Last class we discussed the joining of Apple into the Fair Labor Association (FLA). I was curious as to how much Apple, being the “slick” marketing empire that they are, might address this on their website. I was very pleasantly surprised to find an entire section of their website devoted to what they call “Supplier Responsibility.” In this section, they identify some of the problems that they have observed and are attempting to fix within their own corporation. These include some of the problems that Daisey addressed in his podcast, such as work hours, worker age, and living conditions. Needless to say, we as the consumer must take an evaluative approach to these claims. What I mean by that is that we must really wait to judge the severity of their commitment on the results, not the means. Intention, in this facet, is not what counts as much as reaction, change, and actual results. However, I respect the Apple Corporations enactment of this area, and the fact that they are willing to be open about the problems that they see both to the consumers, and in essence to themselves. Now we can only hope that they do something about it.
Tag Archives: Mike Daisey
Is Phone Story enough Motivation?
After Tuesday’s discussion in class, I thought about what it really means to look at how poor the conditions are for manufacturing some of today’s most important products. As was pointed out in class, Apple seems to be the company that gets picked on the most for this problem, but they have done a lot to help reduce the amount of child labor in factories manufacturing their products. I feel that if consumers want to further reduce the problems in these factories that they need to raise awareness and start pointing fingers at all of the other companies that are in the same boat as Apple. Then, you end up not just looking at the electronics industry, but all the others that have these types of plants across the world.
I don’t think that most consumers care that much to start demanding changes in their favorite company’s methods of manufacturing. Nevertheless, those concerned take trips to these factories and make reports as described in the This American Life podcast, and even make games (Phone Story) depicting the events that have taken place to make our beloved electronic devices. In the podcast, Mr. Daisey admits that he still loves his Apple products even after what he saw at Foxconn, and I’m pretty sure the creators of Phone Story use smartphones of some kind, or else they probably wouldn’t be interested in making apps. My overall thought on the issue is that I don’t think the conditions are so bad that people will want to change their lifestyle to try to bring about a change to the factory problems.
Mike Daisey and the Problem of Global Concern
It is quite easy to conjure up pity and concern while listening to Mike Daisey talk about the labor conditions at Foxconn and other factories in the Chinese “Special Economic Zone” of Shenzhen. You listen to the stories, the hardships. You picture the faces of the men, women, and children who are forced into subpar labor conditions by the cruel corporate officers as they send line after line of technological thingamajigs into production. You think of the seventeen or so people who jumped off of those factory buildings because they just couldn’t take it anymore.
Then you go on your iPhone and check Facebook.
Clearly, the conditions in Foxconn are not good. Clearly, it is not wrong to feel sorry for the workers and to wish for an improved situation. You can blame Foxconn. You can blame Apple. You can even blame the ‘materialism’ of the West in the abstract. But don’t forget the gadget sitting in your own pocket as you read this. It is far too easy to give “the suits” a lot of flak about their mistreatment of the labor force as a means of deflecting any personal blame.
I don’t think Daisey’s desire to see certain reforms in the labor conditions of Shenzhen factories is unreasonable. In an increasingly globalized society, we absolutely need individuals like Daisey to push for small changes that, when done in conjunction with one another, improve the state of humanity. The problem, however, is bigger than a single “Special Economic Zone” halfway across the planet. When we live and actively participate in a society that possesses little more than a superficial conscience, we reap the harvest of our values. One walk through “Phone Story” makes that all too clear.
Is there a solution? As I type away on my Apple MacBook Pro, I know I sure haven’t found one. Not yet, at least. We can keep pointing fingers and chasing labor laws here and there for as long as we would like, and many people will be just fine. But that route will never touch the heart of the matter – or, should I say, the hearts of the matter. The hearts of people dictate the progress of our race and the treatment of our fellows. There will be no end to the exploitation of human beings while we treasure our things more than our neighbors.