The Immorality of Sweatshops

Many people are familiar with the term "sweatshop" and what it is. Often times it comes with a familiar interpretation of foreign countries, with many people, including children working all day to make certain products. Some of the most common items that come from sweatshops are shoes, rugs, coffee, tables, toys, chocolate, and even bananas. Among these things, clothing is the biggest product to come from a sweatshop. The garment industry is very big in production between that fact that fashion is always evolving, and because clothes are considered an essential to life. Clothing may be an essential material to have in life, but using sweatshops to get it involves extremely unethical and morally 
unjust issues.

What are sweatshops?
A sweatshop is defined as a work environment or employer that violates two or more federal or state labor laws. This means sweatshops often violate laws governing minimum wage, overtime hours, child labor laws, as well as lacking benefits to the workers.

Low Pay
Sweatshop workers can earn as little $0.01 per hour, often over 100 hours a week.

Conditions

Working conditions of sweatshops are known to be inadequate. They are often unsanitary, overcrowded, and dangerous. Some of the worst cases known include workers working up to 72 hours straight, without sleep. 

Verbal, physical, and sexual abuse are extremely common.

• An estimated 250 million children in underdeveloped countries between ages 5-14 are forced to work in sweatshops 
• Women make up 80-90% of sweatshop workplaces and because of this, are often forced to take birth control & routine pregnancy tests for employers to avoid supporting maternity leave or providing proper health benefits
• Often only get one break; minimum working day lasts 12-16 hours

Hazardous working conditions have caused multiple sweatshop accidents that resulted in death.

1. The Satanic Mills, 1832 

Sweatshops first began evolving in the 19th century. In 1832, a child died in the Satanic Mills sweatshop in Leeds England after being locked in a room without being able to so much as go to the bathroom. 

2. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, 1911

Similarly, this behavior resulted in another disaster of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911, in New York City, when a fire killed 146 workers because a locked door prevented them from being able to escape the building.

3. Rana Plaza, 2013

The most recent accident, and possibly the worst of history happened in 2013. On April 24, 2013 the Rana Plaza, a concrete building in Bangladesh, collapsed atop garment workers in the factory. It killed over 1,100 people and left 2,500 injured.

These incidents all prove how working in a sweatshop is not only dangerous to an individual's health, but to their life.

Though sweatshops are more common in underdeveloped countries because America has stronger labor laws, many still get past the U.S. Department of Labor.

As late as the year 2000, an estimated 255,000 sweatshop workers could be found in America. Over 11,000 sweatshops violated minimum wage and overtime laws, while over 16,000 violated health and safety laws.

Here are some big name brands that have all been found in associating with sweatshops:

 

How To Help

There are few organizations that work towards improving the conditions and benefits of laborers within sweatshops. As a result, these organizations are spread thin, meaning they do not have the opportunities to provide inspections of factories as often as needed.

One study showed that doubling the salary of sweatshop workers would only increase the consumer cost of an item by 1.8%, while consumers would be willing to pay 15% more to know a product did not come from a sweatshop.

Here's a social experiment by a non profit was recently done that proves this fact, and helped to raise awareness and money in oder to help this cause. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfANs2y_frk

This was done to help inform the public of the common conditions found in sweatshops and to consider where your clothes are coming from. By also seeing if your clothing is coming from fair trade labels can help. Fair trade labels ensure higher salaries to those who made the product, which also include better working conditions and environments. 

The working environments of sweatshops need to be improved. Creating clothes does not have to involve doing so in such immoral ways. The idea that people are suffering to survive, and compromising their lives and health over producing the garments we use today is unethical. Sweatshops promote immoral and unethical behavior that goes against much of humanity.

# What Have You Learned?

Being so close to the end of freshmen year of college, I have learned a lot. I feel like I have learned a lot about myself personally. However, I still feel a bit lost educationally; by this I mean I still am very unsure of what I want to do as a career. Living in a new environment for a school year without anyone familiar to me has taught me to be more independent, realize the importance of motivation, and that you should not be afraid to take risks.My first year away at college was harder than I had expected it to be, socially and academically. 

