Low prices vs. human exploitation.
I was thinking about this today at work and wondered what you all thought. Do you avoid or at least think about things that were probably made in a sweatshop?
I work at Wal Mart and everytime I see a Made in Taiwan or Made in China or Made in Mexico or even Made in USA tag, I assume that that product was made in a sweatshop somewhere. I know that if you have a legit manufacturing company in the US, you at leat have to pay minimum wage and there are certain laws you have to obey to keep your business running. That takes a lot of money away from the bottom line and "forces" companies to keep high prices, so I assume they move their factories to Third World countries where they are lucky to have places of employment no matter how little they are paid or how bad the environment.
I don't know a lot about the situation because I doubt many businesses fly a banner saying : "Yes! We use sweatshops!" but I have a feeling that this is the case if it's not well known that a company doesn't use sweatshops.
So, yeah do any of you ever think about this and do you make an attempt not to buy things you suspect were made in a sweatshop?
Also, general information would be appreciated too.
Yes. I give my best effort to avoid wal mart. Most of their clothes are made in sweatshops, but there are a lot of other products that have similar ethical issues that most people aren't aware of.
Electronics, for example. You won't see a "made in China" tag on a Game Boy, and in fact you might see a "Proudly Made in the USA" tag on it; while this may be true, it was probably ASSEMBLED in Mexico, just across the border, thanks to Bill Clinton's approval of NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement). Yes, Bill Clinton.
Anyway, that situation, in places like Juarez or Tijuana, is as bad as, if not worse than, sweatshops. Mostly women work there, and most of them are raped and/or killed.
There is a movie out now about Juarez specifically. I think it's called Juarez. If you're interested, Blockbuster it.
My answer is to shop local markets as much as possible, check goodwill and yard sales for clothes and furniture, and to ask myself if I really need what it is I'm buying. What did it cost to be made, how was it paid for, and am I matching that price?
Electronics, for example. You won't see a "made in China" tag on a Game Boy, and in fact you might see a "Proudly Made in the USA" tag on it; while this may be true, it was probably ASSEMBLED in Mexico, just across the border, thanks to Bill Clinton's approval of NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement). Yes, Bill Clinton.
Anyway, that situation, in places like Juarez or Tijuana, is as bad as, if not worse than, sweatshops. Mostly women work there, and most of them are raped and/or killed.
You're talking about the maquiladora system. Back in the day, VHS tapes were made near the border. The shacks people lived in where covered with black from factory emissions and there was a high rate of birth defects.
yep... another feel-good post...I'm going to have to change my nick to surlyidler.
I agree that it is important to take human rights into account when deciding on a purchase but you can't assume that just because something is made, assembled or grown in the USA, there are no violations. It is standard practice to prosecute/deport undocumented workers and let the businesses that employ them off with a paltry fine. Working and living conditions for these people are often atrocious. http://www.latinalista.net/palabrafinal/2008/08/for_the_nations_migrant_farmworkers_high.html
If a worker dies picking crops, are the vegetables still vegan?
Mexico most definitely has problems but it isn't accurate to say "most" women who work in Juarez have been raped. That isn't to say that the situation there isn't horrific because it is. If you're interested in this, libertadlatina.org is full of relevant information. The lives of low-paid Latinas in the US are also fraught with workplace abuse, including sexual abuse. These aren't just problems in other countries, similar problems exist at home. http://www.libertadlatina.org/Crisis_Montgomery%20County_MD.htm
Expensive doesn't necessarily equate to better working conditions. Things like iPods and cell phones have components that are mined at the expense of the environment and local people. A quote from High-Tech Genocide in Congo (Project Censored 2007): "Perhaps, he suggests, mobile phones should be outfitted with stickers that read: “Warning! This device was created with raw materials from central Africa. These materials are rare, nonrenewable, were sold to fund a bloody war of occupation, and have caused the virtual elimination of endangered species. Have a nice day.” People need to realize, he says, that there is a direct link between the gadgets that make our lives more convenient and sophisticated—and the reality of the violence, turmoil, and destruction that plague our world."
Child labor, destruction of the few remaining gorilla habitats and intentional regional destabilization are all key components of electronics manufacturing. Huge corporations benefit and everyone else gets screwed. Trying to make ethical purchases is important but buying MUCH less is important too.
yep... another feel-good post...I'm going to have to change my nick to surlyidler.
I agree that it is important to take human rights into account when deciding on a purchase but you can't assume that just because something is made, assembled or grown in the USA, there are no violations. It is standard practice to prosecute/deport undocumented workers and let the businesses that employ them off with a paltry fine. Working and living conditions for these people are often atrocious. http://www.latinalista.net/palabrafinal/2008/08/for_the_nations_migrant_farmworkers_high.html
If a worker dies picking crops, are the vegetables still vegan?
Mexico most definitely has problems but it isn't accurate to say "most" women who work in Juarez have been raped. That isn't to say that the situation there isn't horrific because it is. If you're interested in this, libertadlatina.org is full of relevant information. The lives of low-paid Latinas in the US are also fraught with workplace abuse, including sexual abuse. These aren't just problems in other countries, similar problems exist at home. http://www.libertadlatina.org/Crisis_Montgomery%20County_MD.htm
Expensive doesn't necessarily equate to better working conditions. Things like iPods and cell phones have components that are mined at the expense of the environment and local people. A quote from High-Tech Genocide in Congo (Project Censored 2007): "Perhaps, he suggests, mobile phones should be outfitted with stickers that read: Warning! This device was created with raw materials from central Africa. These materials are rare, nonrenewable, were sold to fund a bloody war of occupation, and have caused the virtual elimination of endangered species. Have a nice day. People need to realize, he says, that there is a direct link between the gadgets that make our lives more convenient and sophisticatedand the reality of the violence, turmoil, and destruction that plague our world."
Child labor, destruction of the few remaining gorilla habitats and intentional regional destabilization are all key components of electronics manufacturing. Huge corporations benefit and everyone else gets screwed. Trying to make ethical purchases is important but buying MUCH less is important too.
Yes, I think not buying stuff is the best way to get around it. But they are so prevalent. Again, I think it's safe to assume that any manufactured product was made in a sweatshop unless they are a company that is specifically Fair Trade or known to not abuse workers. It's hard to live peacefully and ethically when most of the world is corrupt and functions by exploiting people with no rights.
The BBC made a 4-part series a while ago about sweat-shops. They took a group of 6 or so teenagers who didn't care about where their clothes came from, as long as they looked good, and sent them to a series of sweat shops around India. They started at the "nicest" factories before slowly moving down the scale, into even more poverty and squallor, not to mention child labour. The interesting thing from it was that most of the workers were grateful for the 'factories' because otherwise they'd be out of work. They may not have earnt very much but I think they saw it as their only option and without it they'd die. Those that were interviewed all said it was a good thing the UK bought so many clothes.
It gave me mixed feelings. Personally I try and avoid buying sweat shop clothes as much as possible (even before I saw this) and if I can, I'll make my own stuff. I think fair trade is the way to go, but when they addressed this issue they found the designs made in these factories weren't fashionable, and wouldn't cater to the mass market...
I wish the series was available online so I could send you the links, but the BBC only put stuff online for a week, and only within the UK. It changed all the kid's attitudes for the better however, and on their return home started raising money for charities over there.
Here's a clip: Shopaholic sent to sweatshop
If the workers were grateful to work super long hours for just enough to pay for food, I think it was a skewed interview.