This American Life takes us on a journey to the land of Shenzhen. The place where our Chinese visitors came from earlier in the year. See how your ipod is made. What is your opinion on the matter? Do you think that we should be buying these devices under these working conditions? Warning: PG-13. Words are bleeped out. Listen to the first part and you can probably skip ahead through the first ten minutes. Thanks to Jeanne Sturges for sharing this radio piece!
After listening Mike Daisey´s story about Chines workers, my the first thought was that we should never buy these things anymore. The company what makes these products, brakes so many human rights when it comes to their workers conditions. Workers are working 12 hours shifts and sometimes even 16 hours a day, even the legal working time is only 8 hours a day in China. Mr.Daisey interviewed couple workers in front of factory gate and some of them were only 13 years old! He asked that is it easy to get work here when you are so young, and they just said that they never check people ages. In the same factory, there were workers who had got nerve toxic to their body and now they can´t even lift a water glass. And they were only about 27 years old. In this a specific factory, there were over 430 thousand workers!
ReplyDeleteBut the case is never this simple, if this company wouldn´t hire these kids, some of the kids might be in the streets begging for their food. And if we stop buying their product, workers will lose their job. I think that we should send more inspectors to check people working conditions and that way to try to help workers. Even if it could raise a Ipad´s price a little bit.
When I started listening to this report, I was using my Ipod to go on Facebook and my brother was playing a game on our Ipad but I put down these electronics once I really started to listen to what they were saying. The workers in China have never even seen an Ipad work before and they kill themselves, slowly, everyday working to make them. These workers stand in these factories for shifts are over 12 hours. They are watched by cameras everywhere in the building, including the dormitories, which are 12x12 and store 15 beds. Mr. Daisey compares these beds to coffins. These conditions seem unbearable in my eyes and quite frankly reminded me of the Jewish population during World War II slaving in work camps just to stay alive. The only true difference to me is that the people in China are working to kill themselves while the Jewish people were working to stay alive. Although there were not a terribly large amount of underage workers at Foxconn, the fact that there were any is just sad. Through their work, a young person such as her would be crippled by the time she is 26 or so. How is that right? She can only work so hard until she is injured than fired without any benefits, how will she take care of herself or her loved ones then? They force the workers to use a neurotoxins instead of alcohol to clean the products because it evaporated just a bit faster; allowing just a bit more products to be made, by hand. The chemical caused 137 workers to suffer from adverse health defects. These conditions need to change, all of them. But American people choose not to see these problems especially when they are benefiting so much from them. Like I said before, I was using the Apple products too and I had no clue the suffering people were going through just to make other's material goods and to get barely anything in return. I do not believe that much will change in China in their working conditions because nobody cares that much about the workers even though we really should.
ReplyDeleteI had heard that working conditions were bad in china, but i hadnt known that they were actually this bad. I agree with both teemu and jess that this is horrible and something should be done to stop this. Workers are young and working long days, being underpaid. Ipods are extremely expensive and we all know that apple makes ALOT of money, so they should stop using bad labor like this and treat their employees correct, and pay them as much as they should be getting paid at least. I would be alot more eager to buy from apple if they sold fair trade products and i bet alot of other people would too. After listening to this i have lost all of my respect for steve jobs. These things are horrible, things over there are bad expecially compared to the paradise we live here. Children and even adults should not have to work 16 hour days to make barely or not even enough to support their families. I think that american companies need to work towards not using sweat shop labor, by either using only fair trade parts or by manufacturing products in the us. Its very important and apple could set a great example. This outrages me because i can hardly even imagine liveing a life like this, barely a life, slowly working to death; or to have to tell your kids that they need to find jobs like this to support the family, because with YOUR underpaid job, you can't. Jobs with horrible conditions, long hours, and being extremely small wages; just to make products for those rich, selfish americans. He talks about how he walks throughthe plant, as a tourist, watching hundreds of thousands of workers, wearing his "goddamn hawaiian shirt." And how he sees the gaurds with guns guarding the plant. And he hears about the suicides... and how they dont even care about the people, but that the company looks bad, and the a plant has to put up NETS to keep people from killing themselves! He says how maybe the people were just waiting for someone that uses their products, to walk in, and ask what is going on? and the audience laughs. I dont see anything funny about this.. It is awful. The 13 year old girl who was very immature and adorable and happy to clean the screen of his iphone a second time, and i just dont see how you could ignore the fact that these are real people living these lives and we support this by buying these products! I have owned a few apple products and now im really mad that I even bought them in the first place. I cant even explain how angry this makes me, and i dont know how, but something should be done about this. It isn't right!
