• About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • 2020 Alumnae Achievement Awards Held Virtually; 3 Awardees Honored
      2020 Alumnae Achievement Awards Held Virtually; 3 Awardees Honored
    • Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
      Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
    • First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In
      First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • No image
      You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage
    • No image
      Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other bathrooms
    • Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
      Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • “Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story
      “Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story
    • Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!
      Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!
    • Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
      Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
  • Health and Wellness
    • COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
      COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
    • No image
      Athletic impacts of Covid-19
    • No image
      A new kind of PE
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • Miscellanea
    • No image
      Remote students experience existential crises; change class years in email signatures
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
      Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
    • The Artichoke
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Sabrein Gharad OpinionsNovember 28, 2018

The Consumerist’s Mecca Relocated: The Implications of Amazon’s New Headquarters

Photo Courtesy of The New York Times

Amazon’s recent decision to establish headquarters in several new locations has been met with both fervent contention and eagerness. Over the past year, Amazon has received 238 proposals from cities across the country. The prospect of 50,000 new jobs and the inevitable economic transformation and growth that this sort of influx of employment and investment would yield seemed like a golden ticket for economic prosperity. Amazon finally revealed the locations of its new headquarters: New York City (specifically Long Island City) and Northern Virginia (specifically Crystal City in Arlington). The promise of economic growth and prosperity that most politicians have become so enamored with is unfortunately a nightmare for the already disenfranchised and poor people living in these areas who will be experiencing increasing wealth disparity and gentrification due to the new headquarters.

Both cities initially did not publicly disclose if they had included tax breaks and infrastructure investments in their bid, but it has now been revealed that New York City and northern Virginia will be providing around $3 billion and $1billion dollars respectively in tax cuts and incentives. These tax breaks allow Amazon to avoid contributing to investments relating to infrastructure and programs — such as  public education — that benefit the residents of these areas.

At the same time, the job creation that Amazon says justifies these tax breaks won’t be going to current residents or those suffering from unemployment. Most new jobs will be high-skilled, high-paying jobs that will recruit already qualified, employable and wealthy people from and outside of northern Virginia and New York City. In addition, the influx of high-paying jobs will increase the wealth gap in these areas, while also making affordable housing virtually obsolete. Rent and property values are predicted to increase dramatically. In northern Virginia, for instance, there is set to be the creation of around 25,000 new jobs. However, these jobs are highly skilled with an average salary of $150,000. This influx of high-income residents will make the cost of living in these areas impossibly high for those already trying to make ends meet, thus pushing them out of the areas and saturating these areas with wealthy, educated, predominantly white people.

Although Amazon is still receiving giant tax incentives from their new headquarters, they did not exclusively select these new locations because of their quantifiable benefits. Amazon chose to locate itself in the two greatest centers of power in the U.S. The northern Virginia headquarters is in close proximity to the political capital of the world. In addition, CEO Jeff Bezos already owns a home in Washington D.C. and owns the Washington Post. The New York City headquarters is located in the financial capital of the country, and arguably the world.

Many of the states that were rejected by the company are now thinking about both what they could have done differently and what took them out of the running. These states, however, should not be too critical of themselves after Amazon’s announcement, as some suggest that the nationwide search was hollow and a giant ruse from the beginning.

I would expect nothing less than such a strategic move from a company that is deftly infiltrating every facet of American life. By placing itself in such consequential locales, Amazon is ensuring its ability to exert its influence in legislation and policy and financial dominance to the point of monopolization, as well as being able to control their narrative and image in mass media. The prospect of any one company ––  and for that matter, any one person –– having such an inconspicuous stronghold on essentially every facet of power in American society will lead to an inevitable dominance and exploitation of the most vulnerable in society. Amazon has been using seemingly legal –– if morally reprehensible –– means to assert domination through exploitation up to this point without much pushback from those with the power to change those laws. So, by the time those in power realize the grave consequences of Amazon’s dominance, it will be too late to stop it.

 

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleSeeking an answer: mental health resources on campus
Next articleHate crime data collection needs to be overhauled

You may also like

You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage

Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other bathrooms

A piece of pizza missing topings.

Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

  • Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other b...
  • COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
  • Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
  • Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations fo...
  • You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top