Question

Actualizado en 15 ago 2018

5 may 2018

Chino simplificado

Inglés (UK)
Japonés
Inglés (US)

Pregunta de Inglés (UK)

¿Qué significa A decline in unionization rates and the fall in the real value of the minimum wage have exacerbated the downward pressures on middle- and low-wage workers. ?

Respuestas

Stephen_Rushbrook

5 may 2018

Respuesta destacada

Inglés (UK)

Basically that low paid workers are getting screwed with their pants on.... (that they are getting poorer and loosing control in their ability to change their outlook)

A decline in unionisation means that due to a decrease in membership of workers-unions, individual workers are less effective at defending their ground in the global market place. This weakens the individual and strengthens industry’s ability to treat it workers, most usually the lower paid workers, poorly.

A fall in the real value of the minimum wage means that inflation is happening at a faster rate than any increases in the minimum wage.. meaning that you get paid the same but everything else gets more expensive, therefore you can’t buy as much and to in ‘real terms’ that wage is worth less that is was. It’s ‘real value’ has fallen. For example at the moment the U.K. has a negative wage growth rate of 11% meaning (especially for the lowest paid workers) that their wages are being left in the dust by inflation.

Exacerbated. = to make worse.

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Stephen_Rushbrook

5 may 2018

Inglés (UK)

Basically that low paid workers are getting screwed with their pants on.... (that they are getting poorer and loosing control in their ability to change their outlook)

A decline in unionisation means that due to a decrease in membership of workers-unions, individual workers are less effective at defending their ground in the global market place. This weakens the individual and strengthens industry’s ability to treat it workers, most usually the lower paid workers, poorly.

A fall in the real value of the minimum wage means that inflation is happening at a faster rate than any increases in the minimum wage.. meaning that you get paid the same but everything else gets more expensive, therefore you can’t buy as much and to in ‘real terms’ that wage is worth less that is was. It’s ‘real value’ has fallen. For example at the moment the U.K. has a negative wage growth rate of 11% meaning (especially for the lowest paid workers) that their wages are being left in the dust by inflation.

Exacerbated. = to make worse.

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Mariah-Fisher

5 may 2018

Chino simplificado

@Stephen_Rushbrook: Great answers!!! For sure, it will take a little bit more time for me to have a full understanding. Still, I don't know how to show my gratitude.

🍀btw, I have no idea what does the author mean by saying exacerbate the downward pressures....

(🌚from my point of view, downward pressures refer to that they are going to get rid of the pressure and feel a sense of relief, which is a good sign. And " exacerbate= make pre-existing matters or problems ( usu, bad things ) worse "

Hence, it seems a little bit contradictory for me to see " exacerbate the downward pressures")

Stephen_Rushbrook

5 may 2018

Inglés (UK)

@Mariah-Fisher you are welcome.

It seems you are confusing ‘downward’ with ‘lower’ or ‘lessen’

So when you combine that with exacerbate I can understand your confusion.

Here, it is taking about social standing/wealth and the like. And it ties in with the concept of a social ladder. The wealthier you are, the more privileged you are the higher on the ladder you are. Conversely the poorer you are the less privilege you have the less Control you have the lower you are on the ladder. If you are improving your situation (more money, better job, better prospects, better neighbourhood) then you are said to be upwardly mobile. And the reverse is true if you are down on your luck.

It is in this sense that the sentence is using ‘downward pressure’. It is saying that the causes mentioned are making it harder for them to climb upwards and improve their situation, and in many cases for those on the lower rungs it is actually actually pushing them further down into deeper and more crippling poverty and desperation.

Those pressures are always there but the causes mentioned make it far worse. They exacerbate the downward pressure on the lower paid making it harder for them to climb out of trouble..

I hope that helps.

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Mariah-Fisher

5 may 2018

Chino simplificado

@Stephen_Rushbrook: it does help me a lot:) you've explained it at length and thank you for your excellent answers!

Here, from what you've mentioned above, Downward refers to Toward a lower position on the socioeconomic scale and the chances that they will ever be able to get out of poverty are made even remoter. In other words, " downward pressure" refers to their present situation. It is the slim opportunity to improve their situation that leads to their downward pressures. I'd better not understand the word" downward" separately🌟😭am i right?

It's kind of tough work for me to comprehend how it uses this way.😓maybe, the main reason lies in different thinking patterns.
😂for me, the only thing to do is ... let it be for the time being, I. hope the more I read, the more I will understand.

Stephen_Rushbrook

5 may 2018

Inglés (UK)

@Mariah-Fisher

“Downward refers to Toward a lower position on the socioeconomic scale and the chances that they will ever be able to get out of poverty are made even remoter.”

Correct.

‘In other words, " downward pressure" refers to their present situation. It is the slim opportunity to improve their situation that leads to their downward pressures.’

Close.. The ‘downward pressures’ are the combined external forces (the market, government and corporate policy...) that effect their present situation, not their situation itself. You could think of them as head-wind (blowing in the opposite direction of travel) making it harder to walk forward. Anything that makes those winds blow harder will make it more difficult to move forward, to the point were even standing still can be difficult.

“I’d better not understand the word" downward" separately🌟😭am i right?”

Downward and Upward generally refer to a worsening or improving state of affairs (downwardly mobile, a downward spiral, on a downward slope, on an upward trajectory, upwardly mobile, onwards and upwards[forward and better]) They don’t really have anything to do with quantity (ie decreasing or increasing). They refer more to direction of metaphorical travel. And while they can be use for physical direction of travel, there are better words to use in those situations..

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Mariah-Fisher

5 may 2018

Chino simplificado

@Stephen_Rushbrook: Much more appreciated:)
as far as i know, downward pressure on sb means pressure exerted on sb?

More often than not, when looking it up in the dictionary searching for some clues, i actually make myself even more confused. Denotations are never enough.😭

Long way to go🐾🐾🐾

Stephen_Rushbrook

5 may 2018

Inglés (UK)

@Mariah-Fisher you think you have a long way to go? I’m not even at past or future tense in Japanese yet !!!! Much less the subtlety and confusion of idioms!!!

Where as, if you followed me through all of that then your English is rather good :)

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Mariah-Fisher

5 may 2018

Chino simplificado

@Stephen_Rushbrook: but, you see, English is the most popular language in the world. (A little bit jealous😜)Wherever you go, you can live on with your own language without struggling to study a second foreign language, while I regarded English as a basic skill for living.☔

No word can suffice to convey my gratitude. Thx again:)