Now, though, I want you to view the following video clip and consider your own views on globalization. We discussed the relative pros and cons of this new world order... the spread of more democratic values, the coming together of different nations to form benevolent NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders, The Red Cross, and more, but we also started to think about the disadvantages of globalization. What happens if other developing nations over-develop to the extent of America and other first world nations? Is globalization equitable? Do nations and cultures have the same amount of 'say' in this global order? Will globalization just mean, in the end, the end of local cultures as Western culture and values dominate?
We'll explore some of these questions more on Monday... before then, view and comment with your reflections on the clip, which focuses on the hidden economic downside of globalization... As you watch the video, consider how identity-ideologies are at work in encouraging us to consent, or not mind, that the clothes we wear are made under these work conditions. Think, too, whether we could care more if we thought the factory workers were white, American children...
23 comments:
The first thing I did when I finished this video was look at the tag on my hoodie. "Made in Pakistan." Even now, I'm wondering about all the man (child?!) hours that have been put into the clothes I own. All of the hands that each and every shirt, jacket, jean, shoe and sock in my drawers has gone through. Even though I knew about child labor and the way our clothes are made, I had never had a face to connect it to until now.
It difficult to understand why America can consent to the way our clothes are made. I think we might feel that both ends are getting what they want: We are getting our clothes for cheap, and the sweat shops are getting the money we've agreed to pay them for their services. In reality, it is this agreement that is fueling a completely different and entirely interconnected system of unfair labor and exploitation. These children working at sweat shops have no options, they must work for anything, or they will not survive. Our ideologies impress that our end of the bargain is fulfilled and that perhaps it is alright if we turn a blind eye, as long as we get what we want. We feel that it isn't our problem if someone in Bangladesh happens to hire children workers and happens not to pay them fair wages. We don't acknowledge that it is our money that sucks these children into the only jobs available to them. We don't think that we are the cause of their imprisonment in unjust labor.
If this was going on in our back yard, if this was happening to young, white, American children, the people of this country would never be able to turn a blind eye. The problem would be a stones throw from every home and family in America, and the pure moral injustice of the situation would be an ever-present reminder of the price of our wants. In America, we don't have the heart to let that happen to innocent children. In Bangladesh, Mexico, Indonesia, China, Puerto Rico, Pakistan... I don't see anything. Do you?
Stuart
I agree with Stuart. You hear about this kind of stuff all the time, but often times, we don't think anything of it because it's not happening here. It's not happening to us or people we know, so it's not something most Americans immediately concern themselves with. It's sad that what we are stressed out by or concerned with in our own lives is nothing compared to what these people go through on a daily basis. I couldn't imagine being forced to live a life like that. You almost can't even call what they have "a life." They work constantly and have no time for much, if anything, else.
When I tried to view the video, it said,"video is no longer available"??
-Fallon
I think Stuart made some very good points. It seems all too easy for Americans to flock to the malls and snatch up the latest fashion every weekend as the "norm". What we fail to see however is the process that went into those items being made, and at such a rushed pace. While we are consumed with what we consider to be rushed and chaotic lives, there are people on the other side of the world who truly know what it means to be beyond rushed.
As Americans, we are taught that working hard and striving to reach the 'American dream' is what is important, and that mass consumption of products is a part of that system. Unfortunately, that tends to lead to complete self-involvement and, all too often, blatant ignorance of what is really going on in the rest of the world. All we see are the amazing bargain prices that we are taught to value. Perhaps if we were instead taught to think beyond the articles of clothing and to see the atrocious processes involved, then there might be more knowledge of what really happens in sweatshops all over the world. Then again, it seems that the American way is usually to just turn a blind eye and to go enjoy some retail therapy to help forget about the truth.
This clip reminded me of when Prof. Campbell had us look at our clothing tags during the last class, but it really is true that during the post Industrial Revolution, the mill types of jobs that Americans had during the early nineteenth century have gone overseas. Here in Biddeford, the mills along the Saco River were once used for the same jobs that have been shipped overseas. Now there are plans in the works to turn these mills into student and community housing units. My have times changed!
