HourChallenge

Last night I stumbled upon a video by journalist John Pilger that really challenged me. Pilger investigates the realities and impacts of globalization using Indonesia as a case study. The video is about an hour in length but is worth watching. In it, Pilger visits factories in Indonesia with hidden cameras, interviews workers and casts globalization, The US, and multinational corporations in a pretty negative light. I’m sure there are two sides to this story but he certainly argues his case effectively.

The workers, producing products for leading companies like Gap and Nike are required to work long hours in poor conditions and are not paid a living wage for the goods they produce.

To be perfectly honest, I’m not really sure what to do with information like this. I can tell you that I plan to do something. I plan to do some research to see what companies, if any, are (really) working to fairly compensate those who make their products, are committed to providing better working conditions and (is this too much to ask?) are paying a living wage to those making these products. I’m willing to pay more for these goods if they exist. And I’m willing to limit my personal consumption of certain products that exploit the poor and marginalized. The question is this – will I be going to work naked in the near future and living off of fruit I’ve grown in my back yard?. I hope not for all our sakes.

I suspect it will take a while to figure this out, so for now I’m just throwing it out there. If any of you know about companies that are acting more responsibly than those mentioned in this video, let me know so I can begin to consider these alternative products. No end in sight yet.