Chapter Two: Mardi Gras: Made in China

Source: https://blog.etsy.com/en/2010/mardi-gras-made-in-china/

Well, if the theme of the first chapter of the textbook was "intrigue and skeptism", my overall reaction to the second chapter of the book would be that it was an "eye opener".

Occasionally, my daughter (who is ten) enjoys going to the Dollarama as a treat to buy toys and candy. I have never given much thought about where their entire inventory comes from. Yes, I knew that it came from China and yes, I knew that the working conditions of the Chinese workers were poor. I just didn't realize the extent and truthfully, I think that I subconsciously chose to "live in ignorance" so that I wouldn't have to feel guilty about buying from the Dollarama.  It seems that I am no different than the party-goers at Mardi Gras who were interviewed in this chapter of the book. For the most part, never questioned where their Mardi Gras beads came from! They also don't want to know because it would put a damper on the celebration.

Well, my head was pulled out of the sand in the second chapter of the book as the author described the working conditions of the Chinese teenage girls who make the beads that are shipped to Mardi Gras. In short, their working conditions are very oppressive. They are paid $62 US per month and work 15 hours per day for 6 days per week. The factory that they work in is fenced in with barbed wire and is patrolled by security guards. Every move that they make is monitored and they must adhere to unrealistic expectations in terms of rules (quotas, no talking etc). They even have to wear red hats so that they can be seen more easily and therefore monitored better. I could go on and on but then I would just be summarizing the Chapter and not really reflecting on what I thought of all of it!!

In this chapter, Redmon tries to interview the teenage workers at the factory. Initially he is told that he can interview anyone that he wants to because Roger (the factory owner) knows that none of them speak English. When Redmon hires a translator, they are initally followed around by one of the managers and a security guard so that they can find out what the workers are saying about their working conditions to the author. Even the translator is "in on the act" because she does not really translate what the girls are saying. She just says that they all say that the working conditions are good when in fact they girls are saying that they are not.

Redmon also described the sensual relationship that the girls have to the beads. He describes sensations such as the loud machines that are used to produce the beads, the stained arms of the girls who paint the beads and also the calloused/injured hands of the workers.

So, what did I think of all of this? Well, I was sickened by the working conditions that were described and was struck by how unjust it is.  I feel so sorry for these girls because they do not seem to have a lot of choices in their life and it made me aware of my own "white privilege". Most of them come from rural China where the working conditions are also difficult. They rationalize that at least they are getting paid when they work in the factory. 

At the same time, now that I have this information, I have considered whether or not I will continue to shop at the Dollarama with my daughter and I have decided that I will continue to do this. This seems to be similar to the interview that Redmon has with the owner of the bead distribution company in the US (i.e., that buys the beads from Roger in China). He justified “doing business” with this factory because if he did not do it, then another business would step in and pick up where he left off. He also stated that he thought that the workers were given an opportunity to improve their lives by working at the factory and therefore felt justified in his decision.