The times really have changed too. America as a first world country has changed in the types of jobs it offers during the post Industrial Revolution. America has jobs focused on major fields such as manufacturing, shipping, agriculture, offices, medical, transportation, etc. As a first world country we lead the way in aspects such as leadership and research. People in first world countries are much more intelligent, and have more power and money than people in third world counties. Identity labels such as the superpower, first world, or third world country definitely have ideologies both good and bad that associate itself with the concept of globalization. Some of the good things being that American retail companies are giving countries such as Bangladesh jobs that are much needed to help their own economy, similar to the way that Belgium provided Rwandan Tutsis with jobs in Hotel Rwanda. The bad news is that the same jobs, same conditions, and the same working conditions are being shipped overseas by the first world countries. On a globalization scale it really seems like inhumanity is coming into play, but this is only natural that such a pecking order is taking place between the ideologies of first world and third world countries. To compare this to a much smaller scale, take the relationship between siblings as an example. Sometimes I make my own younger brother wash the dishes after dinner because I have bigger and more important things to do, or even take him out while running my own errands because my stuff is more important than his stuff. It only seems natural that the higher power imposes the more laborious tasks on the lower power because the higher power wants nothing to do with it and finds their duties to be more important.
In reality, however, everyone in my family has a role in cleaning up from dinner, don’t worry, and some nights my parents ask me to wash the dishes because they don’t want my younger brother to do it, but there we go again with the pecking order, only I don’t slap my own brother on the face whenever he complains to mom or dad that big brother has not washed the dishes in a while. It is only when it’s him and I having dinner that he gets stuck doing the dishes! However, in order for it not to seem like a real pecking order, some form of equality and negotiation needs to be established. If my younger brother does the dishes, I pay him for it. When the third world country gets laborious activities from Americas retail companies, they receive payments in the form of American currency, and working supplies to get the job done. I do agree with the film that America has literally reduced its labor costs to zero because of the scale between the two economies, and that the imposing of our pre-industrial labor times has been imposed on these third world countries, and when thinking about this it is really an inhumane way of conducting business, and that the CEO’s of those companies who have more money than one could ever imagine ought to pay it forward to all those people for the hard, laborious work they do over there. Just as I pay my brother a good chunk of change, wash the dishes for him on some nights to give him reprieve, or even just tell him how much I appreciate him for his hard work, these CEO’s and retail companies should find some way to do the same on their own scale because $5.25 a week to do over 100 hours of laborious work is truly a sin. I agree with the past bloggers that we don’t see this because we live in a first world country, and that if it were, according to Stuart, “within a stone’s throw” from our own society, we’d be able to see this and do something about it, but we don’t because we aren’t exposed to it. No wonder why some countries hate us! At least my younger brother still loves me! This situation really is terrible and is definitely an eye opener on the downside to globalization. In summary of my thoughts, someone has to do the dirty work, why not try to find some way to make it better than it really is?
I agree with everything that has been said and really can't compare to what Shamus has said, but it is true that the U.S has the identity as a consumer and also a first world country. This identity as a consumer is the way people have been raised and what the U.S has been pushing for many years. Unfortunately because of this consumerism that is happening here it is forcing people of these other countries to go through a miserable life as they are and we do just put on blinders when it comes to this kind of thing, but it is a fact of life over in those countries and to be expected. It definitely wouldn't happen or be tolerated here in the U.S. because of what we are suppose to stand for in liberty and justice and this is another form of slavery so to speak for us, but these other countries have different ideologies and upbringings than us here in the U.S and just because these things occur over there we can't form other countries to our beliefs like we are trying to do in the Middle East. People can change, but if they have lived like this for their whole lives and have formed ideologies of this is the way life is suppose to be than it is hard to form them to a new way of life. It is sad, but that is their culture and they have to do whats best for their economy and trying to make their country better by these sorts of things. So by this type of mass production and globalization that is actively going on betters that country and betters us as consumers. Who knows what will happen here when our economy drops like it has been?? May lead to the same sorts of things back in history...So these things occur, but those countries benefit from this while their people suffer and it is a horrible fact, but true to the way the world works.....
