Would You Like That Wrapped?

When I was a child, at one point I was sitting in the middle of an expensive Italian restaurant. It was your atypical shrimp penne alla vodka, priced at eighteen dollars. I munched away at the sweet yet repetitive taste of pasta and vodka sauce. After ten minutes I start to wonder if I have even made a dent into the pile of pasta, for the majority of the pasta was still on the plate . I finally decided that I was too full and tired of vodka sauce. Just as I’m pushing my plate away with a third of the meal left, suddenly the waiter shows up asking the question.  

“Would you like that wrapped?”

Feeling frugal and efficient, I foolishly replied that I would love to get it wrapped. Sure I may have eaten all five shrimps, leaving the bland pile of pasta with vodka sauce, but I thought I could just eat it over the weekend. Little did I know it would mold up in my refrigerator after two months.

Sadly, this cycle of leftovers continued. I could never forget the “beautiful” smell of mold as my mother ordered me to throw the leftovers away and to even disinfect the refrigerator. I would trash blueberry pancakes, shrimp lomein, sushi, and pineapple pizza. Each time I would wonder why I was so lazy, and didn’t touch it.

It wasn’t until only a few years ago I finally ate my first leftovers: crab ravioli. It was in that moment that I realized why I didn’t eat leftovers. It tasted dry, cold, and nasty, and reminded me of every time I had thrown away moldy, old leftovers. From that moment on, I would decline getting my meal wrapped. However, each time I answered no to the waiter, I felt guilty!

Does this mean I’m not frugal anymore? Should I just suck up the moldy memories and eat the leftovers? What about those children in Africa or China who are hungry? Many of these questions would haunt me whenever I ate out so I finally reached a conclusion I could live with. If I’m satisfied with how much I eat my meal, then I’m getting my money’s worth. I've learned, through my experience that getting left overs is not worth the stomach ache. If finishing all of my meal leaves me lethargic, then finishing my meal with a quarter left is worth it. Likewise, if I’m to bring leftovers home for a future unsatisfying meal, then I shouldn’t wrap it. I'm not being pompous in deciding not to finish meal, but that I know my limits. Now whenever I eat out, I feel confident in indulging myself however much I want. 

So no, I would not like that wrapped.

"Made in U.S.A." Is An Endangered Specie

There is no avoiding the influence that is China, and many other developing nations. In just one decade of products, goods have gone from "Made in U.S.A." to "Made in China." Looking at old wash clothes, baby clothing, and old pillows, I find made in the U.S.A., but my closet is a whole other story. My clothing comes from places such as China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and India (China being the majority).  All but one brand of my clothing in my closet is made the U.S.A. This one brand being "Threadless," an online shirt company that makes many silly shirt prints. It doesn't stop there; all of my electronics, including alarm clocks, iPhone, lamps, and toys are all made in China. What I found most surprising was that many of my tourist fixtures, like a New York Snow globe, or a mini statue the Empire State Building were all made in China. The only products I use in my house that are made by U.S.A. is my toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, conditioner, soap, and chap stick. In other words, any product that has liquid and basic chemicals. Based on the many imported goods I end up buying, free trade in the United States must benefit many other country's income. Therefore, although "Made in U.S.A." is dying off as the United States starts relying more on imports, optimistically consumers receive cheaper goods, while America builds better trade relations with other countries. 

Why then do many people believe the majority of products should still be made in America? I've heard two key reasons people may believe this. One: America should maintain nationalism, therefore all products should say "Made in U.S.A." This will somehow make us all more patriotic as a whole. I disagree with this because based on the many products I've cataloged, finding the actual tag and reading the text on the tag is a tedious task, that the usual consumer (including myself) wouldn't usually do. Therefore, it will have a minimal, unconscious effect on how we see our country.  Two: America is losing many of its manufacturing jobs to outsourcing, therefore without jobs, our people are losing money. This is one of the effects of outsourcing that can't be avoided, but evolved from. Society, since the second industrial revolution, has built a job market around manufacturing. Now that outsourcing is causing this job market to be an endangered specie, America must evolve it's job market to suit jobs that can make money. So although with people with lost manufacturing jobs may suffer now, if America is pursuing free trade, society must evolve to a newer job market. "Made in U.S.A." may be dying off, but with free trade, America can live without it. 

Should America Give Up On Technological Jobs?

When I grow up, I want to get a job as a computer programmer, or a job related to technology. However, after looking into outsourcing, I found that getting a job in technology was just a waste of time, for outsourcing would "move" my job to another country. This put me in quite a panic because I thought I'd have to compromise my dream job for something else. Outsourcing has been the supposed silent killer of many jobs in technology and yet somehow our economy's savior, for outsourcing, "gained momentum after the Internet started bringing together every corner of the world"(Ghimire). However, because of this momentum, Me, as well as many other teens should be aspiring for technological jobs now more than ever for progression and innovation of technology. 

Many have said that outsourcing and off-shoring, although has reduced the prices of many products, has put many people impoverished. However, due to the recent recession, "those jobs would have been lost regardless of the outsource option being available or not"(Tony). Our country is slowly losing many of its high-wage workers because many companies are dying off regardless of outsourcing. Outsourcing, many times, is a company's last resort to avoiding bankruptcy. However, because of this recent conspiracy that off-shoring puts technological jobs at risk, many American teens, fear going into technological jobs because they worry it will be off-shored. Because of this questionable information, "students are concerned that their jobs could eventually be outsourced internationally and are therefore deciding to focus on their business skills"(LaMarca). But what many don't realize is that America must change it's direction of technical occupations. Now that many countries are capable of doing many manufacturing and service work, America must move onto being inventors. This is just and observation, but the most popular companies in the world are companies like Google, Apple, and Disney, are filled with inventors, creators and merchandisers. These companies each started with one inventive idea, that has been expanded upon so much so that they are the powerful company they are today. We too, should be looking for jobs like those in Google, or Apple, that are creating many new ideas for the internet, phones, and computers that revolutionize technology.

I, as well as many other aspiring teens, when deciding their career or major in college, should be looking for something that is creative, and expansive. If we aren't the ones to be in the call centers, then we should be the ones making call centers more efficient. In other words, we shouldn't be the "machines" doing all the work technology can do, but being the ones inventing the technology to fill in those jobs. Outsourcing is just another way of making companies more efficient. We should look for jobs the same way Frederick Winslow Taylor did in 1909 when he revolutionized the job market with his book, The Principles of Scientific Management. When he made this book, in the time of the second industrial revolution, machine was replacing many manufacturing jobs, Frederick's theory was that instead of firing many manufacturers, they should put them in higher management to make manufacturing more efficient. Frederick's principle was that, “In the past the man has been first; in the future the system must be first”(Taylor). Although it's a century since his book, we should also apply his thinking when applying for jobs. We shouldn't be picking jobs that machines or other people can do, but jobs that are making the machines, or people more efficient. Therefore, for those who are interested in technology, like myself, should be looking for a job that are creating new ideas, and not ones that are carrying out ideas (like service jobs or manufacturing). America should definitely not give up on technological jobs, for creating technology is the way of the future. 

Works Cited:

Tony. "(Important) Computer Science Jobs Are Not Outsourced." CompScicablog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2013.

Ghimire, Bhumika. "IT Job Outsourcing." IT Job Outsourcing. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2013.

LaMarca, Tina. "Outsourcing America's Future." N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2013.

Taylor, Frederick Winslow. The Principles of Scientific Management. New York: Norton, 1967. Print.