Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti Part 1

1996 documentary from the National Labor Committee.

This video documents the harsh conditions in which some of the Disney Company's garments and products are manufactured in Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Workers are intimidated and will be fired if they try to unionize. While a living wage would only cost the corporation 58 cents an hour to pay the contracted factory workers, the wage doesn't even come close to that.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• naomi
• klein
• no
• logo
• epz
• labor
• rights
• workers
• human
• haiti
• poor
• globalization
• global
• economy
• unions
• disney
• grassroots
• outreach

[yakuyama]

can some one tell me the name of the person (s) who made this video, I would like to reference it a corporate social responsibility essay I am writing.

[openyourfuckingeyes]

@yakuyama

national labor committee made it. you need only look at the video description to find this info.

[haeyoon]

I didn't know this at all.... I love"d" disney, I think I will start using less of disney's products (that will be the start...) How did "the magical place" turn into a selfish industry full of inequality? This is ridiculous. Not only this, I am angry at disney for using so much plastics+paper. They all go to waste; I wouldn't be surprised if they are responsible for 1/3 of world's trash.

[openyourfuckingeyes]

@haeyoon

i dont know if disney created the idea of exporting manufacturing jobs to the third world and paying starvation wages for them. i would doubt it.

you should check into the labor practices of other companies. most of the clothes you are wearing were likely made in a country such as indonesia, haiti, el salvador, vietnam, or elsewhere, where people are paid pennies under extremely poor conditions.

there are at least some alternatives that use unionized labor and pay more fair wages

[SexyDrBitch]

I noticed, and sadly a lot of people will agree with his ignorant comments. There is nothing good about capitalism. NOTHING AT ALL but hey as long as is not him or his family that are stuck in extreme poverty because of Capitalism is all good. People like him kill me, they are so pathetic is not even funny. No wonder the world is at the state that it is today. When an opinion against the norm people will always tell you to move. If moving will solved the issues, we wouldn't even be here.

[Kayakofan3]

Darrelfromzeeland is just a crazy religous extremist racist patriot fanatic who has a boner for unchecked Capitalisim.

[thatnewguy23]

To think that this is how a portion of my family that is still Haiti lives. . . or at least this is how it was before the earthquake.

[iRendipro]

only 22 thousand views?

[Asteriks]

"The history of capitalism is one of freeing individuals to pursue their goals & dreams" adds Olson.

"The pursuit of profits has led to innumerable inventions & innovations that have improved the quality of life for all humanity.

Remember, it was the free market system which allowed for the creation of the life-saving … medical treatments that were delivered to the Haitian people after the 2010 earthquake.

Like all propaganda, [MMGtH] distorts reality by telling a skewed & incomplete story."

[Asteriks]

"…social justice teachers must … be held accountable for twisting facts and misrepresenting situations to their students" writes Kyle Olson in "Mickey Mouse is the New Godzilla" (pls google the article).

"To claim that Haiti is in dire straits because Americans practice capitalism is absurd.

If anything, Haitians are suffering because capitalism (which requires property rights) does not exist in their country.

The sweat shops are only a symptom of Haiti’s problems, not the cause of them."

[snakejenkins]

I'd like to know how much money the Haitian Government is being paid by these corporations? The Haitian Government is allowing them in the country. A company can't just open shop wherever it wants to because the labor is cheap. I think not only does the corporations need to be looked at but the Government is allowing these things to happen. It's so sad.

[Averly218]

At 1:28 the woman is actually saying the food is two dollars, not 65 cents. This doesn't take away from the documentary but the facts should not be skewered.

[citrinestone]

So my mom bought this for me when I was five and I spent half of my elementary school years telling my friends that they weren't allowed to go to Disney World.

[holeyness]

Nobody is forcing the haiti people to work for Disney. If you aren't satisfied with the wages or the working conditions, you don't have to work. But that if they don't work for Disney, they have no job at all. Is it better to work for Disney and earn a living or sit around and starve to death?

People making these documentaries are convincing you their point of view.

Also, what is wrong with marketing to children? I think children are pretty happy with the Disney products, I think it's nice.

[6robyc]

Man what a great documentary, really makes your stomach turn...Zoned to slavery is another good one, if you haven't watched it yet do it now.

[septentriton]

@yakuyama The National Labor Committee (director of committee is Charles Kernaghan)