Wow, unfortunately I didn't realize how bad the working conditions were until I watched this video clip. I just can not believe that anybody would treat people in such a way. Globalization seems like a great idea when just the surface is looked at. Cultures are mixing and people are working together more than ever, which always seemed like the goal to me. What we have been learning and what I have been seeing is showing me that there is definitely a real down side to globalization.
The way the workers are treated is completely wrong and I'm sure every American can see that if they view video clips such as this one. We are led to not care about it though because Americans have the idealogy that people in third world countries are poor anyways and need the work we give them through these factories so they are better off working at them. I mean why change the conditions so that we have to spend more money if they will work at the factories regardless of the fact the working conditions are horrible?? That is such a horrible way to look at it, but that's unfortunately how it goes.
The fact the US doesn't do anything to change these conditions reminds me of so many other crisises that have occured. It's as if the US feels they are better than these nations so they have no reason to risk anything to try and help them. That needs to change.
And of course, everyone has already made some very good points and I believe we are almost all on the same page with this issue.
-Lauren Hendrick
I agree with everyone, this is something that I havent ever really thought about. It is hard knowing that we have so many more options and opertunities than other countries.
I think that nations and cultures dont have the same amount of say in this global order, which should change and give everyone the same opertunity as the first world nations.
This clip was an eye opener and an aspect of life that we often go not thinking about.
This clip reminded me in high school when we studied mill workers in Manchester, New Hampshire(where I live). The mill workers were young white women girls. It was very similar to the video. The girls had to endure the same conditions. Would be hot in the winter and it would be freezing in the winter especially in NH. If they hurt themselves on the sewing machines they were forced to fix themselves up and keep on working. The wages weren't great or anything.
I found this video on youtube that states really exactly about the manchester amoskeag mills. it's a little corny but it's really neat for me because i live right there and i drive past these mills everyday at home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9scrDiPFFB4&feature=related
(i couldnt post it so you can see it directly on this page...sorry)
these indeed did include WHITE and AMERICAN young women and children. However, most of them were immigrants in the midst of the industrial revolution coming over to America for a better life. Mentioned in the video are the ethnicities that made their way over here. Today, there are still parts of Manchester that are strictly Greek, German, and French Canadian. These came from the time when the mills were up and running
Another big similarity of the two videos is that different ethnicities worked in these sweatshops then and today. So, which poses the question, do we Americans think that it's okay for another ethnicity are too worthy to be working under these conditions? What made us think that these enthusiastic can do these jobs and not the rich, white, man? Granted desperate time calls for desperate measures. But is it honestly worth risking your life everyday? These videos just really open your eyes on how important money is to a person and how extreme they go for it. If we globalized would this change?
interesting topic im looking foward to discussing this tomorrow.
Watching this video was especially hard, mostly because I am probably sitting here right now in a piece of clothing that one of these children toiled over to make. But in all honesty, I can do nothing but sit here and say, "What can I do?"... and really what can I, or anyone else in America, do?? Watching any kind of film like this, or reading about some kind of atrocity in the newspaper, does nothing but make me feel helpless. I feel nothing less than a hypocrite when I sit here in the comfort of my own room and contemplate the horrors of somebody else's life; someone else who is miserable because they are creating things that I enjoying buying. But what can we do? Are we honestly powerful enough to change the ways of corporate America. But then again I am a hypocrite, because I cannot say that I do not enjoy the pleasures that are afforded us as a highly developed nation.
It seems that globalization is a conundrum of good and bad. Good for us, and obviously bad for the young girls who are falling asleep next to their sewing machines instead of being tucked in by their mothers in their own beds... I honestly just dont even know where to begin to change something like that. And all this video makes me want to do is change it!
