I don't like telemarketers any more than anyone else. However, saying that these people are not productive members of society is crass and baseless. If they don't produce anything, then they are by definition "non-productive".
Vast numbers of telemarketing employees are young people working while attending college, single moms doing the best they can, second-job people supporting themselves while they work up the success ladder, supplemental income to retirees, etc.
Vast numbers of illegal aliens are holding jobs all over the country illegally. Perhaps these ex-telemarketers can take up positions and send the illegals packing. Or, they can apply at all of the McDonalds and KFC's around here that always have a help wanted sign out.
The loss of this kind of employment will greatly impact the lives of those above. And its those low end workers who will be impacted the most. The telemarkting companies... well yep, you guessed it... they are taking the business to Canada and overseas. One market closes, another opens up!
My gosh - what did this country do before the huge proliferation of telemarketers? I mean, what did young people do to make a buck or two?
If they don't produce anything, then they are by definition "non-productive".
Actually they produce [generate] huge amounts of sales for the companies they represent. How long does it take any of you to figure out how lucrative this business is? Millions of people purchase from telemarketers... check out the annual reports of these companies.
"My gosh - what did this country do before the huge proliferation of telemarketers? I mean, what did young people do to make a buck or two?"
I could actually give you quite a list of things young people did before telemarketing... ushers at movie theatres, pumping gas and cleaning windshields at gas stations, carrying groceries home from supermarkets in wagons, summer jobs at US Steel that more than paid for college so parents did not need to second mortgage the house, etc. Lots of things that aren't around any more.
Just because people can do other jobs doesn't mean that telemarketing wasn't a decent position for some people. Suppose they would like to have another choice than slinging burgers at Mickey D's? You find them annoying, but they are employed people, young, middle-aged, and elderly... all making a buck and spending a buck... paying taxes... contributing to our capitalistic society.