Sweatshops

Sweatshops are a controversial topic. Some believe that they are a necessary evil others believe that they are inhumane and should be abolished. Sweatshops are sometimes dangerous places where employees are exposed to hazardous chemicals and fumes. These workers are paid very little and are mistreated by the management. Many times these sweatshops violate child labor laws. Children in these sweatshops work long hours for pennies just to support their families. It is wrong to make people work in such horrible conditions but there are several things to consider in the issue of sweatshops and what would happen if they were to be abolished.

Sweatshops are unfortunately a necessary evil. Even though the employees of these sweatshops earn very little pay, they use that money to support themselves as well as their sometimes large families. Imagine what would happen if an anti-sweatshop activist managed to close down a sweatshop in an area. Those workers most likely have nothing better to go to. The unemployed would then submit themselves into prostitution or starve to death. That's the reality of this issue. A life of working in a sweatshop is much better than a life of prostitution. Sweatshops must remain open unfortunately for the sake of those men, women and children.

Although I hate to mention this, if cheap labor in sweat shops did not exist, our clothes and products here in America would be more expensive. We would have to pay more for what we buy because it would cost the company more to pay the employees. With the existence of sweatshops companies are able to make profit easily. There would be so many people complaining about the cost of everything. Who hasn't heard anyone complain about the rising cost of gas and food. It' so annoying. But, Americans are so pampered that they feel that they need to go shopping several times a week. I saw some people raise their hands in class today when asked if fashion was worth putting sweatshop employees through miserable conditions. I couldn't believe it. This one girl right next to me was so proud to raise her hand. I was livid. I will certainly pay more for what I wear to ensure that the people who working their asses off to make it, get what they deserve. It's not fair that I go to work and play with kids all day at a daycare for 8.00 an hour while there are kids in other nations working to make my clothes for just pennies an hour. In fact, if the clothes in stores were more expensive, I would be less likely to buy them therefore I would save more money. Fashion and clothes do not make me. Its not worth it.

Though I am pro-sweatshops, there has got to be something done about the conditions and pay. The employees are not being paid enough! Designers should know how much the employees are getting paid and should do something about it instead of sitting on their rich behinds and reaping all the benefits. It makes me so mad that a jacket can be sold for over a hundred dollars and the person who made it gets less than a dollar for making it. It's ridiculous. Material goods are not worth the suffering and struggle of such hard working people. Being from a poor country, I can't stand to see how the rich keep getting richer and the poor remain poor. Yeah, lets spend 700 billion to bail out greedy people here in the richest country in the world while the poor in other countries have to be limited to sweatshops, prostitution, genocide, and starvation. How great!