I grew up in a state of familiarity and comfort that was stronger than what I was aware of at the time. I have had the same core group of friends since elementary school, and have always had my family by my side. Moving from St. Louis to Kansas City was exciting to me because not only do I love Kansas City, but it was a chance to get away from the norm that I have been so accustomed to. However, this proved to be a bigger challenge than I had expected.

Not knowing anyone here at UMKC really pushed me out of my comfort zone. One thing I learned about myself was that I initially am very shy around people I do not know. Compared to being around my friends I have had by my side forever, and being in a new place with new faces I had a complete different personality, which is something I did not expect of myself, it just sort of happened. This made me realize I need to be okay with putting myself out there without any familiar comfort by my side. By doing this it led me to meet people I would never think I would get along with. I learned you cannot truly initially judge people because you may surprise yourself and have things in common with someone you would never expect. 

Academically, I learned how important motivation is. In high school I did not have a lot of motivation. Coming to UMKC, I got a job, and balancing school and work was something new to me because I normally only have a job in the summer. Not playing sports or having any extracurricular activities was also something new to me with school. In addition to this, I came into my first year of school unsure what to do as a major and enrolled in Ucollege, which is a program designed to help you find a right fit for yourself. Going into the program I was optimistic, however going through it made me wish I would have just settled on a major to begin with and then figured it out from there. I feel like I took a lot of prerequisite classes that I am still not even sure what I will do with because my major is still undeclared. 

All of this was very stressful and not having any of the people I have always had by my side to help me through it made me realize I had to really motivate myself. It was a struggle to do work that I felt was getting me nowhere, but I now know how important it is to have motivation to do well and be successful.

Before coming to UMKC, I wish I would have had a better idea of what I wanted to do as a career. I also wish I would have had more confidence to put myself out there and not stay in my comfort zone so much. However, I have learned from these things and now know that in order to better my life I need to be sure of myself, and work harder to succeed in the future. 

#10: Music Copyrights

Pharrell Williams was given a lawsuit worth $7.3 million for the verdict in a trial disputing his famous song "Blurred Lines" credential's. The song is said to have a beat that is stolen from Marvin Gaye's song "Got To Give It Up". Williams, along with Robin Thicke are said to be "firm, rock solid in, the conclusion that they wrote this song independently from the heart and soul" (Kreps, 4). This lawsuit arguing "Blurred Lines" and "Got To Give It Up"similarities not only affects these two  songs, but could cause conflict with music creativity for all musicians.
The main beats of both songs are very similar, which is what is resulting in the Gaye family filing a lawsuit. However, listening to both songs it is apparent that rhythm is used in very different ways. "Got To Give It Up" is a smooth, upbeat song from 1977 whereas "Blurred Lines" is a modern, pop song from 2013. When comparing both of these songs it is possible to tell they sound a bit similar but "Blurred Lines" had obviously taken the sounds and made it into something completely different with additions to other beats and instruments. Both songs were created from successful musicians who probably share the same understanding that their creativity to create music is important, so why is it such a big deal? Being that the songs have very different vibes it can easily be argued that the shared sound was used as inspiration and not meant to copy a song from Gaye.
Musicians all are creative artists, and much like artists they get inspiration from many things. If two painters were to both draw a bowl of fruit, each painting may have its own unique elements to it. However both artists used the same source for their inspiration. I think that in many cases, if a musician is inspired by another musician's music it should be flattering. Using similar sounds in music is interesting because musicians personal interpretations of it can have completely different meanings, thus creating completely different songs. It seems it would be unfair to limit the creativity in making diverse music if every beat was owned by someone. Yes, maybe credit should be given to the original musician, however, if the sound is turned into something completely new maybe we should respect their imagination.
Similar cases of shared tracks in music have happened with other songs such as "Under Pressure" by Queen in 1891, and "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla ice in 1989. In addition, "Call Me" by Blondie released in 1980, and "Uprising" by Muse released in 2009 also share similar sounds. All songs are successful, but are very different. What all of these songs have in common as well, is that the original songs were released years before the ones that were created from their sound's inspiration. I think this is important to point out that each new song had a completely different kind of music genre than the original, which goes to show how inspiration can come from any sort of music.
Musicians arguing over certain rhythm's that they claim to be their own seems to put a disability on creating new music. I think that maybe to ease any tension between artists there should be permission or credit given between the two for the shared sound. Williams fighting a lawsuit worth $7.3 million seems to be an extreme example of how the music industry has changed the way we hear songs. However, I believe all musician's should have the right to find inspiration from any source they want.

