In a debate on the Animated Buzz forums over Mickey in the public domain, the attention turned to sweat shops. You must have heard of them: unsafe factories set up overseas by powerhouse American companies who avoid U.S. labor laws and pay the workers a few pennies per hour. These workers make everything from that 101 Dalmations toy you picked up in a McDonald's Happy Meal to a sweatshirt with Mickey's face across the front of it.
Is Disney hypocritical for labeling themselves as a family-friendly company when they have kids in foreign countries losing hands while working on dangerous machinery to make Disney paraphernalia? Well, an Animated Buzz forum regular, and self-professed "Potatoman" seems to think so.
"You've all got blinders on and refuse to see what is really going on in the world," Wes said. "Seriously. A lot of awful [crap] is going on and most just ignore it. Why? Because it's easy. 'It's not happening to me and I'm not responsible for it. Why should I care?' Because it is happening to you and you are responsible for it. You think that corporations aren't [expletive] with Americans? You got that wrong. They've got you right where they want you."
Words of a lunatic conspiracy theorist? He is Canadian, but he does have a point. "If you buy goods made with unfair labor," Wes continued, "then you're supporting it. You make it worth it. You are a slave driver."
Kinda' reminds you of those awful drug commercials blaming the neighborhood pothead for funding al-Quaida, doesn't it? Still, Wes has a valid argument. By turning a blind eye to the illegal practices (by U.S. standards, not the developing countries where Disney sets up shop) of huge brands such as Disney, Nike and McDonald's, aren't we all at fault? Isn't our ignorance the reason the entire continent of Europe secretly hates us? Should we stop buying products from companies who are known to use sweat shops?
Well, I won't, but if you want to, go on with your bad self. I'm too lazy (don't blame me, blame my American mentality) to worry about some poor kid in another country getting paid peanuts. It's like I said in the forum, "Those countries have their own laws and since they allow us to go over there and pay pennies, then so be it. I'm personally tired of America trying to stick its [butt] in everyone's business and make the world 'a better place.'" It's wrong and deplorable, but who are we to tell other countries how to run their show? There really is no way to stop these companies from using sweat shops, and I know that's like the old "Well, if I stop littering, it won't make a difference anyway because everyone else does it" excuse, but it rings true.
In the end, it's the individual's choice whether or not to work at these sweat shops. "These people might be getting slave wage compared to us (or anyone)," I said in the forum, "but they aren't slaves on chains being whipped in the back."
Even Animated Buzz owner (and a guy who should know about slave wage himself—I don't get any kind of a salary for this), Mario chimed in on the topic. "I do believe that [sweat shops are] killing our [U.S.] economy," he said. "That's a good enough reason right there to put the pressure on corps to start hiring our own people to do the work."
And that's where I have to agree. Just so top execs in big companies such as Disney can line their already fat pockets with even more money, Americans are missing out on countless job opportunities. At a time when our economy is in the toilet, it makes you stand up and say "What the Faarooq?!"
So while I still think Mickey Mouse should remain Disney's, I am also of the opinion that losing the little rat would serve 'the company right. Those bastards.
Chris Douvalas
- Discuss this topic here.
- Read about Disney's shameless sweat-shop practices here.
- Read what The Society of Disney Haters has to say here.
