Sweatshop

[IHateDrumMachines]

To be honest, I think about them every time I see a stitch on a garment. Somebody had to put it there. Did they get paid enough?

Everyone who thinks sweatshops are not a huge problem should go sit in a dark room for 16 hours and work with tiny threads, then get paid a few cents and see how they feel about themselves.

I would not wish this job, or this life, on anyone. I hope in the future, sweatshops can be eliminated so we can have peace.

[VestriDeusEstMortuus]

I would damn well work 16 hours for 2 dollars a day then beg in the slums.

even more so for a woman who would rather do that than prostitution, lest you have no dignity.

[RtothaYtothaAtothaN]

That is exactly the problem, there is no other option for these people and big corporations prey on their desperation.

[EyesOfTheSouth101]

Sweatshops. Kids working 20 hours a day for hardly any money at all. I don't mind, but i think the workmanship of the product suffers.

[mbs029]

seriously liberals, take ECON 101. People wouldn't work at sweatshops if it didn't offern them an improvment over the alternatives, i.e. substinence farming, prostitution, street work. People take these jobs because they make much more than they ever could otherwise- ask anyone whos ever visited a sweatshop what the biggest complaint of a worker is- they constantly push for factory expansion so more of their relatives and friends can work there.

[jb21uk]

In other news, if offered the alternative, life is better than death. Wages are a fraction of a percent of retail price, and the profit margin is at least 50%. Wages could be five or ten times what they are without having any effect on profit. Then these people could move out of grinding poverty. Why aren't they?

Ultimately, these companies are using subcontractors so as to maintain deniability. The only way forward is to blacklist those who (probably deliberately) don't check up.

[jb21uk]

That should be 'Why isn't this done?'

[curriedmussels]

How can you sit there in your rich houses at your computer and defend this slave labour these people work 18hrs a day just to try and stay alive, you sit there in clothes made from hungry children? You call yourselves moral? You think you'll go to heaven? This world is mad. Evil, greedy, exploiters all of us me as well. How long would it take you just to go to another shop?

[DarrelfromZeeland]

@curriedmussels I t doesn't bother me. That's capitalism and free enterprise. Some people will always lose in capitalism. Anyone who applies themself and shows some enterprise, initiate, moxie, hustle, and just plain "go go go go" can make it in capitalism. If you don't move up, it's because you choose not to.

[Nirvanafan13131312]

This is dumb they aren't really sweatshops with poor men and women slowly sewing together clothes...

NO they have machines doing all this and people are the ones operating it so it really isn't as bad as people say it is!!!

[xjesusjonesx]

way off man. most of the time they only have individual sewing machines. do the research, the info is out there

[just502]

Nike is still using sweatshops...

[noolympics]

Child slavery and sex slavery video:

<b>youtube&#46;&#99;om&#47;wat­ch?v=ATpKvCCpTOY</b>

The slave trade is organized by some Chinese Communist officials in China. The youngest is only 8. Some girls become sex slaves! Next time you buy something from China, remember who is making it!

[deadpoet415]

i can't believe you are all defending ignorance. look at some dvd documents, read non corporate news/media, and look at conscious websites and get a clue. malnutrition, below minimum wage stards (for that country's standard of living), limited bathroom breaks or days off, 140 hour weekdays, physical punishment, child labor, etc etc etc., would u allow that for yourself or your family? please don't comment.. just find the resources for what i'm telling u and THEN you'll understand.

[checkers88]

I agree that that sweatshops are necessary for poor nations to get along and I would much rather have an Indian child working at a factory than out starving to death. But the issue here is the fact that there is low-cost production and sweatshops: in China, most of your clothes are made by slaves, literally, who aren't paid. Period.

[Zraythe]

Prove it. I live in China and am not seeing it. BTW, I hear everyone in America is a money loving bastard who has no soul. I even saw a video on the internet about it. It must be true.

[chizzy555]

@Zraythe not really, we just get treated like people and are allowed to live like people should, only like 1% of americans are rich pigs, and many are living in poverty too.

[macman13]

Developing countries always go through a stage where they have sweatshops. The US had sweatshops, the UK had sweatshops, countries in continental europe had sweatshops. Yes, they suck, but you have to look at compared to what. Many of the people who work in sweatshops would be in much worse working conditions if they didn't work there, and often, they turn to prostitution.

[luckytc81]

How is a company hiring people in very poor countries at lower cost less "responsible" than a company hiring people in richer countries at higher cost?? If former has lower production cost and cheaper stuff for the consumer and is creating jobs for insanely poor people - I would say THAT is responsible.

[xjesusjonesx]

the problem is that the people working for the lower wages have to pay similar prices for the goods. If the cost of living in a country alway coincided with the wages then living in a poor country would be ideal. The jobs offer them no hope of escaping poverty, it simply exploits their economic position.