ReplyDeleteabbi calfin
As i was listening to this i was actually plugging in my new ipod to charge it. It is outstanding the things these workers are put through to make a phone/music. I agree with Abbi when she says Apple makes an outstanding amount of money off of products. They should treat there workers with respect and supply them with basic necesities they need to fufil there jobs. These workers are the age of my little sister, 13, 14 years old. Most of them don't even know what they are doing. Tricking the other business outside is just crazy. Some have been working for the longest time. Glass covers are made by hand, its just ridiculous to know people slave over something i take for granted.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Abbi on this and how the working conditions over there are unbelievable. I always thought the Apple Industry created there products in California because on the products i have it always says from california but now that i think of it , it never said made in China. I think this is an eye opener to me because like many products in america , they try to hide where its made. Like Abbi said, i have lost all respect for Steve Jobs and his products and something needs to be done.Its not worth someones life for a cheaper product. Brandon Manning
ReplyDeleteI agree strongly with Abbi's post. These working conditions are horrible, the shifts are too long and the workers are underpaid. And on top of it all, most of the workers are younger than we are! It makes me appreciate my living conditions more, its ridiculous that I complain about a six hour school day while there are children working 16 hours straight with little to no pay. Abbi made a good point by saying Apple is making loads of money by having their products made cheaply and sold for +$100. Im not sure what we could do besides boycott Apple, but even with a few people boycotting it would not be enough to stop this corruption. Another point I'd like to make is that Apple is not the only company that's getting away with this. Apple's work force is being copied by various big name American companies, they go into poor countries ( Haiti, Ethiopia, ect.) and use cheap labor to gain massive profit. Not only is this strategy against human labor rights, but it takes away jobs from unemployed Americans back in the US. Overall this idea of "cheap labor, big profit" is an abomination to human rights, and it also hurts our own economy back home. I regret buying a new Itouch for christmas, knowing that some poor chinese citizen had to painstakingly cut the touch screen by hand.
ReplyDelete- Kenny
Alright I too talk about how it is wrong and they have crazy working hours for these people, but ^ they already said that. I see this more as something usual. Don't we all know that we have all of our stuff made in China. We do it for a reason. It is cheaper for us to have people in another country with bad working conditions to do the work for us. And a 13 year old working seems more like a problem with the country then specifically the company. I say this because other companies in China probably have a 13 year old working. Although it is wrong it seem that this is just another wake up call to us and we will say "That's wrong!"... and then forget about it. I don't know about you, but I still plan on getting an I-Phone or a new I-pod touch. It is bad it is wrong and we have known it for a while. So what can we do? Perhaps I'm looking at this in the wrong direction.
ReplyDeleteJack Granfors
This document put me in shock. I had no idea what these people went through to make some iphone that all Americans want to use. We see these huge buildings with workers, yet we never know what it is like inside. Workers are being abused, harmed, and miss treated. There are workers that are as young as 12 years old that are being put in charge of making this superior gadget. I don’t understand how they can allow something like this. They say they don’t check age, its highly impossible to not realize a child hasn’t even hit their teen years yet. It states in the document, “Outside companies have inspections so they don’t check ages they just pull everyone from effected line and put oldest workers on that line”. How can such a successful companies be based off of lies? Every single little thing they do counts and has to be so precise in detail. You would think someone could notice this, yet no one will say anything. I can understand if these children choose to work in conditions like this, but they have a choice, is it even legal? There a difference between working at a successful job at a young age compared to being forced to work in harsh conditions. Not only are these children young but they also work long hard hours, and its not just the children its all the workers. The official work day in china is 8 hours and some of these shifts consist of 13 0 even 16 hours a day. It is mass overload and it is not healthy to these individuals. This is a serious problem that needs to be solved and people need to take a stance on this issue.
