Sunday, February 11, 2007

Justified Weekend Ranting

Over the weekend, there was a fire at the immigration detention center in Yeosu (way south of here) and 9 migrant workers died, while about 24 more have been hospitalized and are not expected to survive. The workers who died were Chinese and Sri Lankans who were slated for deportation. It seems a cruel fate to die in a detention center after they've spent their youths indentured to ruthless bosses. Is there NO justice in this world? I mean, at least if they actually got deported, they would've been able to see friends and family.

You know what I say? Borders + Visas= Bullshit. Those guys should have never been in a detention center in the first place. Why is that corporations, and the people who run them, can run rampant across the globe with virtual impunity, while the people who are actually doing the work that makes the world go (like make food, clothes, buildings, etc) are being criminalized for trying to eke out a meager living? It just doesn't make a damn bit of sense, people. I mean, if a CEO can move his factory to another country to make more money, why can't a worker move his/her body and family to another country to make more money... Doesn't that just seem hypocritical?

Furthermore, it's the corporations who are the real law breakers in this new globe trotting economy. Take environmental laws for example . Or how about labor laws. Tax laws. I mean, if the government wants to crackdown on some international wrong-doers, maybe they should start with GE or LG or any of the hundreds of apparel companies that operate here. I guess it's just that the workers are easier to catch and harder to piss off so it's easier to show you have rule and order.

And anyway, when was the last time that a CEO got a debilitating workplace injury? Died in a factory fire? Got beheaded on the job? (That actually happened about a year ago in a factory not far from Seoul). When's the last time a CEO was forced to leave his family for decades so that they could survive? We all know that these things don't happen to CEOs. And I'm not saying that they should. But in a time of enormous wealth and incredible technology, why should they happen to anybody?

Hey you guys up there! Stop being so goddamn selfish and share with the rest of the world. Or else we're gonna get you and you're not going to like it.

1 comment:

Rev Dr Mom said...

That's awful about the detention center. And I agree with you about the rest of it. I get so angry when I hear people going on about illegal immigrants. It's all so hypocritical.