On sweatshop and labor standard...

Discussions and attitude from the westernized countries (chiefly, United States and Europe) on sweatshops and human rights go almost always along the same line, drawing the almost always same conclusion. The western countries would look at poor(er) countries like China and Vietnam, the way they churn out products in sweatshops, and feel repelled by reports of child and labor exploitation.

It's rarely reading reports like the one in New York Times, whereby the author dares to come out and say that alot of those in the poorer countries would dream to work in a sweatshop. And it's little wonder and surprise that, most everyone in the letters to editor in New York Times would find the author to be "wrong".

For those who have never lived in the poor countries, it's hard to imagine how anyone could have dreamt to work in a sweatshop and be "exploited". I have little doubt that these readers who find that notion repulsive, ever realize what the true alternative(s) are for those in these poor countries. The article illustrates one of those alternatives, which is to scavenge in filthy dumps. There are also other alternatives like selling one's body (young and old), or selling one's children.

Perhaps those who campaign to stop sweatshop in these poor countries, should stop and reconsider those other available but much less desirable alternatives to these poor souls, and be less righteous about what's right and wrong, but more realistic about what's better and what's worse.

If the sweatshops are honest shops, while they are not the best options, they at least provide a means for independence for those who work it. (Compared that to the dishonest sweatshops in China, where owners would simply close shops and disappear, for not wanting to pay the workers.

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I grew up in Hong Kong during the time when it's growing up from plastic manufacturing, to electronics, to garments, to finance now.

We lived in this public housing estate. Unlike those in America, public housing in Hong Kong is very well-maintained. All families are working class, but it's a very family and tradition-oriented culture. While space was tight, neighbors and all kids in the neighborhood played together all the time.

My very first job "summer job" when I was still in elementary school. There was news that we could get some "plastic toys assembling", finish at home, and bring them back for some money. Since it's summer time, and nothing much to do, all kids (I think the oldest one was less than 13) jumped for it. Those older kids would borrow some other even older kids' children ID cards to try to get in the factory for summer jobs. (Back then, if I remember correctly, you had to be at least 15 to work in a factory.)

Every few days, we (group of at least 5-6 kids a time) would leap and bounce to this dinky little place on the hill side. And this young guy (probably in his 20s) would give us a little book to record our work and payment. Kids from each family would get a big sack of plastic toy parts, we would bring them home, assemble them, bring them, and at the end of the month, we would get paid. If you work faster, you could come back sooner; and if they have more work, you earn more. I'm sure Americans would consider that sweatshop operation, since we were paid maybe a couple of dollars for assembling a big back of plastic toys about 3 feet high. But we love it. It's our first chance to earn some money for the family to help our parents.

Oftentimes, when my parents were done with their work and chores and the whole family were sitting together at night watching TV, we would all do the assembling together, all 7 of us. In fact, I focused so hard that I got this swelling in my eyes for a few days that needed eyedrops.

All in all, we (the whole family really) made HK$120 in two months. This was back in the 1970s. It's peanuts, to be sure. And while it's probably perfect for kids like us, since we could bring the work back home, and there's no real danger in the work, and it could even facilitate family bonding, I'm not sure if the West (like those New York Times readers who complained about sweatshops) would condone or endorese it, since it's probaby one kind of "exploitation".

But they're a few things that we have to note:

(1) that we're not tied down to working those toys assembling for the rest of our life;

(2) that there's no coercion or danger involved in the work;

(3) that the work did not impact on our study or otherwise childhood.

It's absolutely true that those conditions are oftentimes not met or seriously violated in sweatshops in other parts of the world. I would, however, urge those who patently reject the idea of sweatshops, to seek understanding and realize that there are many nuances to situations. And that a sweatshop can be a "good" sweatshop, much as it can be a "bad" sweatshop. For those who urge shutdown of all sweatshops are just as irresponsible to condemning those in poorer countries to eternal poor life, albeit with good intention. We have to constantly remind ourselves not to act like a simpleton like George W Bush, and that solutions to problems do not always come in a yes/no or right/wrong answer.

To this day, those HK$120 are still the proudest income, my first income, I've ever earned. That sweatshop experience taught me the work ethics, resourcefulness, and perseverance that serve me well for the rest of my life.