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by golergka 1368 days ago
If that's true (your statement, not mine), this just means that compensation fast fast-food employees get is completely fair.
2 comments

Not at all. It just means that there is a larger pool of employees qualified to work in fast food.

Sometimes people are simply forced to take jobs that are not adequately compensated.

"The workers are easily replaced" and "Their compensation is fair" are two different statements.
It's exactly the same statement. Fair cost of something IS the opportunity cost of buying the same thing from someone else.
Well, it depends on your definition of "fair". You're going by the market definition -- but the market definition of "fair" is often quite unfair by other definitions.
Considering that markets exist whenever 2 or more individuals gather, without regard to any other factors… it’s pretty much a fundamental force like gravity. In fact even ant colonies experience market forces so it’s practically impossible for it to not exist.

Does it matter if a lot of folks have different definitions of gravity?

> Considering that markets exist whenever 2 or more individuals gather

In the most general sense of "market", this is not wrong. However, you're talking from the point of view of a rather specific market theory. That market theory is not a fundamental force, it's just one of many ways of doing things.

It also has a very narrow definition of "fair", which makes sense within its own world, but I would argue is not generalizable outside of that world.

What's the 'rather specific market theory'? As far as I understand that is the dictionary definition of a market. Here's Meriam-webster:

market, noun, often attributive

mar· ket | \ ˈmär-kət \

Definition of market (Entry 1 of 2)

1. a(1) : a meeting together of people for the purpose of trade by private purchase and sale and usually not by auction (2) : the people assembled at such a meeting

b(1) : a public place where a market is held especially : a place where provisions are sold at wholesale a farmers' market (2) : a retail establishment usually of a specified kind a fish market

2. archaic : the act or an instance of buying and selling

3. : the rate or price offered for a commodity or security

4. a(1) : a geographic area of demand for commodities or services (2) : a specified category of potential buyers the youth market

b : the course of commercial activity by which the exchange of commodities is effected : extent of demand the market is dull

c(1) : an opportunity for selling

(2) : the available supply of or potential demand for specified goods or services the labor market

d : the area of economic activity in which buyers and sellers come together and the forces of supply and demand affect prices

Markets are absolutely nothing like fundamental physical forces like gravity.

Read David Greaber.

If I had a gun to the head of everyone in town, and everyone in town mysteriously agrees to sell their labor for free, does that mean that cost of labor is fair?

There are circumstances outside of the price which affect the fairness of the price.