In his diatribe against the excess of capitalism, Herbert does not record any sign of worker discontent. While the conditions may be dismal when compared to industrial companies in the United States, they are better than what existed before the company's arrival in El Salvador. And poor conditions in El Salvador can be solved only by more wealth from other companies. Herbert may think he knows what a fair wage is, but probably the best way for him to fight his version of exploitation is by paying more for everything he buys, since I am sure some workers producing his own goods and services work in worse conditions than he does. Instead, he is protesting against something that only can bring wealth to an underdeveloped nation, while telling workers in El Salvador they should not be happy with what the Gap pays them, even if it is a step up from other available jobs.
Popular opinion dictates capitalism helps the rich and hurts the poor.
Take, for instance, Louis XIV, the opulent king of France. He didn't have television, but it didn't really matter since he could pay any performer at his whim. Nor did he have air conditioning, but that wasn't a problem either, since his servants could fan him. Any system has its share of rich people, but capitalism makes wealth affordable. Once those common misconceptions about economics, capitalism and wealth creation are corrected, many of the policies of today seem misguided.