Selling American consumerism to the emerging Third World merchant class

[Loren Booda]

Much has been said recently about outsourcing overseas the American workforce by companies such as Wal-Mart. Beyond charity and manual labor, Third World consumerism soon promises to create a reciprocal market for goods. American businesses would be wise to establish fair market practices and target the demands of that growing middle class, especially in southeast Asia. Our balance of trade can become more equitable if we quickly establish and act upon trends parallel to our own past economic development.

How do you see the outcome of global consumer culture if the economic future of developing countries recapitulates economic First World past? That is, can we all eventually be winners in this game of capitalism?

 

[Smurf]

if by all you mean America, then yes. But it is not likely the Social Elite will let Asia have wealth they could be taking for themselves.
But I don't think either will happen, i predict that in the near future people are going to realize how harmfull the 'American way of life' really is and there will be a revolution.
That is if we don't run out of fossil fuels and plummet into another dark age first.

 

[Loren Booda]

Smurf,

For fossil fuels, Canada has more coal tar than Saudi Arabia has oil!

 

[BobG]

Much has been said recently about outsourcing overseas the American workforce by companies such as Wal-Mart. Beyond charity and manual labor, Third World consumerism soon promises to create a reciprocal market for goods. American businesses would be wise to establish fair market practices and target the demands of that growing middle class, especially in southeast Asia. Our balance of trade can become more equitable if we quickly establish and act upon trends parallel to our own past economic development.

How do you see the outcome of global consumer culture if the economic future of developing countries recapitulates economic First World past? That is, can we all eventually be winners in this game of capitalism?

The majority of the world will eventually be winners in capitalism. That doesn't guarantee each player will be a winner.

I hate to underestimate the capacity of the world's economy to grow, since underestimation seems to be the most common error, but ... While expansion into third world countries (both manufacturijng and consuming) will create a dramatic growth in the world's economy, I think economic growth in third world nations will exceed the world's pace and that the US's or Europe's that Western nations will either see more or less stagnant economies or even experience a lowering of economic lifestyle.