On Feb. 16, 2009, Alexandra Harney, the author of The China Price, spoke to a full auditorium in Mitchell Hall at the University of Delaware on the subject of consumer responsibility. Ms. Harney’s lecture was one of a series of talks meant to call attention to the human cost of cheap consumer goods, especially textiles, and, presumably, to offer solutions that would improve the quality of life for those laboring in factories in developing nations.
Ms. Harney’s presentation included some thought provoking points. She discussed the concept of value, and asked the audience to consider factoring in the damage to the environment and the exploitation of the workers when they thought about the true value of a product.
She also described how factory owners in China sometimes create phony “factories” which are designed as showplaces for visiting foreign inspectors and clients, while the actual production takes place in other factories where the working conditions are much worse.
Unfortunately, Ms. Harney’s presentation, which may have been successful in instilling a sense of guilt in her listeners, failed to offer any real remedies for the situation. Although she is promoting awareness of the issue among American consumers and is testifying before the U.S. Congress, she stops short of suggesting a boycott or even recommending legislation.
At times during her speech, the sweatshops were actually presented in a positive light. At one point, Ms. Harney described the relocation of factories on the Chinese coast to the interior—labor on the coast is becoming too expensive—as something that would bring development to the countryside.
This may be true, but it will also bring unemployment to the coast, and environmental degradation and unsafe working conditions to the rural areas. No mention was made of the farmers who will lose their land as it is seized for development.
Moreover, Ms. Harney fails to put any responsibility for the problem on the government of China, and, in fact, she chastised certain members of the American media for continuing to use phrases such as “Communist China” or “Red China.”
She claims that “China is not really red anymore.” Furthermore, she describes the current economic system in China as “freewheeling capitalism,” and points to village-level elections in China as proof of democratization.
Questions from the audience about the use of forced labor were given short shrift by the lecturer, who said that she had never seen any forced labor, and that forced labor was not a significant factor in the production of exportable consumer goods. Of course, the fact that Ms. Harney has not seen any forced labor does not mean that it does not exist, and it is ironic that a person who professes to address the human cost of manufacturing would see any amount of forced labor as being insignificant.
It is true that western consumers should be aware of the human price of consumer goods, but it is also true that Walmart never imprisoned anybody; Nike never shot anybody in the back of the head; The Gap has never tortured people for their religious beliefs; and the DuPont corporation never built a reservoir that may have led, as reported in the New York Times on Feb. 6.2009, to the seismic instability which caused the tragic Sichuan earthquake.
The true culprit in the destruction of the environment of China and the exploitation of workers in China is the Chinese Communist Party. It was disappointing that Ms. Harney was never critical of the Chinese regime during her speech.
Whatever color one may wish to assign to the regime in Beijing, there is no denying that it is corrupt and does not protect its working people from exploitation. Furthermore, it does not protect the environment or consider the long-term environmental consequences of programs such as the Zipingpu Reservoir.
While Ms. Harney was correct in saying that we should factor in the price of human suffering when we consider the value of a product, there was one serious omission. We should also factor in the spiritual cost of doing business with the self-described heirs of Chairman Mao.
Perhaps it is almost impossible not to buy goods from China. I certainly do, as does virtually every other American. However, when we see that “Made in China” label, let us take a moment to reflect on the prisoners of conscience languishing in China’s jails, the babies who died horrible deaths from kidney stones after drinking contaminated milk, and the parents of students whose children died because their schools were not built to withstand earthquakes.
We are not to blame for those conditions and situations, but that shirt from Brazil might be, in the long run, a better deal.
Walt Babich is a writer and English instructor who lives in Delaware.
