The Factory Man

I had a very interesting conversation several days ago with a man who has spent 15 of the last 20 years in the garment manufacturing world. He has managed factories in at least five different Southeast Asian countries. He has experience and a perspective that I may never be able to gain, yet we we have arrived at very a similar place. We agreed that the heart of the problem is this: Western consumers are more concerned about themselves than the people and consequences linked to the production of their desired consumables. Therefore there is complete imbalance in the relationship between cost and value. Meaning, the value is what the West has decided it will spend regardless of the true cost of the item consumed.

The Story of Stuff does a great job introducing this general idea, and the greater issue of how we have arrived at the place we now find ourselves. If you're not one of the 7 million people who have watched it, WATCH IT! But then let's go you other 7 million folks and change some stuff!

While business mandates that value must out weigh cost, if business is to exist with equity and integrity there must be informed efforts pursuing the right balance at all times. Alas the West has forgotten its part of bargain, or may have never agreed to it in the first place. So the Western consumer has decided, consciously or not makes no difference, that THEY are of more value than THOSE who make the stuff we want to consume. This is not equity with integrity, it is ignorant and arrogant predation on those incapable of defense. It is time for the West to be taught and learn to behave itself and love its neighbors.