For my blog I have decided to focus on China, because I feel that was an important part of the book and also an important part of Pietra Rivoli’s speech at UCSB. I found it interesting how the speech coincided with the book, but also added new information that further enhanced my understanding of the topics of the book and how Rivoli did the research for those topics. I felt as though China was really the heart of the matter with the book. It is the place where Rivoli seems to have done the most research and also it appears as the place where most of the products come together. The thread and many of the shirts are made in China and it is the gathering point for the cotton. I think it is safe to say that it is the most important part of the travels of a t-shirt in the global economy.
While focusing on China, Rivoli brought up a few important topics that mirrored some of the book. She spoke of what a factory life meant for many people, especially women, in China and how it gave them freedom and liberation that they had never experienced. While they were being exploited in the factories to make the products, for many of the women that was a step up from where they came from and it meant a salary and the freedom to buy products and merchandise that they would otherwise not be able to afford. Rivoli also spoke about how conditions on the factories and sweatshops were improving compared to what they were even just a few years ago. Workers are now given more breaks, they have higher safety standards, and the bosses have become less demanding.
For my articles involving the topics that Rivoli discussed I found two articles in the NY Times. They stood out for me because they discuss capitalism in China and the standards that Chinese industries are still having in keeping up with health and safety standards when it comes to their products. The first article talks about how capitalists in China invested more in America in 2008. I thought this was an interesting sign of the growth and liberation of China because they are allowing more and more capitalism. I like the fact that a communist country can allow capitalism in the first place and that it continues to allow such practices to grow and continue at a steady rate. This fits in with Rivoli’s idea of liberation in China. The liberation of the factory workers goes along with the liberation of the markets to be capitalist. Capitalism allows for growth when used properly and that growth allows for more people to make money and improve their standards of living.
The other article focuses on a recent problem with baby formula in China that caused the illness of children throughout the country. This reflects the idea that while China is growing as an industrial and economic might there still is a lot of work to be done regarding standards and the safety of the products being made. This goes along with Rivoli’s point that standards in the factories need to be increased so that workers are kept aware of problems and that the pressures of being overworked do not affect workers’ ability to create a good and safe product. Chinese factories have a habit of still employing unscrupulous bosses and making the work quite boring and monotonous. This in turn makes the workers less alert and interested in what is going on in the factory.
The Rivoli speech was interesting and really added some context and understanding to the book and the global economy. I think the articles support some of her claims and add to the meaning of the book and the speech.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/venture-capital-investment-climbs-in-india-china-and-israel/?dbk

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/world/asia/13milk.html?scp=10&sq=China&st=Search