Anonymous Workers
In 1978, a culture emerged in the New Orleans French Quarter that involved exchanging beads for nudity. Revelers still practice this tradition to date. During these partying sprees, people spend thousands of dollars in buying these beads. The result is an industry spending amounting to millions of dollars that spread from the United States to China. The short video documentary “Mardi Gras: Made in China” highlights the various underlying issues resulting from the system established by this trade.
In the eyes of a typical New Orleans reveler, they are in it to have a taste of the city’s party experience. The rave package includes getting inebriated and buying a bulk of beads that they trade for nudity. This cultural phenomenon causes people from all over the world to flock to the city with one objective in mind; to get the ultimate New Orleans experience. The shared party life serves as the mordant that holds this crowd together giving them a collective conscience (Durkheim, 87). This collectiveness facilitates their cooperation in the industry while they are oblivious to the consequences.
Evidenced in the documentary, a significant number of the revelers have no idea where the beads they use come from. Most of them just know that they come from a factory based somewhere in the world. For those among the populous who know where these beads come from, they simply do not care. The reasoning driving this ignorance is that whoever makes the beads earns enough. If they do not earn good money, then they make more than most people in the economy centered on their growth domestic product. Thus, due to the mechanical solidarity of the consumers, they do not have any knowledge of the effects of their cooperation in the industry.
The bead industry is divided into two main fronts. Each side has its sub-industry divided into different roles that they are serving in the functioning of this industry (Durkheim 80). On one front is the United States, which is the final market for the beads. On the other hand is China, which serves as the producers. Just like any other capitalist industry, this one is driven by the primary forces of demand and supply (Durkheim 83). On the US front, the revenue generated amounts to $13 million in a single shopping annex. Similarly, on the Chinese front, the Tai Kuen Bead Factory is reported to make $1.5 million a year in profit.
The examples as mentioned above paint a clear picture of the spirit of the modern capitalistic model at play. According to the model employed here, profit appears to be the result of capitalism (Max 83). There is a virtuous pursuit to this end without much consideration of the impacts on either side of the isle. Therefore, it is evident that the owner of the bead producing company does not care about the conditions of his workers as long as he makes a profit. The same situation is seen in the U.S where the people selling beads do not care about the immorality and any possible danger that may arise from the activities involving the use of beads. Therefore, the bead franchise is so profit oriented that it is possible to overlook or even justify results from the benefiting side (Max 92).
According to Emile Durkheim, division of labor makes “economic services that it can render insignificant compared with the moral effect that it produces, and its real function is to create between two or more people a feeling of solidarity” (17). This statement is verified by the way the bead making company works. Workers in the company are divided according to their various production roles, which include machine handling and bead coloring and drying. In return, there is a sense of solidarity in the work environment that holds them together because of the mutual relationships of attaining a common goal. In this case, apart from making an efficient production line, their collective goal is to earn a livelihood for their families. As a result, they are willing to overlook the long hours with little pay at the factory. In addition, with the common conscious comes punishment (Durkheim 139). Workers are fined an entire day’s wage for talking while working. If a worker fails to meet their quota, they are also fined. Therefore, due to the division of labor, a feeling of solidarity emerges that perpetuates the cycle of suppression for the workers.
Regarding the workers, there is an evident estrangement between them and the products they make. This alienation is correlated with the private ownership system that divides society into two: property owners and property-less (Marx 72). The property-less have to work for the owners to meet their daily needs. In the process, they end up committing a meaningful portion of their lives into the production of goods and not getting the deserved compensation. The employees work so hard to make products that make large contributions to the outside world.
In contrast, the worker starts shrinking into insignificance (Marx 74). They are slowly distanced from their identity as humans to become another component of the production line. For example, the workers in Tai Kuen stay in a fenced compound like they are in a concentration camp. Whatever the worker produces is not out of creativity, but the mere will to survive. Consequently, the ownership system makes the workers predisposed to exploitation by the company proprietors.
