personnel located overseas, which is connected to a database in the United States to answer a question of an American citizen. In my mind, everything that I have outlined in this article concerning businesses, State & Federal governments outsourcing jobs is ridiculous and preposterous. It will have to take a very strong argument to convince me that Americans will not work in call centers and interact with other Americans to answer questions and also solve problems. Can someone also explain to me why McDonald’s has considered implementing or has already implemented having drive-through orders taken by a person in India and then transmitted to the local McDonald’s? I am not an isolationist. I believe in a global economy. I believe that the United States should share profitable business opportunities with other countries. I am also keenly aware of the differential in monetary compensation that the personnel overseas receive. If a person in India, Pakistan, or any other country - takes a job with a U.S. business located in their country and is able to move their family out of poverty and live in “modern” quarters – with running water and toilet facilities - I am all for it! After all, that was the ambition of my ancestors when they came to America. However, I disagree with the mentality of corporate executives who take away jobs from American’s, and outsource it to an overseas company –and have that American slowly fall into a near or immediate poverty situation. I have noticed that the media focuses on this problem only when a plant or business shuts its doors and moves its entire operation overseas. It also angers me that American businesses force their employees to train people from other countries to do the exact job overseas. The recourse is that the American loses their job here in the United States. This does not make sense! A few weeks ago I viewed a very disturbing report on one of the network television news programs. The focus of the report was that a male who had worked for a company for about ten years, was given an assignment to train and individual from India to do his job in India. The male who was losing his job had a wife, children, mortgage, car payments, etc. It just makes my blood boil –that his ancestors came to America to seek a better life for themselves and their children, only to have it taken away from them about 100 years later. America is going backwards. Some readers of U-K may argue that the industrial revolution killed antiquated and multi- labor / mechanized jobs that were labor intensive and individuals lost their jobs. I understand that business evolution. They can also argue that the current technological revolution, which is still in its infancy, will antiquate and computerize intensive intellectual jobs. I also understand that business evolution. What I don’t understand is how our current government can allow our country and its citizens to be subjected to employment genocide. Have I shocked you by using the term “employment genocide”? In my mind, that is the only term I can use to explain what is slowly happening in our country. An individual has a job in the United States of America. The individual provides for the family, the spouse may have a full or part-time job, and the children are receiving an education (free or private). All is going well, the dreams and aspirations of that individual’s ancestors have come to fruition, and that individual is living the American “dream”. In an unexpected turn of events, this individual learns that he or she must train a person from another country to do their work. Once the training has been completed, the American individual is terminated from their job. Is this not an example of employment genocide? Can anyone who is reading my article right now, come up with a more politically correct term? In my opinion, our elected officials are subscribing to an unspoken, yet known fact – that our Great Nation is falling into an economic & employment genocide trend. This is all done in the name of progress; improving the economic living conditions of technological deprived foreign countries. While the living conditions population of that foreign improves – the opposite effect happens in America. Why must the citizens of Our Great nation endure an economy that is slowly being emaciated by businesses whose only concern is cheap labor and huge profits? Five years after America toppled the corrupt dictatorship in Iraq and freed Afghanistan from religious zealots, our tax dollars are going to these countries that are still undecided if they really want to be free and accept democracy. The United States cannot just walk (invade) a country, wipe out a dictatorship and corrupt government –and have the citizens of those countries welcome democracy with open arms. There are many different cultures in two different countries that need to be educated in democracy. In my opinion, the United States and its Allies are throwing money against the wall, hoping that it will stick. In my way of thinking, if everything goes as expected in Iraq and Afghanistan; if you have a technical question –it may be answered by a citizen of Iraq or Afghanistan working for Microsoft. Take a moment and read the last paragraph. For just a moment, you may have a good laugh. After a few minutes, it will all sink in. So; in the 21st century – we currently have immigrants from other countries following in the footsteps of our ancestors. They are facing the same discrimination, suspicions, rumors, and hardships that were dealt to their ancestors. We are experiencing mergers of businesses which are hungry for cheap labor. Adults born between the years of 1950 and the 1960’s who are the grand children of immigrants who came to this country hoping for a better life, are experiencing an employment backlash due to unregulated outsourcing. In the 21st century we are involved in a war; much like the Korean and the Vietnam conflicts. Our country is presided over by a president whose Administration resembles that of Millard Fillmore, Herbert Hoover, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter. Our domestic automotive industry is in the same crisis it faced in the 1970’s & 1980’s. The economy could be falling into the same recessionary black hole of the 1970’s. Once again, if you do not pay attention to history –it will repeat itself. Any Questions? ------------ Email Argile Stox: argilestox@gmail.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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