The author of No Space No Choice No Jobs No Logo argued that there is a huge problem with big name brands and society’s working class. She states that workers, women specifically, are treated poorly in the work environment and expands on why she believes this.
Naomi Klein wrote about what she found through researching different brands and how they achieve their final product. The products of major brands are made in factory settings by workers that are underpaid, poorly treated, and are put in a terrible economic state because workers will do whatever they can to provide for the ones they love. Naomi wrote about the Export Processing Zones across the globe that are charged little to nothing in taxes. Because of this, when they receive the products from the workers, they can pay the workers as little as possible. The workers then get paid by the brand and get to keep all the profits because they have extremely underpaid their workers. This creates a terrible living situation for the workers, who are most commonly women. The employees then spend their entire earnings on transportation to and from their jobs, and on the little food they can afford. This creates a hard environment for families when these women are worked into the ground.
The author states that these brand name companies hire contractors, small businesses, and factories under them to be a part of their work. Naomi established that this is because the brand would no longer be directly responsible for whatever happens at the ground level of production, and they can get away with nearly anything. From our side of society as buyers, we find the cheapest clothes possible, but stick with the best brands. Because of the cheapness of these products, there has to be someone gaining in the industry; and corporations do this by severely underpaying their workers.
This is a major problem major brands and companies are proposing to our society. Recently H&M, Gap, and Walmart were accused of mistreatment of their workers: https://qz.com/695763/a-web-of-terror-insecurity-and-a-high-level-of-vulnerability-hm-gap-and-walmart-are-accused-of-hundreds-of-acts-of-worker-abuse/
I would like to discuss the problematic name brands that are a part of the market that are abusing their workers, and what we can do as consumers to become more aware and help fix the problem.
I think that you did great in talking about a lot of the pints that Naomi Klein talks about in this chapter. From the promotion of the brand to the lousy working-conditions of the factories. However, I would've wished you went into depth when talking about how H&M, Gap, and Walmart are being accused to mistreating their workers. Although, you did provide a link, I Would've appreciated a summary. Other than that, I think that your response does a good job in talking about the chapter.
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