Disagreeing Agreeably

I like to argue. This may reflect a personal shortcoming or psychological defect of some sort, but at this point in life, I view it as a way that I manifest my desire to engage people, while in the process learning more about them and other ways of viewing an issue. I sometimes will argue a position that I’m not sure I agree with, just as an exercise in feeling it out and seeing where it goes (or where I can take it). And of course, sometimes I just argue the opposite of whatever the other person said, just to be contrary.

There are certain types of unpleasant arguments I am not referencing here – such as “Argument with Spouse Regarding Whose Turn It Is To ____”. The rest are, in the main, enjoyable, providing everyone involved plays nice. No personal attacks (unless they are really intended as humor), no being mean (ditto), fundamentally respecting everyone’s right to whatever dumbass opinion they choose to have. As this guy says:

Disagreement has to be good-humored. The alternative is it gets ugly, and that’s unfortunate. Quite often people don’t discuss anything because they’re afraid of offending—or if they do discuss something, they’re screaming.

You can’t have fun if people are screaming at each other, much less actually come to an agreement (when there is purpose to the exchange beyond simple enjoyment).

When I was in college, I was a member of an extemporaneous debate society that attracts highly-opinionated students with widely-varied opinions. The main thing I learned there – other than how to do off-the-cuff public speaking – was how to be friends (or at least friendly) with people whose opinions I find silly, wrong or even downright repugnant. This lesson came in handy when I was working at the Texas Legislature many years later. In addition to making differences easier to work through, being friends or friendly with your opponents is good for one’s overall happiness. Think about it – doesn’t it make you less happy if you have to spend time with people you don’t get along with? Life is simply too short not to try to enjoy the people you meet. Granted, just as the Utne Reader interview notes, there is a line beyond which it just isn’t possible. But the vast majority of people fall well inside that line, in my experience.

The bonus is, the more people you get along with regardless of differences of opinion, the more people you have to carry on with over drinks. Also, the more people who will link to your blog rather than (or at least, in addition to) hurling curses at you.

Black Friday

My husband would rather gouge out his own eyes than go shopping today (or most days, truth be told). The only thing he doesn’t like about Buy Nothing Day is that it only targets one day a year. For the most part, I prefer this Black Friday to actual attempts on the day after Thanksgiving to find things I need to purchase, although I do sometimes enjoy going out and watching people and browsing.

No window shopping today, though. I’ve had something wrong with my shoulder/collarbone for a week and finally decided I was tired of it hurting. My own PCP’s office is closed until Monday so I went to Mike’s doctor. One of his first questions is what I do for a living. When I told him what I do (freelance health policy/programs consultant), it initiated a very pleasant conversation. Turns out he sometimes teaches at the LBJ School (where I went) and his wife went there, and he knows folks in the indigent care community that I know and we have similar views of the US health system and…well, we had alot to talk about. If he’s that chatty with all his patients its no wonder I had to wait an hour past my appointment time for him to finally get to me! I kept thinking I should stop talking so all the people who came in after me would get a shot at some medical attention.

Anyway, now I’m dosed up on muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory meds, with some lovely hydrocodone waiting for me before bedtime so I can sleep without the pain bothering me. (And don’t ask me for any unless you are having a migraine…you know who you are.)

Globalization and Labor

Organized labor is not typically a subject I read about much. But this article on the global efforts of unions is interesting.

The offshoring of jobs is a huge issue and my impression is that even Democrats – the supposed champions of the little guy against Corporate Evil – generally take the view that we need to protect American workers. Which sounds totally reasonable and patriotic and all that, except that the slow-but-sure redistribution of global income that results (or could result) from corporations seeking ever-poorer labor forces to manufacture their goods and provide their services strikes me as a good thing. Not good, certainly, for the individual American (or other Western, developed world denizen) who loses a job to offshoring. But to my (admittedly non-knowledgeable about this stuff) mind, it seems eventually you would start closing the extreme income gap between developed and developing worlds. And that would be a good thing overall. So limiting the discussion to how to protect American workers from globalization overlooks what I think is a pretty important point: offshoring American jobs may hurt people here, but it potentially helps alot of people in places with alot less opportunity and money than here.

Of course, the corporations seeking cheaper labor are not doing it to improve the lives of the world’s poor. They’re not doing it to hurt the comparatively rich Americans they are laying off. They’re just seeking to be more profitable, which is, you know, what corporations do. And that’s OK. But it wouldn’t be right to permit a corporation to exploit workers in order to make more money – regardless of where the workers are from – so efforts to standardize health, safety and other worker protections internationally are important. This has been pitched as leveling the playing field for the American worker (ie, protecting the American worker from the effects of globalization), but I think the more important aspect is that all workers deserve those protections. It just has the additional effect of making it somewhat less profitable for corporations to offshore jobs.

So I support unions going global since all workers deserve protections. Plus, American unions are more likely to have the resources needed to effectively organize on such a massive scale than are unions or groups in poorer countries. But even with consistent international standards for worker protection, there will still be places where the labor is cheaper than here so companies will continue to offshore and I would think the income gap would slowly begin to close. And I wonder how long American workers will maintain solidarity with those in other parts of the world when income starts to equalize.

Friday Random Ten

For the unfamiliar – you turn your iPod to shuffle and blog the first ten songs that come up.

1. Make My Heart Stop – The Hanslick Rebellion
2. Call Me When You Get This – Corinne Bailey Rae
3. Protection – Massive Attack
4. Walk On Me – Ben Kweller
5. Evil Angel – Rufus Wainwright
6. In Da Club – 50 Cent
7. Fantasy – Aldo Nova
8. Losing My Way – Justin Timberlake
9. No One Like You – Scorpions
10. Birds and the Bees – the bird and the bee