Am I being too capitalist/cynical about my brother’s artisan idea? I had a dinner-table disagreement with my brother and I’m curious what people in Switzerland think. My brother spent a decent portion of his life in developing countries and he’s somewhat socialist-leaning. I’m much more of a staunch capitalist, so we disagree on a lot of things. He has this idea of working directly with poor but highly skilled artisans in developing countries, who are often paid almost nothing by middlemen or exporters. His view is that their handmade work should not be treated as cheap “ethnic crafts,” but as something genuinely valuable: and worthy of premium prices as opposed to the highly exploitative (according to him) luxury and arts market. The goal would be for artisans to earn much more than they normally do. And I was all for the benefit of the poor but this idea fails because Swiss/European luxury buyers won’t simply buy it at premium prices. Luxury market is usually more about brand prestige, status, and established labels than whether it’s the handmade work of a poor artisan. I’m not saying whether it’s right or wrong but its just is! Moreover, I think connecting the product too much with poverty or “helping people” might make it feel less luxury. He says I’m being too cynical and not all people think like me lol. Am I wrong? Or are there really such people as my brother thinks? 🤷🏻 submitted by /u/Tiny-Perception2110
Originally posted by u/Tiny-Perception2110 on r/Switzerland