I'm sorry, I'd rather not contribute to someones near poverty living so that I could enjoy ramen for $20 cheaper. The argument seems cruel if I understand it correctly - "Cheap, exploitable labour and suffering that goes with it is good because it lowers prices for ME". If that's the argument than I cannot get behind it.
No, I'm not saying I want people to be exploited so that I can enjoy cheap ramen. It's supposed to serve as an example to illustrate the fact that many goods and services we take for granted on a daily basis are available through businesses that have extremely thin profit margins.
You are already contributing to someone's near poverty living if you pay taxes. See social security and unemployment insurance as examples.
For places like these, it's the market's demand for cheap ramen (or whatever) that means the difference between someone living at poverty level and having no livleyhood at all.
