Help Fight Modern Day Slave Labor
Like most people, I thought slavery ended in 1862 with Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The 13th amendment of the constitution was implemented a few years later in 1865, supposedly ending slavery once and for all.
The 13th amendment states:
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
I am certainly no expert on modern politics and learn more everyday about how little I truly know. I do know what happened to me and my firsthand experience with modern day slave labor. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, thousands of homes needed new roofs, among many other repairs.
I hired a local contractor to replace my roof and surprisingly, got a really good price. At the time, I thought the good price was the result of stiff competition between contractors. I remember being woken up by what sounded like a herd of stampeding water buffalo on the roof. I walked outside and saw 24 Mexican men feverishly working as if they were going for a world record. The entire roof was replaced in three hours - I was astonished. None of the men spoke English, so I was unable to ask them any questions. They piled up in a few work trucks and went to the next job.
At the time, I suspected they were illegal immigrants, but the contractor assured me they were not. The telephone services, including cell phones were still out of order and I couldn’t call anyone. When you have massive holes in your roof with animals and hordes of mosquitoes coming into your house, the last thing you’re thinking about is illegal slave labor. It was several weeks later when the horror stories started, mostly by word of mouth. Stories of how these Mexican workers were promised paychecks week after week spread like wildfire. The contractors promised them money, dangling false dreams of a new life before their eyes. In most of the cases I heard, the contractors waited until the workers became so suspicious of being ripped off, they finally refused to work. At that point, the contractors disappeared with all the money, leaving these battered, hungry men alone without pay. These illegal workers spoke no English and were not American citizens. They had no rights, no one to complain to and no where to go - a disgraceful and horrific crime against humanity.
There are numerous types of modern day slavery from many third world nations, including sex slaves. Last week, I happened to catch an interview with John Bowe on C-Span Book TV talking about his fantastic new book, “Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy” read the full transcript here.
In the interview, he said he believed the census statistics are incorrect and the percentage of illegal workers in America are as high as 20% of the entire workforce. I tend to agree with him because I have seen it in action - right here on my own property. I strongly urge you to read his book (I’m only half way through it), and check out his websites. One thing he talks about is how it’s very likely all of us may become slave laborers ourselves. Here’s a quote from his website, “Globalization means that soon, we, too, might be working for pennies an hour. It’s like Adam Smith in reverse: trade with people less free than you, and your own freedom is threatened,” a frightening prospect indeed. Go read John Bowe’s wordpress site.
I applaud him for doing the right thing and bringing this issue to the forefront. One thing is for sure, this information is not popular and John Bowe is not getting the attention he deserves. When people do things of monumental importance, they are often buried in the rubble of mainstream political fluff and irrelevant information - like which pastor our presidential candidates use. Situations needing the most attention are almost always considered irrelevant as tiny blips on the media radar.
Why isn’t this subject being covered in the media or under heavy fire by politicians? The answer is simple: money. They are not being paid to cover it. It is up to all of us, as citizens, to get the ball rolling.
Now to the most important part of this article: Please sign the petition to end slave labor - it only takes a minute. It is in our own complacency and laziness that nothing is ever accomplished. The next time you eat a tomato or buy a pair of shoes, think about who actually grew it or manufactured those shoes - they are likely the products of modern day slavery. I proudly offer the popularity of my web site to help with this extremely important cause - it’s the least I can do.
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26 Responses to “Help Fight Modern Day Slave Labor”
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that is so bad.
i wasnt too aware to be honest and i feel guilty for it.
I am right now going to sign the petition to try make a step in helping
like you said its the least we can do.
god bless.
Octopus Travel
I signed the petition. Thanks for bringing such an important matter to light. This is something that should be in the news, but tragically it is not. Thanks again for the info. Hope you are having a great weekend!
Jane Doe’s last blog post..Writing From the Darkness
Forced labor is a result of poverty, and the rich will always look for ways to exploit this situation. You should see whats going on here in India. Child labor, which is more or less a different form of slavery. Children working in restaurants cleaning the tables and washing the dishes, just to earn a few buck. The world is in a sad state my friend, and most people turn a blind eye to it. And the very few proactive people, eventually turn a blind eye to it too because no matter how much they campaign against such social evils, in the end, there is no change. So, people give up…
Sandman’s last blog post..Chp 175. The MENOPAUSE Club
That made me sick. The thought of using men and women like that is unconscionable.
I read about a young girl who thought she was being brought over from Sweden to be a Nanny. Because she spoke little English she thought she could do nothing about the situation she found herself in…a few young college students brought her plight to the police and she was rescued.
What gives anyone the right to use another human being this way…it really does make me sick.
This is our reality, and I had a chance to see it and feel it on my own skin. I used to work for a big cruise company and there were so many things I had witnessed there - I think I could write a whole book about. Ironically, the company that I was working for had a good reputation for treating their employees. If that was the true - I do not really want to even try to imagine the working conditions on the other cruise companies. I had an illusion that the things like - having to 14-15 or even more hours of work per day, for a shamefully low wages; not having a single day off ever , and many others - are belonging to history books and to the dark times that had passed. But not. This is still the word that we are living in and very much our reality. At least, the smallest thing that we could do is to write and talk about it or to support the political options who have the potential for correcting such practices.
J.C.’s last blog post..Hide and Seek
Thanks so much T.O., every little bit helps
Thanks Jane! What’s amazing is this is just one tiny area of modern day slavery - there are so many different types, it will never be completely eradicated. You have a great weekend too!
Hello Sandman!