ReplyDeleteDELANE NAZARIAN
This audio about Mike Daisey and the Apple Factor made me really start to rethink about all of the technology that surrounds us daily. I use my phone, my iPod, my gps, my computer, etc and I never really seem to think twice about the steps that take place before it is in my hands. We all know that a lot of things are made in China but, I fail to realize much more beyond that. Our products made by apple that we all wait in line to buy, are made by children in terrible conditions. Child labor is not okay and it needs to be stopped or improved greatly. Everyone single ipad and other items are made in China and shipped overseas but yet, none of the people who make them have ever used one or turned one on. They all work day after day in horrible conditions just hoping that one day maybe their children will have a good day. Some people simply can’t take it, and end up committing suicide. Even though a dozen people killed themselves, nobody takes it as a big deal because it is out of such a large number of people. Had this happened in the United States means definitely would have been taken to a larger matter. I agree with Jess that not change in China in their working conditions won’t really happen because nobody cares that much about the workers even though we really should.-Rachelle
ReplyDeleteThere are some solid ideas here. I am wondering what you make of the second part of the story where Ira Glass does somefact checking and also looks at how "bad" these conditions exactly are. Also, is this just part of the democratic process? Workers needed to be treated unfairly and then they fight the government to gain rights? That's what America did. That's what most countries do. Is it just that we know it's happening and are allowing it? Should we police other nation's?
ReplyDeleteI don't know that the democratic process should be so dependent on capitalist exploitation in order to be considered successful. Chinese people tried to rebel against the oppression at the Tiannamen Square uprising. That didn't work out so well.... Couldn't our capitalist economy be used to pressure companies to create safe working conditions? J Sturges
DeleteThe first thing I realized was that the conditions of the Chinese workers making iPods and other apple devices aren't getting the credibility and respect for sacrificing themselves through such torture just to make a item for our likings.I agree with basically everyone who wrote on this blog and think it is infact ridiculous to the point where it isn't right.It could almost be looked at as inhumane..
ReplyDeleteBy: Julianne Hilton
ReplyDeleteAlthough I only listened to a little over half of it, this documentary left me speechless. The ages of the workers isn’t even the worst part. The worst part is the fake ignorance the higher powers of these companies have towards the conditions of these factories. After working a breakless-12 hour shift, every single day, every single year, their hands obtain “carple tunnel on a scale we couldn’t even imagine” (Daisy). They work them to the point of uselessness, then fire them, potentially screwing them over for life. Can you imagine being 12, 13, 14, not even in high school yet, having a full time job using your hands to do gruesome and inhumane tasks? I can’t. Yes this entry is highly hypocritical because I’m using my Apple iTouch and Samsung Character cell phone as I’m typing this (both are products made in Shenzeng), but be honest, who in American isn’t? I would also say that what’s going on in Shenzeng needs to be dealt with and stopped, but no one is strong enough or brave enough to try to take on the super power known as China. There’s the risk of cutting off shipments, losing contracts with high-powered companies, there’s many risks that can’t really be tapped with. I agree with Rachelle when she says if this was happening in the USA, something or someone would have jumped on it and it would’ve been fixed before it even started. These children work all day on products our children simply go to the store and wait in line to buy. Some middle schoolers in our country wouldn’t believe someone their age has made the phone they hold so near and dear to them. America will keep using their electronics and we will keep feeling bad for what’s happening to these children in China, but no one can do anything about. And that’s the saddest part.
As I was listening to this and reading through people's comments, I had to believe that this is truly awful and in many ways, I do believe that. Children as young as 12, 13, or 14 are working 12 hour shifts to manufacture our sought after new and improved technology. When something new comes out, these children are forced to work 16 hour shifts, almost day and night just working to produce the products that we use. Of course this is wrong, these are children working longer shifts than full grown adults will work here in the United States. Treated practically like slaves, watched under thousands of cameras, making barely enough money to get them by, this is simply just not the way these children and people should be treated. Why is America letting this continue? Why have we not stepped in to stop this? Because these are jobs provided for these people in China and if we stop buying the product, the economy will plummet, leading to unemployment, poverty, and death. Should America go into these factories and inspect these working conditions? Yes, I believe they should and to possibly try and help these children that are so young, working for so little. We can only help to a certain extent before it becomes something more than that and these people need these jobs, whether they are being worked to death or not. I also agree with Delane, this situation needs to be put out there so people can raise awareness on the conditions in these factories. Do I think that this is wrong? Of course. Do I think that these conditions are going to get better any time soon? No, I do not. Because the economy keeps moving and business never quits for anyone and that's the sad, sad truth.
