WTO

[low_delta]

A coworker mentioned the protests at the World Trade Organization meetings in Montreal. He thought those protestors should "grow up and get a life." "Don't they have jobs?" he asked.

I explained some of the reasons that those people are protesting the WTO. Like the following:

If any local, state, or federal law of a WTO member country is found to violate the organization's trade rules, the law must be changed, or that nation could face economic sanctions.

In the United States, a broad coalition of environmental, food safety, family farm, labor, and religious groups opposed the establishment of the WTO, citing, among other reasons, the threat that the WTO would pose to U.S. environmental and consumer protection laws.

Since it was created in 1995, the WTO has ruled that every environmental, health, or safety policy it has reviewed is an illegal trade barrier.


Later in the day I saw a picture in the newspaper of a guy throwing a trashcan at a window. So now I wonder if my coworker was only commenting on that aspect.

Interesting, though that the only mention of the whole thing in my paper was said picture. Nothing about the WTO (bad or good). Nothing about the protesters or their message.

Comments

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[whorlpool.livejournal.com]

Ask him why he cares.

Re: ..

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Probably because it's pointless (if not counterproductive) violence.

Re: ..

[whorlpool.livejournal.com]

No, I mean when he begins his rant, just simply ask him why he cares. Don't sound interested in the question or his potential answer; just ask the question with a tone of voice as if you can't even imagine why _anyone_ would waste their time ranting about it. Often, this tactic throws people for a loop and shuts down their rant.

Re: ..

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I understand what you were saying. I think after a minute or so, he'd come up with that answer.

[serendipity.livejournal.com]

I noticed this article earlier today. The first paragraph: "People probably smash windows out of testosterone-driven, juvenile anger. The reasons other people destroy countries' and even entire continents' economies are more obscure. Which should concern us more?" The rest, "Why We Rage at the WTO" is here: http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0729-10.htm

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[serendipity.livejournal.com]

You're welcome.

[sirreal13.livejournal.com]

I think the criticisms of the WTO are well-founded, but they need to be voiced by better lobbyists than the folks we saw in Seattle (not that there's anything wrong with being a grunge punk Luddite).

I was seriously disappointed in Al Gore for not pushing earlier for supporting labor and environmental protections in NAFTA/WTO negotiations.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

If Al Gore were in office right now, there would have been no war in Iraq and he would have been free to push the FTAA.

[sirreal13.livejournal.com]

I think the best way to tie all of the Repugnican hypocrisies together would be to have am independent economic assessment of the damage the Bush policies and wars have done to the global and US economies.

Even Bush's former friends (multinational companies) are reluctant to invest in Afghanistan or Iraq, given the utter lack of planning for civilian authority/public safety.

I watched the WPT special on Gore Vidal and agreed with everything he had to say about the so-called War on Terror.

[banana.livejournal.com]

> ... the only mention of the whole thing in my paper was said picture.
That's what news is all about. They don't want to discuss issues. They want to report something that happened, particularly if it has immediate impact. Weighing the good and bad aspects of free trade in general and the WTO in particular would need a feature article that most people wouldn't read. A smashed window makes a nice photo that people will look at.

Compare the decision to go to war with Iraq.

For: Weapons! Threat! Bad guy! Patriotism!
Against: Sorry, we don't have short sound bites for you or much you could put exclamation marks after, but we can explain to you why it would be wrong to go to war and how there are other ways of dealing with the problem.

[(Anonymous)]

thats what a newspaper is SUPPOSE to do, report what happened, not give an OPINION on what happened..that sad fact is most news outlets think it is their job to MAKE news..

[banana.livejournal.com]

I'm not wondering why you didn't put your name to that comment.

[(Anonymous)]

if you must know, it John T Clark

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

What he's saying has nothing to do with opinions. The opinion-related soundbite point was merely by way of comparison.

Stating opinions is still news, if they're someone else's opinions. And that's what I'm looking for - why are these people pissed off at the WTO? That's news.

[banana.livejournal.com]

So John T Clark is right: the media make the news by not reporting the complex facts that are inconvenient to powerful people, and focusing instead on something that's easy to understand and doesn't upset the people who matter.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's not biased reporting, is it?

[banana.livejournal.com]

Some interesting campaigns on this topic here: http://www.maketradefair.com/