So in response to one of your questions, I unfortuntely think it is true that we care more about people who are from a simlar culture than those who are more foreign to us. Its human nature to feel more connected to those who are more of the same as you; and less of an inclination to care about those who are halfway across the world, who you will never meet. It is an unattractive look at our own species, but probably very accurate. One of my philosphy professors onced asked a class which they would care more about: a puppy which was being hurt right in front of our eyes, or a child that we knew was dying of starvation in Africa? Shockingly I felt conflicted. How could I compare the life of an animal and the life of a fellow human? I couldnt say with conviction which one I would take more of a stance to protect. So I think that fault in our human species is part of the reason that we seem to let factories like the ones in this video continue to employ these young girls without giving them benefits, proper wages, normal hours. I feel nothing but sadness, and incredibly lucky that I am blessed to live in the place that I do. But for every person like me, who goes to the mall to add to their summer wadrobe in the next few months, how many girls will go another night with only 2 hours of sleep, and how many will get beaten for meeting with local labor unions? All I can say is I will never look at the tag of my shirts in the same way again...
For some reason I always thought that America is doing such a wonderful job by employing people in another countries. It gives jobs to one that has no education and otherwise has no other opportunity and other way of making money. It helps people to earn money so they can rise from poverty and have a better life. Unfortunately I had no idea that the hours of work are so long, and the working conditions are so poor, especially when it is children who are working. It is the biggest problem of globalization where big Western corporations move into less powerful nations—Third World countries, and take over it, using people as cheap labor and making tons of money on them. As Anthony Giddens points out,” Globalization is not just a flow…but a world system of exploitation”(Globalization and Cultural Territory). It is these large corporations that have so much power, that it is almost impossible to fight them. I was in shock reading about WTO and Canada. I could not believe that just for refusing dealing with American company who wanted to sell carcinogenic additive, Canada had to pay millions of dollars to that company for lost profit! It is just crazy! The only fault that I see in People like you and me is consuming too much. So, by purchasing one shirt that we really need, and wearing it for the rest of our life (even though the shirt made by a child in Bangladesh), is not as bad as purchasing 10 of them, and after just wearing just one season, throwing them in the garbage. I see the same problem in the example with recycling. No mater how good we are at the recycling our paper and plastic, it is not us, but the big corporations that do most of the pollution and environmental damage. We do purchase products like computers, cars, TV’s that keep us connected to the world, but unfortunately environmentally costly to produce and to throw away. It is a growing cultural progress that we can’t avoid and that suppose to improve our ways of living. Unfortunately by making our lives easier and better, it lowers the standards of leaving for people in Third World countries. People move to large cities from their little villages in hope of living like people in Western countries. Job scarcity pushes them to work for companies like the one in the video.
It is very heartbreaking watching the video. It is more frustrating not knowing a solution and a way that we, as individuals, can do something to help the one in need so far away from us. That’s my way of thinking about the puppy who is hurt right here before our eyes and a dying child in Africa that Brittany wrote about-- we can always help the puppy right away, we know how, but to reach the child in Africa and knowing exactly how to help is much more difficult. It is a difficult question to answer about my feelings if the children working in the factory are white, American. To me a child is a child, doesn’t matter what ethnicity or country of origin. If I were living in Bangladesh, and had no way of supporting my family I would probably be working at the same factory. And if my salary was still not enough to feed the family, I bet you anything my children would be there working as well. And I probably would be happy to have a job compare to a 35 years old women who are fired by the company and no longer can work there. What other option do they have? Just trying to survive.
Natalia Kennedy
These comments are just super, guys. Very thoughtful...
Paige, you make some excellent points.. and connect stratification within America and global stratificatiion. They are very much connected...
And you also ask a good question and race and ethnicity; that is, do we consent to this because of the ethnic make-up of folks in other nations? Remember that groups in power have the ability to CREATE ideological meanings around those others' identities (think of the Hutu and Tutsi example). When we make a set of assumptions about those groups of people, it is easier for us to DIS-identify with those groups, imagining that they feel pain, tiredness, hunger, grief, and more, in different ways to us.
