Sweatshop labor is a topic not many Americans want to address. We just want to buy our shirts and wear them too. We don’t care about the origins of our fabrics, but just like every issue, this one has two sides too. The decision to support the existence of sweatshops or to stand against them is not only an extremely hard one but one that we are not even sure can be done. After reading Barboza's article and Kristof's article there are advantages and disadvantages to both sides of the argument. (Barboza arguing against sweatshops, and Kristof arguing for sweatshops.) While we all disagree with the treatment and conditions of sweatshops, we are more aware of the importance that some children have jobs so that they will not starve to death. In other words, we can see both sides of the story.
The image in American minds of sweatshops is a run-down, hot basement passing for a factory in some far-off, impoverished village. But the reality is much different for many who work in the sweatshops, especially children. To the workers, the sweatshop is the much preferred alternative to working in the fields, and it is the only option for many struggling residents. Not are sweatshops the only the best work options but most child need to work in sweatshops to be able to eat.
So should one go as far as to boycott sweatshop-produced goods? We suppose that depends on your stance in the sweatshop issue, but that’s a decision we are not going to make for you. But we can tell you what will likely happen. The sweatshop-produced shirts will still sell. Even if the origins of our threads are a Google search away on our iPhones, the shirts will still sell. Like we said earlier, we just want to buy our shirts and wear them too. We don’t expect this blog to make activists out of any of our readers, but next time you see “Made in ______” will you think twice about that blank?
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