|
well, it's more complicated than all that, methinks--in that they're expressions of the largely appalling dynamics of neocolonialism (of course there are folk who benefit, there are economic elites, often the products of this same process): but for alot of folk, these dynamics disappear behind a reality shaped by them--so in already miserable conditions, working in a factory for a tiny amount of money might be better than nothing---but if you read or hear what alot of these folk say about the day-to-day that these gigs make available to them, it's kinda difficult to swallow that "this is better than.." thing.
bottom line is that these firms are so completely, utterly irresponsible that it kinda defies the imagination. what assures that they will stay irresponsible is that they can pack up shop and leave if their margins get hit by most anything. there is, apparently, always a shittier place and always more desperate people to exploit. we of course wear the jersies they make, the shoes they make, drive the cars that contain the components of components that they assemble somewhere way down the supply chain that feeds the supply chain that feeds the supply chain. we have no real contact with or understanding of these conditions.
factor in that the same debt spiral that enabled the leveraging of things like "free-trade zones" also forced may governments into structural adjustment programs, which forced eliminations in a host of social services that were supposed to amerliorate the already shitty situations created for these folk by neo-colonialism---and in many areas by colonialism before that--and, well, it seems that for alot of the world's population, the reality that our socio-economic realities directly or indirectly sit atop of is so unbelievably shitty that it's almost not clear whether it's better to know about it or not.
it's probably better to know, somehow--but not if you're not in a position to do something to change things. just knowing and sitting with it---it's kinda horrifying. i'm serious about this: i sometimes wonder if it is damaging to know too much about this sort of thing without being able to do something with the information.
so that even if areas of the united states are sliding inch by inch into a new third world...folk in alot of areas in the south are sliding into the uncharted dimension of a fourth world--especially in sub-saharan africa.
sometimes the world is *so* ugly--sometimes it's necessary to sit and watch the birds outside. even in the crappiest of places, the same idea holds. there is solace, somehow.
__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
|