Labor exploitation

As I sit here, attempting to write my post, I can't help but feel defeated. I've struggled with my view on many of the issues we talked about in class and I guess the readings for tomorrow have brought my feelings into perspective. We live in an awful society, a society which focuses on personal and economic gains instead of humanity. It is difficult to dissociate myself and my thoughts from this capitalistic system which has influenced my whole life, yet somehow, a part of me always struggled with what I see as a flawed system. I am discouraged with the trajectory of humanity.

We place more value on material things than on lives. This is why we see little girls and boys losing their childhood to buy TV's and hair clips. This economic system has created such an economic disparity that in order to have the opportunity of possibly experiencing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness we must sell our lives to these systems of corporations. Its not even the case where few people must b e sacrificed for the greater good, instead we are sacrificing the greater good for a few. We no longer know how to experience the joy of humanity, we can only appreciate consumption. Our worth is based on what we own, not who we are.

Life should not be a game of roulette or lottery. Our paths should not be determined by where we are born. Perhaps this issue hits close to home because I could have easily been one of those children working 12 hour days for a couple of cents. These children are not granted the opportunity to dream big. Yet here I am at a liberal arts college pondering these issues.

Regarding the Foxconn issue, just because they have provided counseling and other incentives, does not hide the fact that they are exploiting people. The primary reason these individuals are suffering mental health issues is because they are no longer allowed to live and be humans. They are not respected, they are seen as disposable. We are not machines, we cannot function as machines. Yet, most Westerners are guilty of fueling these problems. I recently purchased an iPhone 6; for the longest I was boycotting Apple products because I did not agree with the exploitation of children mining the metals used in their phones. Babies are dying for our entertainment and technological advances. Part of me feels guilty for caving in, however in the society I live in, it has become essential to have a well functioning phone. Before this phone, I had a horrible one which made it difficult to communicate with others. If I want to progress, and hopefully work in a human rights field, I must have access to proper communication. It is a Catch 22.

I'm not sure if we can fix it or where we would even begin to. At this rate, we might as well substitute humanity for robots, since it seems to be all we value. If so, should we extend ethical issues to these robots? Or as we have discussed in class, should we not because there is something in just being a human that cannot be measured.