The other thing that we assume is that these other nations rely on the factories built there... the reality is that local economies thrived in those countries... When corporate entities go into countries they are rarely improved (for a variety of reasons)... indeed, aside from child labor, etc., pollution, corrupt deals, etc can create huge problems.
One thing to note, too... global stratification is getting worse...
Finally, we as first-world people are presented with a positive view of consumerism and the companies which push it. It is perhaps no wonder that we are not especially mindful of what goes on...
Great stuff, everyone.
This movie was just one more example of the many atrocities that our society allows to go on. This child labor, as it evidently is, will have many of its viewers be shocked and appalled, but after looking for several seconds at the tag on their shirt, or think about their clothes in their rooms, they will go back to their regular lives.
Most will say that they don't support this kind of abuse on children and women, but they go out the same night and buy the clothes that they were making. It is the same thing when comparing animal cruelty and slaughter house scandals. People are against the actions taken in these places, but go out and buy the same meat and poultry products that these places produce.
If someone is truly moved by these kinds of truths in how the world works, we would see more people getting involved in actions taken against these sanctions.
On a side note, there will always be underdogs and those that succeed. Looking at poorer countries, it is evident that people in need of money will work for lower wages and get manipulated. In a world where greed is at the heart of every man, there's not much hope for the underdog.
-Brendon
OK this blog thing won't except my name again so this is Nathan.
I know what i'm going to say is going to make me look like an ass but its how i first reflected on this video clip. These kinds of video clips we see all the time. Lets just face it, some countries have it rough. Its just the way things are, theres not much we can do about. But realisticaly some of the countries that produce our everyday things would be so much worse without these jobs. I mean there are people in this country that have it worse. They have nothing as it is. I do feel bad for these people i really do. But i don't like people showing us clips like this, because honeslty what are we supposed to do. We could def consume less thats for sure. Our society uses way more than it needs to. I do think that can change, but these places that have these issues of poor labor really have no alternative. I mean i'm sure there things that can be changed, but in the end I FEEL, and this is my opinion, that these countries need the job opportunites. I know its rough but it just how it is unfortunetly.
I did not expect that at all. When I was watching this video I found myself becoming embarrassed and ashamed. As soon as it ended I checked the tag of every item of clothing I had on and came to an awkward realization. I had nothing on that was made in the United States. I had China, Vietnam, The Phillipeans, and a couple items weren't listed. Even my LIVESTRONG bracelet was made on foreign soil, and chances are it was not the best conditions for the workers. I am unable to confirm where my boots and socks were made, but I feel that it is safe to assume they were made in some hot factory under horrid conditions in the middle of the night while a young woman was fighting off sleep while working with a dangerous sewing machine. I know when I am at work, especially when I am doing a tedious, boring job like counting capsules I am ready to call it a day after 4 hours. I will go do a different job for a while and come back to it when I can. I can say it would not take me long to quit if my boss forced me to stay up to 20 hours at a time, while keeping watch on me and beating me if I made a mistake, or was working too slow.
The wages stick out in my mind. Some people are willing to pay $100.00 for a pair of jeans. They have to pay the worker fractions of pennies to make that pair of pants. The people doing the most work get the least amount of money. They are a critical element to a business and are definitely, wrongfully, getting the short end of the stick.
I found myself thinking at one point, If its so bad why don't they just go somewhere else to work. Sad to say it even crossed my mind. Quite an arrogant thing to ponder when you think that every place is just like that, and there are no options.
As far as it goes with race, I think it may make a difference to the media, and anyone who follows it as to the race of the people who are working under these conditions. I, however, feel that once you see what it is like to work there anyone could become compassionate and feel for the people stuck in the factories.
Seeing the young girls sitting on the floor with a pair of scissors just cutting the strings off a shirt hit me hard. I work at the Rec Dept. at home and am used to seeing girls that age running around and playing tag. You could see that they have been robbed of something, and that is definitely a childhood.