#6: Celebrities Voice in the Media

A majority of the celebrities American culture idolizes are famous for their talents, such as singing, dancing, or acting. Among talents such as these, superficial aspects like fashion, beauty, fitness, and money are also highlights in the lives of celebrities. All of these components, along with their status of fame and being in the spotlight, allows for some individuals to feel entitled to speak their mind with the presumption that they're right. Despite being in the spotlight and knowing there is a large audience of people who will often hear the statements they make, this does not stop celebrities from saying some of the most self-absorbed, inaccurate, and just plain stupid things to the media.
Celebrities have an advantage with already being in the media, thus being able to voice their opinions on certain issues. This is great for these individuals, as it will allow them to gain press and possibly further their career. However, a universal goal of all celebrities is to avoid "bad press." Although it is hard to say what bad press really is considering some of the most outrageous things have been said by stars that seem to have hardly affected their careers.
One of the most notorious celebrities to make selfish and rude statements without regret is Kanye West. Most would probably recognize him from his famous stunt at the VMA awards in 2009, where he interrupted Taylor Swift's speech after accepting the award for Best Female Video on stage, indicating she should not have won. What many people might not be aware of are the many other uncalled for statements he's made in the media. For instance, claiming AIDS as a man-made disease intended to get rid of "undesirable people." West has also stated how he is basically the greatest being on earth in numerous ways. Kanye West can be thought of as an arrogant and selfish man, however this has not stopped him from being successful. The "bad press" he regularly creates for himself gets people talking about him in the media for brief moments although has never held a negative long term affect on his career.
Many other celebrities have made inappropriate comments on serious subjects. One example is Arnold Shwarzenegger making his view on gay marriage clear by stating gay marriage is something that should be "between a man and a woman." Famous singer Justin Bieber made an insensitive remark towards Anne Frank, saying "Hopefully she would have been a believer" which is extremely irrelevant to his music in comparison to Frank being an iconic figure representing victims of the Holocaust. However, even these cases still didn't seem to affect Bieber and Shwarzenneger's careers either.
Comments like these from the celebrities we often put on pedestals can make one wonder what the importance of our culture is like. The fame these individuals have gained is hardly relevant to real world issues or concerns they often make such strong statements on. This is not to say all celebrities are as pompous as some, but certain stars have gained self-entitlement to say and do whatever they want along with their fame. From a personal standpoint, stupid incidents like the ones stated are all very entertaining, and that't what the media is primarily for; entertainment.
Some of the things celebrities say can be extremely offensive but that is why they get so much attention for it. It gets people talking. I think the media should focus more on people who are relevant to the issues being quoted on, as well as respectable figures. Unfortunately, American culture seems to enjoy the offensive and foolish incidents more.  There is not a lot that can be changed of the ways celebrities respond to incidents and how the media covers it; it is mainly for entertainment and I think that people make fun of the stars more often than take real offense to it.

#5: What to do when things go wrong?

Blame is something that is used a lot, whether it be fairly or unfairly. There will always be someone who is going to try to place the blame of a situation gone wrong on someone else. No one wants to be the cause of anything problematic. With the society we live in today, it is easy to place blame of the wrongdoings of the world on almost anything. As a result of this, people are always trying to find the root cause of situations gone wrong such as deaths and tragedies. Placing blame of situations gone wrong on other things such as books, or the media is easy to do, however it is hard to say if these factors are ever truly the cause.

