The
system not only still exists but it has spread worldwide. One example is the overload
sweatshops that are located in Vietnam, China and Taiwan. Due to the economy’s
development, goods and services demand increased which made workers more
productive and that moved workers to demand higher wages. During that time, companies
such as Nike, Gap, Wal-Mart etc found that the labor was cheaper in Vietnam,
China and Taiwan and decided to create their factories there. In these sweatshops,
the workers are required to work for 13-15 hours and get as little as 11 cent
per hour. These workers live on about $1.25 per day in horrible housing
conditions that include 4-5 people to an 8 by 8 ft square box and 1 bathroom. Many
of these workers get sick but don’t even have enough money to buy food, so they
don’t have money to buy medicine either so they just end up dying. Similarly, King
Leopold saw that the Congo was a free land and people that he could use of as a
money-making source. He decided to create these companies there to collect the
goods, such as ivory, and make profit off of that. The workers or slaves were
worked with chained around their ankle under poor working conditions. Most of
them died due to overworking, starvation and execution. This system exists in
poor or undeveloped countries, but it also exists in vulnerable countries as
well. Some are in the United States. In 2006, 300 workers were undocumented and
working in horrible conditions in Massachusetts. This proves how threatening
this system is.
My
concern about this issue is that it still exists in the 21st century
with so much development to let people die for such reasons. There are still
people who don’t have a clue about this issue when the internet is right in front
of them. People that who know about this don’t take the effort to take action.
Knowing something but not doing something is the same thing as not knowing.
- Vy Ly
You made an excellent point and included some exceptional statistics that proved that what the The Company stood for is still present today. People use others in hopes to reap some sort of benefit, not realizing what affect that may on the person or people. Many of us are totally unaware of what circumstances one has to endure to make our lives function as smoothly as they do.
ReplyDelete-T'Nia Tention
I agree that the company is still present today, and it is a major flaw in our society. It is something that us the consumers are blind to, and the majority of us don't take the time to learn what it takes to produce the products we use everyday.~Jaya Jugmohan
ReplyDeleteI agree with the company being compared to present day sweatshops found around the world. Furthermore, I believe that the cycle embodied by the company in heart of darkness will stay for decades to come due to the large consumer market. - Alicia Cornejo
ReplyDeleteThe point you make about if people know about it but don't take action to make a change, it's the same as not knowing, is very true. We see that in today's society with all sorts of issues, not just with people dying under such circumstances, but also with for example, environmental issues.
ReplyDelete-Destiny Quinones