I feel badly about it, but I feel there is nothing I can personally do about it. It is the way the world is... and the difference between worlds, such as first world and third world countries much like Bangaladesh and the United States. The conditions and hours with which these workers are subject to are ridiculous, cruel, and should be outlawed. However, they aren't, and those people need jobs to pay to live. It's very sad that in order to survive, they have to face such tribulations.
Obviously, our country, and other large countries receiving imports such as these don't care about these people, although I don't think it has to do with race. They are disconnected from us, since we are so different... both in personality, physicality, and geography. It's this sense that we don't feel it or see it or hear it or smell it... so it must not really be happening. But it is, and it's sad that that's the way our world is... however, it stands.
-Chelsey
I agree with what Stuart has said. In my environmental class last semester in lieu of a final we could do a clothing journal. I did the clothing journal and it entailed writing down every day what i wore and where it was made. This was an eye opener because there are so many different places that my clothes have been made. They travel so far so we can have a cheap price.
I feel ashamed to always complain about clothing prices. I always buy on sale or clearance priced clothes, when these are the ones that are made by these people and only get pennies for it. I know that this is a large problem in the US. I feel bad for these people that make my clothes but i don't know what can i do about it. I have started to look at the labels when i shop sense the clothing journal. It is very difficult because all the stores i buy from have their clothes made over seas. If i was to buy something that was made in the US it would be way over my budget costing in the hundreds.
This relationship with cost and clothes is a big problem. I do not want to support these companies that ship their jobs over seas so they can make billions of dollars while only giving in the low thousands out for the making of their clothes. I am interesting in seeing if there are any ways we can help this situation that we might cover in class.
I think there needs to be more awareness in this issue. Right now the focus in America is on the war, gas prices, and rising prices in other things such as food. Although we have many domestic problems, internationally this is a huge issue, that could be made better with a little help from others.
-Chelsey M
When viewing the video I did not see anything that I did not already know, but did not want to believe. It truly aggrivates me to see the conditions that many people are forced to work in because they do not have any other options. When veiwing the video one of the first things that struck me was that all the workers we female and their superiors are male. As a society we like to believe that there is no longer a sexist society in the US, but US owned companies in other nations treat women with absolutely no respect. This is fine in the companie's eye because they profit off of this system. When thinking of globalization I would like to say that all I think of are NGOs but I think of the overwhelming impact of indusrtialized countries on developing countries and economic gain and the truth is the effect of NGOs on globalization is infinitly smaller than the effect of these big coorporations.
When thinking in terms of spreading democracy I believe it is important to also think in terms of another factor the country was founded on which is Capitolism. Globalization can primarly be linked to trade, the cheaper the trade, the better off the economy. The US as well as Europe also used to have poor work conditions for laborors often including women and children. Although in this country many of these issues have been fixed with the help of government and unions it is still ongoing and quite well hidden by lack of media coverage in other countries.
Addressing the question on whether globalization is equitable; it depends on who you ask. This large business conglomerates will probably say yes. The price paid from mothers and fathers who will never see their children grow up because of how much they have to work as well as the increasing depletion in cultural diveristy, for example Valentine's Day in Japan,(a more light hearted example)many may say its not worth the positive effects on US and other industial countries' economies'.
I believe that the more globalized the world becomes, in many ways the less stable it becomes. Many people in different cultures are being supressed and this should definately be dealt with, but with globalization these groups no longer have their own culture and also are monitarily being supressed in factories in effect the subsequentialy lose their identity.
Samantha Johnson
P.S. I did not have very much computer access until late last night. I did however read the blog on friday when you sent it out and thought about my reply over the weekend.
Wow! I always knew that we did outsource our materials so that they could be made by other low income workers, but this video brings it to a whole new level. I was so shocked to see that they work for so long. I didn't really catch if the workers were forced into the work situation or they volunteered to go into the line. If they did I can't imagine why they would want to go into that mess. I'm just wondering how some corporations get away with these shops. I don't see how this can't be against the law somewhere. I know that because it's not in the US they get away with it in other countries, but how can another country let this happen in their own country. This video was very interesting and startling.
