|
Support AlterNet
Do you value the information you're getting from AlterNet? Please show your support with a tax-deductible donation.
Feedback
Tell us how we're doing.
Who Needs American Workers?
Share and save this post:
Also by Jim Hightower
Checks for $600 Won't Fix Our Economy
America can't shop its way to greatness, and this one-time, government-funded shopping spree won't lead us to a sound economy.
Mar 28, 2008
Swim Against the Current: Ordinary Americans Can Make Change Happen
The fight for our country's future is still in our hands. Grass-roots movements are breaking free from corporate control.
Mar 7, 2008
Immigrants Come Here Because Globalization Took Their Jobs Back There
Seal-the-border hysteria is everywhere. Instead of blaming immigrants for America's problems, let's look at executives on both sides of the border.
Feb 7, 2008
Maybe you're one of the two million Americans who've recently had their jobs offshored to India, Pakistan, and elsewhere, or one of the millions more expected to have your jobs shipped abroad in the next few years.
If so, don't worry, Bucko, for a new growth industry has arisen that offers exciting job opportunities for you discarded Americans. You, too, could become an "American accent and culture trainer." It seems that while such corporations as Citibank, Dell, GE, and Microsoft are eager to abandon the U.S. and move their telephone service jobs to low-wage workers abroad, these English-speaking foreign workers are ... well, foreign, so their accents and cultural references can be jarring to U.S. customers placing orders or seeking help.
Thus, offshoring companies are hiring Americans to teach foreign replacement workers to sound and behave like Americans. Yes, this means you could end up teaching the Indian or Pakistani or Russian who was given your job how to sound like you!
Courses in American Culture 101 includes U.S. history memorization, American slang, basic sports knowledge, and pop culture. Quick: What's the Lone Star State? Who are the Florida Marlins? Can you name one talent that Brittany Spears has? What's a burrito? The lesson plans for these courses include having to watch episodes of "Friends" and screening such films as "Bruce Almighty."
As for accents, there are voice exercises for Indians, for example, to help them lower their natural high-pitched and clipped pronunciation of English. And if the exercises are not enough, the corporate call centers use technology to filter the telephone voices of the foreign service reps, making them sound lower than they are.
Of course, it won't be long before the corporations train low-paid foreigners to teach American accents and culture to foreign workers – then there'll be no need for American workers at all.
Jim Hightower is the best-selling author of "Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush," from Viking Press. For more information, visit jimhightower.com.
Liked this story? Get top stories in your inbox each week from AlterNet! Sign up now »
| More Columns: | ||
|
It's Over for Clinton Election 2008: In politics, anything can happen. Except for what needs to happen for Clinton to secure the nomination. By Will Durst, AlterNet. May 10, 2008. |
Acknowledging the Race Chasm Election 2008: The pervasive racism that taints our political discourse will persist until we recognize and reject it. By David Sirota, Creators Syndicate. May 9, 2008. |
America's War on Journalists War on Iraq: The Bush administration has engaged in assault, intimidation, and imprisonment to limit the ability of journalists to do their jobs. By Amy Goodman, King Features Syndicate. May 8, 2008. |
EMAIL
PRINT
