Wednesday, December 3, 2008

My question is related to the issues that Ehrenreich and Enloe brought up in their articles regarding maid services and the shoe industry, respectively.  What responsibility does the everyday consumer have to these issues?  Tadiar mentioned briefly this idea of a hierarchy of concern and feeling that our society seems to have created [we can care of the six Americans who died in Mumbai (and the Israeli Rabbi + wife), but all the Indians who died/were injured don't even have a face, name, story, and hence, sympathy].  How does this play into these issues of racialized/classcized (made up words, I know) service/labor?  The seems an overwhelming sense of apathy towards these situations -- even though consumers have the power to influence the practices of the businesses, the governmental allowances and relationships, and stances of institutions like the WTO and the World Bank -- is it because of a lack of information?  Or do people really not care?  And how do we make people care?  How do we make this issue more than just another bullet point on the (seemingly) unending list of injustices occurring throughout the world?

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