~Derek Poulin
I also agree with what Stuart said,as well as a lot of people. There are some aspects of todays society that i really dislike, such as this. I really cant stand the idea that peoples cloths are made for a small fraction of what they pay for them and they are made under horrible conditions such as the shops viewed in the video. People dont care about this though and will put up with what goes on and goes into making their cloths and they will still buy them and pay the ridiculous prices just for the name and because thats what the latest fashion is. its because of things like this that i buy almost all of my cloths at either salvation army or goodwill.
I think that this is just an example of tons of shadow parts of globalization.
This remids me that "state of the village report" or "If the world were a village of 100 people" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oumVHSj6AE8) which is spread around the world from 2001. If the world is a village, 43 live without basic sanitation, 18 live without an improved water resource. 6 people own 59% of the entire wealth of the community. All the 6 people are Americans.
People who live "normally" in developed countries are actually minority and their lives are made by many sacrifice of lives. The normal that we think is actually not normal, I think.
Globalization, and developed countries go to third world and build the factory. That is not for the developing countries, that is all for the own countries' benefit. They "gave" jobs them, but I don't think that they are giving them jobs for their countries, but for own countries. Globalization, sometimes called Americanization by some people, made the world the way of America, open market and competitive society. Therefore, the rich becomes more rich and poor bocomes more poor, I think.
The ideology of consuming so many products is wrong, I believe.
There are so many other examples, like this. For instance, even though world food production is much higher for all world population, there are so many people die due to hunger. It is because of the unequal distribution of food, not because the food production is not enough.
We know what is going on around the world, when we saw newspaper, TV, or video like this, but we can soon go back to our "normal" life.
That is a problem, I think.
Susumu Ikeda
I think what was most effective about this video was the explanation of what these women have to go through on an average day. The makers of this film really did put a face to this horrible occurrence. When I thought of sweatshops, I always imagined that they were these underground establishments that were employed by a select few and it was always kept quiet. But this video dispelled that notion real quick. Just in Bangladesh alone, the shear number of these factories that are in operation is unimaginable. This situation just adds to the debate between what is right and what saves more money/benefits economically. And sadly, with this video as evidence, the money saving option usually wins out.
After watching this awful video my views on globalization have become even stronger than what they were originally. I think that globalization is only good when it helps a country's economy in a positive and fair way. By that I mean, globalization shouldn't cause more hardship for citizens than they already have to deal with. For example, the women in this video already had the hardship of providing for and taking care of their families. Now, with the factory there, not only do they have to provide for their families, but they also have to leave them alone for long periods of time in order for the women to work. I think that globalization should bring modernization to a country, not factories that keep 3rd or 2nd world countries dependent.
I do not think that globalization is equitable whatsoever. In fact, it isn't fair at all. The reason why I believe this is because when a 1st world country like the US decides to put a fruit exporting factory in a country like Ecuador, the Ecuadorians don't have much say in whether or not that is okay. Instead, their natural fruit sources become extracted more and more every day until they barely have any fruit left.
I don't believe that nations and cultures have the same amount of say in this global order. In fact, I believe that nations have much more say in this global order than cultures do. This fruit example given above demonstrates this global power.
I think that there would be mass chaos in the world if other developing nations over-develop to the extent of the US. The reason I say this is because if all the countries globalized, we would run out of natural resources extremely quickly. All the countries would want to use up the natural resources in order to make their products.
No, I don't think that globalization means, in the end, the end of local cultures. The reason I believe this is because, no matter what, there will always be a local culture. It might become a modernized one, but for the most part, local cultures will still be present.
I'm not quite sure what identity-ideologies are at work in encouraging us to not mind that the clothes we wear are made under these working conditions. However, if we thought that the factory workers were white, American children, I am more than sure that America would care a lot more about globalization. In fact, if they were young white, American children, then the US would have all the sweat factories banned, or at least the ones with the white children in them.
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