I'm (oddly) glad someone else finds the name offensive. I know the history from the chess playing machine, but I found it felt more strongly tied to the meaning behind that in Turkish people. I just worried I was being overly sensitive and no one else would see it that way.
But I'd also say having a stated minimum wage, and having a relevant minimum wage are two different things. I come from a country on that list with a stated minimum wage of 1.70$ a day or about 22 cents an hour.
Not only is that incredibly low, I assure you no one is touring villages looking for hawkers with young helpers that aren't getting paid 1.79 a day, when the hawkers themselves can't ensure they're getting 1.79 every single day.
Ironically, it looks like mechanical Turk would actually meet the minimum wage in the country. And I'm sure the country is not alone there. So for someone who has no better source of income, I'm sure even after paying for an Internet cafe they'd come out making income that's livable.
I don't think that it's a bad thing that those wages aren't livable in a country where our hourly minimum wage exceeds the daily minimum wage.
That's why I'd say treat it like a hobby if you're in a country that's like the US.
I'm definitely not calling the work described as fun, but treat it as a hobby in the sense of treating it as something you do because you want to make a few dollars from the comfort of your computer (and for some reason don't want to try something that pays better in the long run like learning a skill, say... programming), not because you have to pay rent next month (again, situation permitting).
You have to remember, even in the US at minimum wage people still struggle with rent, so even if mechanical Turk did pay minimum wage per country, it'd still wouldn't guarantee financial security in many parts of the US
Thank you for your post and clarifications. They make a lot of sense to me.
I made a mistake in my post:
> in a good part of the 90s in Europe cheap labour and Turkish people went hand in hand
I meant to say the 20th century, not the 90s. It occurred from about '60s till '80s. I'm also glad I'm not the only one who finds the name offensive, and FWIW I'm not Turkish in any way. Nor do I resent being associated with Turkish people. However for it to change, two people wouldn't be enough. I also wonder if the name is a coincidence, or deliberate. If Amazon were a European company I'd expect the latter, but America doesn't have the same history with Turkey as Europe does.
As for hobby. I'd just call it what it is: "a badly paid job". One you'd replace ASAP if you could. You need to also take into account that one requires a computer which requires maintenance and is going to (partly) die at some point. Sure, internet bill is likely flat fee and paid already, but electricity is going to be higher.
But I'd also say having a stated minimum wage, and having a relevant minimum wage are two different things. I come from a country on that list with a stated minimum wage of 1.70$ a day or about 22 cents an hour.
Not only is that incredibly low, I assure you no one is touring villages looking for hawkers with young helpers that aren't getting paid 1.79 a day, when the hawkers themselves can't ensure they're getting 1.79 every single day.
Ironically, it looks like mechanical Turk would actually meet the minimum wage in the country. And I'm sure the country is not alone there. So for someone who has no better source of income, I'm sure even after paying for an Internet cafe they'd come out making income that's livable.
I don't think that it's a bad thing that those wages aren't livable in a country where our hourly minimum wage exceeds the daily minimum wage.
That's why I'd say treat it like a hobby if you're in a country that's like the US.
I'm definitely not calling the work described as fun, but treat it as a hobby in the sense of treating it as something you do because you want to make a few dollars from the comfort of your computer (and for some reason don't want to try something that pays better in the long run like learning a skill, say... programming), not because you have to pay rent next month (again, situation permitting).
You have to remember, even in the US at minimum wage people still struggle with rent, so even if mechanical Turk did pay minimum wage per country, it'd still wouldn't guarantee financial security in many parts of the US