One example of a tragic situation that's blame was placed on another source was a novel written by Stephen King called Rage. This book being about a high school student who held his math class hostage and ends up killing his teacher was thought to influence students of multiple real life school incidents of shootings and holding classes hostage. Four of these incidents had connections to the book Rage itself. Stephen King made the choice to put a halt to all printings of the book in case it really did cause these situations, although he himself did not believe it was the sole reason for these acts. 

It is impossible to definitely state whether or not things such as aggressive stories involving violence can be the exact cause for real life incidents like school shootings, but it is easy to put the blame on them. Although this ultimately puts the blame on the author of stories such as these. Being that King actually wrote this novel while he was in high school, I think it made readers who were students at the time able to relate with the book a lot more. Especially if they were struggling with issues themselves; a book such as this can easily influence them into acting out the story in real life. However, it is not fair to put the blame on the author because in no way did he suggest or encourage anyone to cause a school shooting. It is hard because everyone is entitled to their freedom of speech, and authors creativity along with this can end up being very powerful to readers, and evidently more than they expected. 

There are other issues too such as video game violence being related to real life gun violence, and tobacco companies being blamed for deaths in America. Although even studies have proved that gun violence has more to do with the accessibility of guns in America rather than the violence portrayed in video games. However, people still place the blame on the video games. Even tobacco companies are blamed more strongly for those who have died of tobacco use instead of the individuals who chose to use it themselves. 

Almost every negative situation can be blamed on an aspect of the media, or something in our societies culture instead of the individuals that cause these problems themselves. Although it is true society can strongly influence people to act in certain ways, it is unfair to place all the blame on a source that may or may not have impacted one's decision. Negative situations should be looked at for what it is, and discuss possible factors that may have influenced it although it is unfair to place all the blame on someone or something else.

#4: Option 1: #AskHerMore

Successful female celebrities are often heavily judged on their personal appearances first rather than their talent. This is expected being that they are in the spotlight 24/7, however it clearly is not an aspect that should solely make up who they are. Unfortunately, even during the events such as award shows-that are meant to be celebrating their accomplishments-the focus still seems to be mainly on their looks. The appearances of these female celebrities should not be the only focal point of their careers, however what should be taken into consideration is that fashion is also an essential in this industry, whether you like it or not.

It is well known that in today's society there is a stress on women and their appearances. There are constantly new unrealistic standards on how females should look everywhere in the media. Whether it be weight, makeup, or the newest fashion trend, it influences females everywhere. With this being said, it is obvious that those celebrities who are in the spotlight are constantly going to be judged. However, these famous people should also be aware that fashion is an important aspect to their career they initially took on along with their celebrity status. 

Fashion is something that plays a role in most careers. Obviously there are the clear careers of being a designer, or a model that most think of when they think of fashion. Although even jobs in business, law, education and more require a certain kind of dress. Most do not think of this aspect when choosing a career but it is a factor to being successful. So imagine how this would affect celebrities and the things they are expected to wear. 

With appearance becoming such a big deal in today's society, the fashion industry has seemed to become an even bigger deal as well. This creates a stronger pressure on celebrities to wear the hottest designer names, and the newest trends. A dress a celebrity would choose to wear on the red carpet can cost thousands of dollars, so why wouldn't you want to brag about it? With fashion being such a big deal, a lot of interviewers want to know what you're wearing. These questions about what people are wearing often occur on the red carpet before any award show. The red carpet is like the runway to show off on, so of course a lot of questions will be about their appearances. Things like the mani-cam are just more creative ways that are meant to be fun to show off the details these stars put into their looks. 

Of course it is also expected that female celebrities are going to feel frustrated when the ONLY thing they are being questioned about is their looks, while men are getting more publicity for their accomplishments. There is a double standard there. I don't think it is meant to be an insult. With all the fashion trends there are in the world, a majority of them seem to cater to women rather than men. Women have more of a variety when it comes to fashion, as well as a stronger pressure to look pretty and I think this is what interests interviewers on why they made the fashion choices they did. 