ReplyDeleteI would like to pose the question about the second half of this podcast. Professionals discuss that the extremity of these situations is not "as bad" as others in the world. Also, most developing countries go through an era of industrialization where these working conditions exist. Is this a natural pattern of development? Will there be labor changes and revolutions within China before we need to take action?
ReplyDeleteThe podcast (ironic isn't it?) exposes us to information about working conditions in China that many of us know little about. But the information is out there for those who are interested, and Apple is not the only offender. A vast majority of electronics, home goods, toys, etc. are now produced in Asia because labor costs are low and regulations are different (less). People all over the world are working as slaves -- This is not an exaggerated statement. Coffee, chocolate, and other goods are farmed and produced by slaves all over the world. More information here: http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
ReplyDeleteI'm not aware that Apple breaking any US laws, but it can be argued that they have taken advantage of differing international labor laws and knowingly deferred their moral obligations to another party (Foxconn) who is abusing their workers.
But we live in the information age and we know about these conditions. As citizens and consumers, we have choices. We can inform others, we can encourage corporations to behave better, and we can make purchase decisions which require individual action and sacrifice.
Longer term, some aspects of this condition will improve as China's people pass through their "industrial revolution". But we don't need to wait -- those of us who are generally concerned can take actions now to improve the conditions of these workers.
This has not surprised me that much. During my trip to China, I got to talk with a few workers that were biking home from working at the plant. They start biking to work even before the sun has come out. They would come back when it was almost pitch black outside. some would look like they were working on cars because they were covered in grease. Some of the ones that biked past my grandmothers house were young, in their mid teens. The only thing that surprised me was when the young girl who was around 13 said "on inspection day, they pulled everyone off the line and put the oldest on the line" and this has angered me to the point of having me curse the corporations that are doing this to my own homeland. I then realized that I have a few of the products myself. It just shames me that I buy these products without knowing where it was actually made, in huge factories where underage people work. This also shows in my opinoin that human greed always shine through anything else people have to offer. Think about all that has happened to the African-Americans, cheap labor is what the Americans wanted and in response to this and several other factors, the Civil War started. People would think that we could learn from the history of Slavery in the U.S. but as it has been proven, History Tends to Repeat Itself and in my opinion it is mostly because of Greed as it is the most evil, overpowering feeling that leads to oppression of millions of people.
ReplyDeleteJacky Lim Above
ReplyDeleteBy: Taylor MacDowell
ReplyDeleteAs I was listening to Mike Daisy talk, I was actually texting on my Iphone. Now all I think about when looking/using it, is how a 12 year old girl was working a non-breakable 12 hour shift just to make my phone, so I could text and play stupid games. This factory has at least 430,000 people working. Daisy was explained what the city looked like. He said that there is construction all over, the air quality was horrible and he doesn’t understand how people live in that type of environment. He says “Today, Shenzhen is a city of 14 million people, it is larger than New York City,… it is the place where almost all of your crap comes from. The most amazing thing is almost no one in America knows its name.” I don’t even know how to respond to that because honestly, I didn’t know about Shenzhen. In the beginning of the excerpt, someone asked Siri, “Where were you manufactured?” and her response was “I’m not allowed to say.” That is pretty sad, that we are not allowed to know where our products we brought for a lot of money, is from.
The biggest thing that is still confusing me is why has no one done anything about the conditions the people are working in? If this was happening in the United States, as soon as one people said something, there would be major consequences and would be stopped. The sad part is, is that even if people heard this; Americans wouldn’t stop buying apple products. Something needs to be done because people shouldn’t suffer like this.
Yo Check out Jacky's comment. He's got experience meeting these workers!
ReplyDeleteSarah King:I feel as if it is apples responsibility as a major corporation to present the public with all of the names and information about all of the corporations. If Apple is as high class as they claimed to be, than they would have a no tolerant on the items that are made in the manufacturing process. The problems they are being faced with are not set dew dates or design flaws these are human beings that are being miss treated to the point (in some cases) where they can no longer life as a functional human being, the laws that we uphold in the united states should be upheld to the people who are founding our country they should have the same polices of safety, all around human rights and honorable working conditions as the US and there is a company that does not provide this they should be either dropped immediately aided in accomplishing good working conditions.
ReplyDelete