Workers are exploited in various ways. First, they work for long hours; a worker on average at the factory works for 14 hours a day. Some of these workers are as young as 18 years old. Additionally, workers are paid $62 a month, which makes for less than a $1 a day. The long hours also incorporate onerous workloads. Moreover, they are exposed to dangerous working conditions without proper protective clothing. Some of the machines can potentially injure an employee if they are not careful. Besides, workers are exposed to the biohazardous material, which includes molten styrene fumes that have been indicated to cause cancer in animals and humans. Finally, the employee exploitation also involves ridiculously hefty fines. The factory owner, therefore, abuses the workers using extended working hours that have little pay and potentially harmful health effects.
Arguably, looking at the work workers do, they should be paid more. While some may say that beads are worthless, which is based on the intrinsic value attached to them, they have a surprisingly high exchange value (Marx 217). An average person in the festival spends a minimum of $500 on the beads per night. Considering the amounts of money one is willing to spend on plastic beads that will be thrown away the following day, the person behind the craft should earn a decent wage (Marx 216). Also, the pay should be reflective of the multimillion dollar franchise made out of the industry. Furthermore, according to Marx, a commodity’s exchange value should correspond to the amount of labor put in the production process. Labor is the only thing that places a monetary value on products that only have exchange value, thus, a worker should be adequately compensated.
China became a free market economy in 1978; the same year New Orleans residents began their beads culture. China’s free market has to operate under certain rules. The production of beads, therefore, exposes the residents to a volatile economy (Marx 215). The volatility results from the exchange value of the beads. Paying the workers based on their input ensures the stability of the economy around them. In turn, stability provides self-sufficiency of the economy. Therefore, a reflection of a workers labor on their wage will significantly improve the economy.
A suppressive capitalist system has far spread consciences. Class struggles arise as a result of the system (Marx 474). The conflict involves one class exploiting the other in the economy as seen in the documentary. Additionally, an era’s means of production primarily defines its interactions of classes. A ruling class emerges from the development of the production means. In this case, class struggles can be evidence by the consumer population in the U.S and the production workers in China. In such a model, a revolution is investable. The revolution would be fueled by the lower class and the results different from any in history (Marx 478). Previous revolutions mainly involve the redistribution of wealth among the revolting population that is the new ruling class. This new revolution would be characterized by the destruction of the privatization system that subdues the property-less (Marx 479). The much-required change is evidenced by the increasing call for fair compensation among workers. Also, among the consumer population, there is concern among individuals when they finally see the conditions of the factory workers. Thus, this economy model is unsustainable unless a change is introduced for the employees.
To sum up, a cultural revolution occurred in the New Orleans party scene that sparked an overwhelming demand for beads that served as currency to buy nudity from willing revelers. The popularity of this indulgence attracts people together to share in the affair. Consequently, a collective conscience is created that craves the beads no matter the price, monetary rewards, or otherwise. Most of these people do not know the bead’s origin. The multimillion value of this franchise has seen the people involved turn a blind eye to its consequences. Consequently, workers get exploited, and immorality is condoned in the process. Due to the privatization of resources, workers are made part of the production equipment. There is no passion or creativity in the manufacture of the goods as they just want to make it through the day. The current suppressive system can potentially fuel a revolution, which would be as a result of the repressed rising to their oppressors through destroying privatization of property. Individuals signal this change on both sides of the situation adamantly calling for fairness in the system. In essence, factory workers should be making enough and have proper working conditions as it is beneficial to everyone.
Works Cited
Emile, Durkheim. “Division of Labor in Society: Consequences” in On Morality and Society.1973, pp.114-146.
Emile, Durkheim. “Progressive Preponderance of Organic Solidarity” in On Morality and Society, 1973, pp.63-85.
Emile, Durkheim. “Organic Solidarity and Contractual Solidarity” in On Morality and Society.1973, pp.86-113.
Karl, Marx. “Estranged Labor” Marx-Engels Reader, 1978, pp.70-81.
Karl, Marx. “The Communist Manifesto” Marx-Engels Reader, 1978, pp.473-483.
Karl, Marx. “Wage Labor and Capital” Marx-Engels Reader, 1978, pp.203-217.
Weber, Max. The Protestant ethic and the” spirit” of capitalism and other writings. Routledge, 2002.
