Yes, and the core idea of the article is what has been used for ages to justify such &quot;taking advantage&quot; by pointing a the marginal improvements.<p>Besides the ethical &quot;taking advantage&quot; thing (treating people in need differently that people not in need), which one might agree or disagree it exists, a core problem is that keeping those people in need is exactly what keeps this machine going.<p>So businesses offering below minimum wage wages to people (e.g. if it&#x27;s not regulated in their state), would point how these people are better off with those wages than nothing, and that they chose to accept the work because of that.<p>But the same businesses, the politicians they lobby, and the way the vote and affect the market with their influence, also try to ensure that nothing is changed (legaly, infrastructure etc) to deplete their pool of desperate people. E.g. by advocating against minimum wage and other labor protections.