Prof. Deirdre McCloskey: The Racist Origin of the Minimum Wage

Disclaimer: This interview was produced in 2017 by the Institute For Humane Studies, prior to Students For Liberty's acquisition of Learn Liberty. The opinions of this interviewer are his own and are not that of SFL.

Minimum wage laws were invented to protect the “Anglo-Saxon” race from competition. Prof. Deirdre McCloskey explains the authoritarian roots of Progressivism.

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TRANSCRIPT:

Deirdre McClosky:
One of the things that my friends on the left think is just grand is the minimum wage. 100 years ago, the minimum wage came into being in the United States, state by state, and it's declared purpose was to keep immigrants, women, Blacks, and Chicanos out of the labor force. To drive them out entirely. Newspaper editorials, economics profession, they all said, "Oh boy, this is good for the Anglo-Saxon race.
Dave Rubin:
Right. Basically because those people would be the ones qualified to ... Those were good jobs to have.
Deirdre McClosky:
Those were good jobs, and you just take all those people out, and then the only people that are left are northern Europeans. It was a terrible, terrible thing.
Dave Rubin:
What did they think was going to happen to the other people?
Deirdre McClosky:
They literally said they're going to die out. How women are going to die out, I don't quite understand, but they ... These were people in favor of immigration closing immigration, in favor of segregation. Woodrow Wilson famously would not have a great black scientist to the White House. So it went. Modern liberalism was conceived right from the beginning in this authoritarian way, and it's still ... Even though my friends, the liberals, liberals in the American sense, have this assumption that people who are not progressive are just bad people. Why would you listen to Hitler? They don't listen to arguments that you or I make. They don't get that what they're actually about is authoritarian control over other peoples' lives.

LEARN LIBERTY:

[Matt]

For all those disputing the legitimacy of the history, look up the Davis-Bacon Act, there is a section under "controversy", which is literally labeled "racism".

[arlosmith]

Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell have documented that minimum wage laws were originally promulgated to keep African Americans from being employed in entry level jobs. In a market economy, the price fixing that minimum wage laws actually INCREASE unemployment. Switzerland, with no minimum wage laws, has lower unemployment rates than other European nations with such laws 👎

[romaerb]

Thank you for sharing. So many people do not know the history of labor in this nation and the "evil kindness" of laws intended to harm a group of people.

[DeathSithe]

Can someone tell me how having a minimum wage would keep minorities out of the work force? Wouldn't it do the opposite since EVERYONE HAD to be payed a specific amount?

[darrellb]

would someone please tell me what this music is called.

[zigadox]

Interesting context, but would a maximum wage be just as bad?

[finerbiner]

What the original purpose of the minimum wage was is interesting but unimportant in the context of its current purpose or effect.

[jettrucker]

The government regulates: SOMEONE gains advantage over SOMEONE ELSE by the force of government (for that IS what government is). We can have a society governed by force, or governed by cooperation entered into by two people willing to do so.

I guess we can have a mixture of these, too. Sh!t and ice cream, the way I see it.

[Ayo]

The racist history of minimum wage laws you might not know about

[inofmotion]

Please read this for reference and proof -

[AiguilleVoodoo]

If you're looking for instances of racism in the past you very might find some.

[marcostation]

eugencs was the brithis empire moto.
later the americans took it as their own.

[SpykerSpeed]

"Anglo-Saxon" in quote marks. Way to go, Libertarians. You're really preventing people from moving to the Alt Right. :P

[Mpivovitz]

What about the dozens of labor strikes over the years for higher wages, seems like that might have had something to do with it.

[FC]

I feel like the minimum wage makes sense because there's a conflict of interest between the employer, and employee. It's in the business's best interests to pay their workers as little as possible. The fact that not every person will go on to start their own business means you need people to work for you. Those people should be compensated in a way that allows the business to continue thriving, but also allows for personal growth when it comes to your employees.

[ThePrspective]

What about the history of cigarettes? Sounds like she smoked plenty in her lifetime.

[christiani]

A Eugenic*
Lul. Libertarian school system

[thedudewithbeef]

You guys are using the race card now? LOL.
In 2017, minimum wage does not equal a living wage. They eventually use govt. programes like food stamps to survive.
You cannot survive on 26k a year! and not everyone has the economic, social or intellect to work for anything higher than the minimum wage.
The minimum wage should be raised to a living wage and it should be up to the states to decide. But there should be a federal law of atleast $15 an hour for multi national corporations. Walmart are the largest welfarw queens in America. Its time we stop subsidizing them and make them pay their employees a decent wage.

[titussnyder]

dude I don't like the minimum wage but it's not racist

[bendykstra]

Rational person: The cost of living is rising so lets raise the minimum wage so workers don't starve to death.

This woman: You racist authoritarian.