Ever since President Donald Trump has announced his administration is implementing new tariff laws on foreign imports, the world has been trying to figure out what all of the implications will be on people’s lives and on business profits. There is a lot of fear mongering going on and protests from people who can only see the effects of tariffs within the next few months.
It’s true that the economy is in a state of high inflation, the pain of which every member of the masses can already feel. Adding tariffs to the mix will increase prices even more on budgets that are straining like never before. So why does the president think this is a good idea?
Trump has stated that if it costs too much to import goods, then make them here in the U.S. Bring industry back to this nation. It will create jobs and put America in a position to offer other nations products instead of America buying more than it sells. Maybe this strategy would have worked fifty or one hundred years ago, but things are different now.
First of all, no one in America wants to actually work in a factory. Ask any ten year old what they want to be when they grow up and none of them will say a factory worker. People already feel like cogs in a giant industrial machine and more and more they are opting out of those kinds of jobs. They would rather be unemployed than be treated like a machine part.
Secondly, the price of goods will not come down. The whole reason for outsourcing manufacturing abroad was because it was cheaper. Workers in China are usually paid slave wages and work long arduous hours with no sensitivity towards their humanity like needing vacation time or pregnancy leave. If anyone thinks an American will put up with those kinds of working conditions, think again. The price per unit will reflect the need to pay fair wages to workers.
Additionally, no one wants factories to be built in their backyard. Factories manufacturing anything at scale producing tens of thousands units of a product will ultimately create an enormous amount of waste material polluting the environment. China is famous for its bad air quality and lesser known soil tainted with chemical pollutants. Americans, now more eco-conscious than they have even been will not condone this level of pollution in their hometowns. The “Not in my backyard” or the NIMBY mentality is alive and well here in the states.
Looking at the long term ramifications of bringing industry back to the U.S. the people might not stand for it this time around. So what is the solution? A major shift in thinking that is long overdue. That is people need to buy less stuff. There needs to be a reorienting of priorities where the average person will buy in a conscious manner. They will spend more for better quality and with an understanding of the toll it takes on the environment.
This will encourage small businesses, cottage industries and local shops to thrive again. Big business will take a hit for their exploitative behaviors when they try to employ them where people can see with their own eyes and can protest and use the internet to raise awareness. If tariffs cause prices to rise, they will be nearer to the price of a made in the U.S. item and people will have to find a reason to buy one over the other. The differentiating factor will be conscience.
Of course it will take at least ten years for this to play out to the point where people will support local businesses over big box stores, but with a tighter budget due to inflation and tariffs adding to the pain, Americans will have to be a lot more aware of what they are spending their money on. Gone are the days of holiday decor bought last week and thrown away this week or those impulse purchases of cheap clothing made with child labor and then donated to places already inundated with tons of unwanted fast fashion discards.
The poorest Americans won’t be affected nearly as much as the working class and middle class people. But the affected groups are the ones contributing to the toll consumerism has on the foreign labor market and the environment. Tariffs provide an opportunity for a correction that has the potential to bring things into balance again. Unfortunately, Americans will cry, scream, and drag their feet the entire way until they adjust to the new conditions and find the benefits of being conscious consumers.
The best part is the one who will ultimately benefit from this shift in priorities is the next generation. Instead of setting up factories for them to work in their entire lives, a new economy will be born where creativity and small businesses will infuse new life into America.
