Paragraph from the book and article

For my blog the paragraph I chose was on page 90, the last paragraph at the bottom. It discusses the working conditions for Chinese laborers. The paragraph basically makes connections between what the Chinese workers are going through today and what many factory workers went through in the late 1800s and early 1900s in factories. “Like their sisters in time, textile and clothing workers in China today have low pay, long hours, and poor working conditions.” This quote from the paragraph shows the connection.
I chose this paragraph because I found it interesting that while the location of the factory has changed, that the way they are run in China still remains the same as it was over on hundred years ago. It shows that even in today’s world there are still countries that are so driven by money and the need to create exports that they will go to whatever lengths possible to ensure that they meet quotas and demand. It’s not so much quality as it is quantity for countries such as China. The export, especially of textile products such as t-shirts and clothes, is such a huge and therefore important part of their economy that they don’t care what the conditions are like for the people that create the products so long as the products are made and demands are filled. It is sad and just another reason why so many people are calling for reforms of factories and whole industries in countries such as China.
What I also find interesting is the connection between freedom and liberation for many of the factory workers, especially women, and the harsh conditions which they must go through to reach such freedoms. For many of these women, being able to earn a wage means new freedoms in regards to being able to buy new clothes and not having to depend on males for money or a somewhat comfortable lifestyle. The factory is better than where many of the women came from and they have no desire to go back to their former lives. It’s the idea of freedom at a cost and while we, as Americans, may have trouble understanding it, these freedoms are worth it for these women.
I managed to find an article from The New York Times which talks about the working conditions in China and how bad they can be. The article, which is from January of last year, discusses the problems with factory labor in China and how there is little being done to change these conditions. Poor working conditions in China are a major problem and since many western companies get a lot of their products from China, there is outrage amongst human rights groups about these companies making an effort to better the lives of the Chinese workers. The article shows how bad the conditions are, but also how hard it is to improve conditions. Since western companies often demand lower prices from the Chinese factories, but expect the factories to improve working conditions, there is often little that can be done except for the western companies to find other sources of their products besides going through China.
It is interesting to see whether the conditions in China have improved at all since the article was written, but many professionals think it will be years before that happens. I think it is sort of a sign that China is going through this now, it’s like the idea of history repeating itself in that China is doing exactly what America was going through during the industrial revolution. It’s just a matter of whether China will be able to enact change and make conditions better or whether they will stay the same. There is a lot of work to be done in China and it will be good to see what the next few years bring. Also, I would like to know whether the tough economic times have affected human rights efforts to make the working conditions there better. With less money will the factories be able to afford the changes? I think these economic times will make a tough situation for China even harder.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/05/business/worldbusiness/05sweatshop.html?pagewanted=2