Edgar the Exploiter

An explanation of how the minimum wage can be expected to harm marginal workers (even while it might help others).

You can 'Like' the George Ought to Help series on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/George...

Edgar the Exploiter is the crowd-funded follow-up to George Ought to Help, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGMQZE...

Homepage: http://www.georgeoughttohelp.com
Additional thanks: http://www.georgeoughttohelp.com/edga...

'Edgar The Entrepreneur' by Daniel Sanchez
https://mises.org/daily/6004/Edgar-th...

Summary of minimum wage research: http://www.forbes.com/sites/booked/20...

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If you'd like to provide a translation for the film's captions:

1. Copy the URL of the Edgar video to your clipboard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFbYM2...

2. Go to http://mike.thedt.net/ytsubs/ytsubs.php,

3. Paste the YouTube Edgar url from your clipboard into the field on the 'closed captions ripper' page, and download the 'English' caption file.

4. Edit and save the the file in a text editor (The file has to be edited as plain text to be compatible with YouTube. Notepad or Textedit both allow plaintext editing) and send the translated version to info at redshiftmedia dot com. Be sure to include the name of the language you translated it to and your name as you'd like it to appear in the translation credits list.

Translations:

Hebrew
גיא קדם‎

German: Manuel Barkhau
Portuguese (Portugal): José Manuel Moreira Batista
Slovak: bulakmartin
French: Edouard H.
Italian: fabristol (www.libertarianation.org).
Finnish: http://www.youtube.com/user/havaitsija
Spanish: Adam D
Polish: http://libertarianizm.net
Greek: https://www.facebook.com/soulthorn
Indonesian: Entree 4 class MBA SBM ITB jakarta

• Category

  Education

[Abdullah Rowaished]

So you're basically saying that the minimum wage laws DON'T apply for people like Simon?

What if the minimum wage law abolished.

[bitbutter]

"So you're basically saying that the minimum wage laws DON'T apply for people like Simon?"

I don't know what you mean. MW laws effect people like Simon (marginal workers) in the most harmful way.

[Abdullah Rowaished]

Ok, I obviously don't live in either USA or UK; but I'm sure what a minimum wage is, or don't I? Isn't it the minimum amount of money you receive per year or annual salary? please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

So let's assume that this law of minimum wage is abolished, what kind of dramatic changes will happen? you can give me some stats and percentages, by the way.

My point in the question is to figure out the best thing that could happen if MW was abolished.

[bitbutter]

"minimum wage is abolished, what kind of dramatic changes will happen?"

'Dramatic' or not, marginal workers like Simon will be harmed. As spelled out in the video.

[bitbutter]

"My point in the question is to figure out the best thing that could happen if MW was abolished."

One very positive thing is that if MW were abolished, then marginal workers like Simon would not be (further) disadvantaged.

[Abdullah Rowaished]

was abolished* (EDIT)

[avelinohoued]

I'm looking forward another video in this style.

[bitbutter]

It's a shame you're unwilling or unable to answer the argument.

"Unless you can conjure one logical reason as to why these are not identical actions"

Identical outcomes != identical actions. In the first scenario aggression has been initiated by using a person's body without their consent. Obviously.

You're wasting your time here, as I'm wasting mine replying to you.

[nomencIature1]

Amusingly, you have inserted me into this paradigm; I'm really not sure what you hope to accomplish by this. Let's say in your tale I own a shop and I pay all my workers maximum wage.

Imagine I forcibly throw you into a room, lock it, and threaten to leave you unless you give me your wallet. Imagine that I find you locked in a room and do the same thing. Unless you can conjure one logical reason as to why these are not identical actions, then you have to accept that there is none.

[bitbutter]

This is the simplest way I can put it: The 'exploiter' is helping the desperate poor person by offering them a job in a sweat shop (assuming he accepts the offer). If you complain about this 'exploitation' the complaint must be that the exploiter isn't helping the poor person enough. But he's already helping this person more than you are (very probably).

So unless you're going to reserve more severe blame for yourself than for the exploiter, your position is incoherent.