an inconvenient sweatshop
by Jon Chun
Published: January 22, 2008
I finally saw Al Gore’s award winning documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.” I was touched to say the least. So much so that I set out to find other causes that were on par with Global Warming but without a champion. I quickly decided to focus on defending the downtrodden, oppressed and unrepresented. I figured that since Al Gore had Mother Earth’s back, I would take care of her denizens.
My chosen path quickly led me to the website of Co-op America. It seemed like a perfect match for my new found emotions since their tagline reads, “economic action for a just planet.” Just what I was searching for: justice. A quick perusal of their website led me to a bullet point summary of their goals which include the following:
“We work to stop abusive practices and to create healthy, just and sustainable practices.”
This was right down my alley, so I stayed on the trail jumping from link to link until I hit the jackpot: sweatshops. After all, who doesn’t hate sweatshops? Soon I was flooded with information about sweatshops and ready to take on every one of them - until I hit this Q & A:
Q: Why are there sweatshops?
A: Corporate greed and global competition to produce goods at the lowest possible price are the main reasons for the existence of sweatshops.
The analysis rang with a faint wisp of truth; Greedy corporations that squeeze the life out workers half way across the globe are everywhere. But something about the line concerning “the main reasons for the existence of sweatshops” didn’t sit well with me. So I started thinking about it - and that’s when my plan began to unravel.
Because for “Greedy Corporations” to be the “Main” reason for the existence of sweatshops, the transaction between the corporation and the third world country would have to go down like this:
Corp: Hi, we represent Stuff-Mart and would like to exploit the citizens of your country for profit. Where can we build a factory?
3rd World: You can’t. We value our culture and the lives of our citizens and will not allow you to enter.
Corp: Wrong. Construction in the Xzaing Jin Province starts in March and you can’t stop us.
3rd World: You’re right. We’re powerless against a multi-national corporation like Stuff-Mart.
Of course that explanation doesn’t jive. If a third world country is being harmed by industrial investment, it would seem that the government could take the necessary measures to stop the exploitation… unless of course, the government was colluding with the multi-national against its own citizens!
Now that sounds totally reasonable! Big business and corrupt politicians go together like high-flying earning reports and unsavory accounting practices. In a flash I was back on task with more fervor than ever. But then, it occurred to me; there’s one more transaction that needs to take place. For Co-op America’s reasoning to stand the second and final transaction needs to go down like this:
Corp: Attention citizens of the Xzaing Jin Province! Stuff-Mart is now hiring. Starting wage: subsistence. Conditions: dangerous. Apply now!
Citizen: No thanks. I’m happy where I’m at.
Corp: Wrong. You will work where we tell you, earn what we pay and stay there until either we no longer need you or you die. But don’t be fooled by what the western world says, it’s not slavery. It’s the free market.
Citizen: Hmm… I guess you’re right. I must be incapable of self-determination after all.
At this point, Co-ops’ argument collapses. Giant corporations are justly accused of a slew of what in America would be considered criminal practices. However, nowhere on Co-op’s website will you find an exposE on Big Business and Slavery. You know actual slavery - with whips and chains and kidnapping. And if multi-nationals aren’t enslaving the native population, it can only mean that the third world is showing up for work by choice. And they must be choosing to work under terrible conditions because their next best option is worse or at least just as bad.
Which leads me to the following conclusion: big business isn’t the main reason for sweatshops. At best they are only half the reason. If Co-op and like-minded organizations are really sincere in their campaigns against sweatshops, they would form a two pronged effort: one to expose the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy and the other to shame the workers away from the factories and back to the rice paddies.
Now don’t get me wrong. Nowhere in my conclusion will you find an argument in favor of establishing horrendous working conditions. My point is not to defend the sweatshop, but rather to suggest that before we close them all down we ought to ask the locals the following question:
“Where do you want to work?”
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