In the article “Failing to listen
to the echoes of protest,” the author describes how 18 University of Texas
students were arrested for protesting in the lobby past 5pm. These college
students were protesting the fact that the University of Texas collegiate gear
is made in sweatshops. Although I understand the authors argument that the
University is technically public property, I am not opposed to the students
being arrested. Although it was a peaceful
protest, the University does have rules and regulations and they have to
enforce those equally, no matter what their opinion on the subject may be. My argument focuses more on the shame the
University should feel at the reason for the students protest.
For as long as I can remember, I
have been a fan of UT. I grew up in
Austin and, if you lived here you’d understand, it’s impossible not to catch
the burnt orange fever. Right now, I
cannot decide if I am more saddened or angered by the fact that UT collegiate
gear is made in sweatshops, under horrible working conditions, so that they can
turn a ridiculously huge profit.
How can a school that turns out
some of the world’s best doctors, lawyers, business men and women and teachers
all educated to be compassionate about the world around them, and yet at the
same time promote the suffering of those who toil away to survive. Is it because those in power are so far
removed from poverty that they are able to ignore those in need? Isn’t part of a college education learning to
treat others equally, to be unbiased and not prejudice? Do our university’s leaders believe that those
working in the sweatshops are being treated equally or that it is fair to take
such advantage of them?
To many who work in sweat shops, it
is not as if they have the luxury to quit there job and move on to a new one.
This job is their lifeline. They need it to survive. So, they work the long hours, accepting a
ridiculously low wage, because, after all, it is better than no wage at all.
These conditions are deplorable and we should be ashamed that we are causing them. We are directly responsible for the horrible
lives those workers face because we buy the merchandise. I have nine UT shirts
and two UT dresses in my closet and I don’t ever want to wear them again. You can be assured that until the shirts are made
in a worker friendly manner I will not be expanding my collection.
That may be what it takes to create
a change; to make the people in charge of these situations listen. My nine
measly t-shirts won’t do the trick but if everybody realizes, as I did today,
that The University of Texas promotes sweat shop labor and stops supporting
them by buying their merchandise, we can make a real change. As the infamous
slogan says “What starts here, changes the world.” I am ready to make a
positive change in our world and if it means burning the burnt orange, I am ready to light the match.
In my classmate's blog, Burn the Burnt Orange, she writes about the protest and arrest of 18 University of Texas students. These students were peacefully protesting against U.T. because they sell, in their stores, clothing that has been made in sweatshops. I agree with her that the students who were arrested had to be because of the rules passed by the University. And I also understand her disappointment with U.T. and their "ties" to sweatshops. She states at the end of her article that she will no longer wear her U.T. shirts and dresses as her way of protesting against them and sweatshops in general. Although I respect her decision to do so I wondered, as I read through her blog, if she knows all the other brands or products which are also produced in sweatshops which she and other U.T. students might not be aware of. If they were, are they willing to give these products up as well.
ReplyDeleteEarlier this year it came to the public's attention that Apple produced many, if not most, of their products in sweatshops in China. People love their iPhones and iPads. People also love that they are affordable. The reason behind Apple's low prices is due to the labor practices that would otherwise be illegal in the USA. On average, workers put in 16 hour days and make about 70 cents an hour. It should also be known that the people who make our iPhones and iPads probably don't own any because they can't afford them. Additionally, they also have underage workers, 12 to 14 years of age. A lot of the workers are exposed to harmful toxins when assembling Apple products. If Apple were to build their phone using american labor rules Apple's profits would go down while the cost of the products would go up.
The International Textile, Garment and Leather Worker's Federation (ITGLWF) is a global union federation that strives to strengthen unions and fight for work place improvements. According to ITGLWF, there are many other well known name brand stores that save a dollar by using sweatshops to produce their products. A few recognizable names are NIKE, Banana Republic, Walmart, and The Gap. Lands End, Levis, Ralph Lauren and Adidas are also guilty of human rights violations in sweatshops. They are accused of underpaying and exploiting their employees, especially women who make up 76% of their work force. Sexual intimidation and abuse has been stated as being common. Many of the factories are unsafe and those who are in charge of them often engage in unethical or illegal behavior. Although these practices are now being openly publicized, many of the conditions that workers have to endure have not changed.
No one wants to buy products made with sweatshop labor but, it is hard to know what products you have to avoid since there are so many. Yes, we may be contributing as we blindly go about making our everyday purchases but now that people are becoming more aware, have they changed what products they will or won't buy as a form of protest? Are people really serious about making changes so that they don't support products made in sweatshops? Are those 18 U.T. students and others who agree with them really ready to clean out their closets, or, more importantly, give up their iPads or iPhones? I doubt it.