I do believe interviewers should take into consideration to #AskHerMore because despite fashion being a big factor to any celebrities career, it is not what got them to where they are. It is unfair that men seem to get more recognition for their accomplishments on the red carpet than women do. However, in the society we live in today appearances can unfortunately overtake what is really important. Interviewers should find a balance to compliment celebrities on their appearances and fashion tastes while also addressing their hard work that got them to their success. 

#3: Option 1- Super Bowl

Every American knows of, or at least has heard of the Super Bowl. Every American is also familiar with the sport of football, being that it is popularized as an American sport. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest events of the nation each year. It is an annual championship game within the NFL in the United States. Whether you are a sports fan or not, the Super Bowl draws attention to a majority of the U.S. in many ways.

America has always seemed to be considered America's favorite sport. So being that football is a big deal in America, this is one of the first aspects as to why the Super Bowl is an even bigger deal. In addition to this, if you are a sports fan then you would be familiar with the excitement that comes with a championship game. To win a championship game entails earning a championship title, deeming a team or athlete the best of the best. With the Super Bowl being the biggest televised sports event of the year in the United States, it also brings opportunities for entertainment and advertisement.

Media and marketing are growing industries that have taken over a lot of the society we live in; something like the Super Bowl is a great business opportunity. It offers the chance for sponsorships, ads, and commercials that will be seen by millions of people across the nation. For this reason, the Super Bowl generates an extreme amount of money for the marketing that goes into it. For example, this year it cost $4.5 million just for a 30 second spot of air time alone. Even more goes into things such as celebrity appearances, sponsorships for players and teams, music licensing, and more. This means that the ads seen on t.v. during this game are expensive, and well thought out. Because of this it has achieved a reputation of having entertaining commercials worth watching. The saying "If you're not paying, you're the product." has some truth to it being that the people make the product. A product is nothing if people don't buy it, and in this case, people buy their way to the Super Bowl in attempt to make their product.

Every year during the Super Bowl there is a performance during the halftime show as well. Famous musicians such as Michael Jackson, Beyonce, and Paul McCartney are some well known examples of past years performances. This widens the Super Bowl's audience with having some viewers tune in just to see some popular music being played and how their favorite artists perform.

With the amount of money that goes into the Super Bowl, let alone sports in general, it makes you wonder what is really important in America. America's society has become one full of media and marketing. Everywhere you go you're bound to see advertisement in some way. It's so common now though that we don't even realize how much it is around us. Something as traditional as an annual sports game has almost become more about business than about the original intent of a championship game. Of course, the amount of money that goes into something as irrelevant as football compared to the medical and financial problems around the world is unfair. However, in the culture we live in where everywhere you go you're trying to be bought in some way, the Super Bowl is what makes the money and that's what our society seems to revolve around: money.

With the Superbowl drawing attention to real sports fans, and those who may just be watching for the widely known popular commercials that will be showing, or the famous halftime show, it becomes an event. This championship game everyone is familiar with becomes a celebration that people join in regardless of how big a football fan they may be. The Super Bowl may seem to be a giant business scheme generating millions of dollars but it has still always been an American tradition a majority of America still participates in today.

#2: Micro-Aggressions Option 2

Micro-aggressions are subtle, discriminative comments, or behaviors normally towards certain races. These actions are typically unintended, although this does not always excuse them being used. What is interesting is how they are used. Not only can they be casual, everyday accidental comments, but they are also used purposefully whether it be to intentionally offend someone or just to make a joke. Comedians have used micro-aggressions to entertain their audiences in a way that makes these regularly inappropriate remarks, an acceptable thing to say. While many people probably have different standpoints on this humor, it is interesting to see how they are used.

People can have very different standpoints when it comes to micro-aggressions. Some may see it as a joke and laugh it off whereas others may take it as extremely offensive and negative to our society. In this case those who think it is funny can easily state that those who are offended are being too sensitive.