You’re right that change doesn’t happen very much, if at all. Perhaps I’m wasting my time trying to do something good and it stems from some kind of inner need to feel like I am doing the right thing. I watched around 5 minutes of a TV show called “Lifestyles of the rich and famous” and almost vomited. This guy spent 100 million dollars on a yacht, but then again, he deserves it…right? Think about all the medicine he could have bought for sick, starving and dying children. The world is filled with this type of sickening narcissism and as long as money is important to people, it will always be like that.
Hi Maunie, I don’t let it make me sick because that would be much like punishing myself for something I didn’t do. All we can do is get politically active because it’s the only way to change laws
Hi J.C., that sounds like a great idea for a book and certainly one filled with important information. The truth is, getting involved politically really is the way to go. The problem is most people (from nearly every country) are not really interested in politics because they feel helpless or ineffective - I know that feeling very well. I wish I could do more than I am, but I too am just trying to survive
It seems stories like this keep coming to the surface and it is always horrible to hear about. I don’t know how humans can treat each other that way. Anyway, nice of you to use the popularity of your blog for good.
teeni’s last blog post..Colorful Favorites
This is terrible. There’s actual people out there trying to earn their living and instead get ripped off..and these are hard working people that are trying to have a life. The sad part is that their own kind do this to them..I will help by signing the petition.
Bobby, Your strong heart and words never stop amazing me!
Hugs and love,Judy
Judy’s last blog post..Cooking for 1
We have the same problem in my country i’m afraid with african workers
- it’s not only the wage problem that scares me to death, but it’s also the lack of safety that their employers expose them to: no safety helmets, no safety shoes, cheap equipment & lack of training … resulting in the very common accidents & deaths that we hear so often about on the news (& goodness knows how many are kept secret). The government is trying to scare employers with prison sentences or other sanctions if they’re caught employing these people illegaly, but it didn’t help the situation much. Everyone knows the place these employers go to “haul” up these people everymorning - it’s just business.
Hi Bobby! Where are you?
Come out and play Bobby Wobby!
Genie Princess’s last blog post..More Memes!
i had to change my domain name to whypaisley.com please change your links and or feed as necessary
all you will have to do is remove the - from between why and paisley,, everything else will remain the same and will redirect you to the correct page…. sorry for the inconvenience…
paisley’s last blog post..retribution
Why am I not surprised? Of course it is just exactly a you say. Too many rotten politicains lining their pockets with money. And lest we forget the people who own the companies and are abusing these poor souls!!
Great post…keep up the good fight!!
And yes where are you? We all miss you!! Awwwwwww….did you get the new job?
Hugs,
Jackie
Hi Teeni, sorry it’s taken so long to reply! Most of us choose to not see all the ugly things in this world. I believe that the entire positive thinking, self help movement is preventing problems from being solved rather than their original intention. I don’t have that much popularity…haha! I feel strange about having written that sentence
Hi Jackie, I wouldn’t say that politicians are lining their pockets from slave labor, but they are not making money for solving the problem - which is almost as bad. Just don’t eat at Burger King, they support slave labor! I’m here, but just haven’t been up to blogging lately…thanks for asking
Thanks for helping out Scott, it’s just one tiny thing we can do to help…but very important
Hi Judy,l Thanks so much for saying that! It’s really great to see you
That sounds horrible Afef. I believe that Africa, as well as many other countries will improve over time and the powerfully democratizing effects of blogging will help proliferate change. Thanks for reading!
Hi Marzie! I’ve been down in the dumps lately and haven’t been in any mood to have fun at all. I sure hope I feel better soon. It’s great to see you!
Why Paisley…why on Earth did you change your domain? I will fix all my links!
We have the same ugly thing going on down here in Florida. They’re being exploited and used like mad, all to the benefit of the business owners, of course. Most common are the landscaping jobs. Every landscaping crew seems to be 100% Mexican, with few of them knowing any English. And with every landscaping business it’s the same exact scene: six or seven of them piled in the back of a pickup truck going from location to location, rain or shine, hot or cold. It’s sad. They’re being exploited in the same way the black people were not too long ago.
Same scene, just a different ethnic group. And it’s very sad. Personally, I don’t have much patience for illegals, but the ones who are not illegal and trying to better their lives are getting the same crappy treatment, coupled with a very thick glass ceiling. It used to be said that the blacks were simply taking the jobs that the whites didn’t want (a highly incorrect statement). Now it’s being said that the Mexicans are simply taking the jobs that the blacks don’t want. Also incorrect. The correct statement would be more like: The businesses are paying such low wages that only those who live 10 to a house can afford to survive on them!
The bottom line, though, is simple. People are being mistreated and taken advantage of. And with very few avenues for recourse, and no monetary means of taking it, the vicious cycle continues. The end result is that wages are driven down to a minimum. Business owners become richer while. workers become poorer. It’s a sad state of affairs. Never before in the history of the U.S. has the gap between the rich and the poor been so huge. And it’s only getting worse. IMHO, it’s time something major is done to correct things, for the “American Dream” is more of a fantasy now than it ever was.
Shine on,
Aaron
Aaron Cook’s last blog post..Afternoon Delight - A Love Affair Gone Terribly Wrong
What’s up Aaron! The petition I’m asking people to sign is actually in Florida, where the most of John Bowe’s book is about. It’s all over and definitely a much worse problem than most people could ever believe. When you see 30 illegal aliens living in a house or apartment, most are put there by the same people that employ them. If they want to bust people, just look to see who is paying the freaking rent! There is endless red tape in taking down these crime rings. It’s not the aliens fault, they just want a better life. I am astonished that our government is doing nothing to change things….but what’s new?