In my opinion, I think it depends on how it is used. As I had stated before, micro-aggressions can sometimes be used as a voluntary insult which would obviously be negative. However in most cases being that it is normally unintended or being used as a joke I do not think it is that big of a deal. However every person will have their own opinion and because it is racial discrimination, the level of offensiveness is probably different to those of certain races. Being that I am white, I haven't experienced much micro-aggression towards myself, and the little that I have experienced was normally "white girl jokes" that I just laughed off.

Comedians have used micro-aggressions that are funny as well as realistic. In a video of Louis CK, called "Being White" he uses micro-aggressions about white people that in my opinion are pretty accurate. In society everyone knows that there's an unfair advantage to being white for some reason. Louis CK jokes about how "great" it is being white. He touches on real history of white people always having an advantage. He jokes about being able to time travel, and how an African-American would never want to go back to "any time before 1980." The sad thing is this actually has some truth to it being that racism used to be so powerful. All of his jokes about being white had some truth to it and the micro-aggressions he used as examples such as being called a "cracker" really don't have that much offense and don't truly affect white people in a negative way.

Dave Chapelle also used micro-aggressions in his comedic performance. The difference with his jokes seemed to talk about racism negatively. He makes jokes but he also mentions how sometimes racism really can get to him. Chapelle jokes about the stereotype of "black people loving chicken." With that stereotype being so common he states must be "pre-genetically disposed to it." He also mentions the relationship between white people and black people and how if he were to say "peace out" or some sort of slang to a white lawyer, they don't really know how to respond.

Both performances were funny but it is also strange how if these acts were spoken vice versa (Chapelle talking about white people and Louis CK talking about black people) things might be very different. Micro-aggressions can be funny but even in comedy the crude humor still seems to have a possible boundary that it is really okay to talk about your own race. That way, it is less racist because it's coming from someone of the same ethnicity that they're joking about. Both comedians seems to be making a point that micro-aggressions really only affect certain races. Micro-aggressions are everyday comments that I don't think will ever be erased from society, but I think if people are to use them carefully they may not be too terribly negative to society.

#1: Why I'm Here at UMKC

In society today, education is one of the most important things stressed to our civilization. The famous quote "Knowledge is power." stated by Francis Bacon in the late sixteenth century is still prominent in today's world. Although knowledge does give you power, the education system seems to have somewhat altered from being important to being a necessity in life. Secondary schooling-a.k.a. college-  may be perhaps one of the most important places you choose in order to gain education for the real world. I chose to attend UMKC for financial, academic, and cultural reasons.

Not only do we live in a society where it is expected to go to college, I come from a family where it is expected as well. Being one of 6 children, it was the norm to me. I saw my first three older siblings go to college, so it was expected of my parents, my younger siblings, and myself. As I'd mentioned, I'm one of sixth children. Money is something to be wary of in our family. UMKC was not only affordable; I also had some scholarship that helped with the cost as well. So it being expected to go to college, UMKC was one of my options that was a good choice.

A second reasoning behind choosing UMKC was for academic reasons. I was never completely sure of what I wanted to study or do as a career for my life, but one idea I had was something in dentistry. Being that I wasn't positive on this though I ended up looking into the schools Ucollege program, which allows students to explore a field, they may be interested in. This provided me the opportunity to explore the field of health and sciences and possibly explore something in dentistry being that UMKC has a good dentistry school.

One of the final reasons behind choosing UMKC was the fact that I've always loved cities and urban settings. I wanted the chance to leave home and being that I'm from St. Louis, Kansas City is far enough away from there that I get the feeling of being away. I really enjoy the urban feel of Kansas City. The culture of it attracted me because not only is the city part of it interesting, but there are a lot of different types of people and ethnicities. All these factors of Kansas City drew me in.

With education being a standard in today's society in order to get a well-rounded job for the future, I feel like I didn't have much of a choice. In addition to societies expectations I had my families as well. If I could have the chance to travel and study somewhere without the thought of money and my future I would. It just seems harder to do things like that in todays world only because to get a good job you need an education, and to have what would be considered a good education, you need to go to college. I  ended up choosing UMKC because it was ultimately a good fit for me and it was what I had to do.