Our Society and Slavery

In the First World, we think of slavery as dead. Over. Gone. We think of it as an historic aberration, a blemish on the past, but certainly not something that still exists in modern times. Yet over 27 million people are still enslaved today, and that number isn’t decreasing. Slavery is not dead at all, we just don’t notice it, and our failure to acknowledge its existence,it allows it to continue unchecked. To truly abolish slavery we must take down a system that is already in place, and has been in existence for thousands of years. Slavery is deeply ingrained into many sections of society, and to eradicate it we must change society.

The most challenging part of stopping slavery is giving up our reliance on it. Unseen slavery powers many parts of the world economy, and so we all rely upon it, knowingly or unknowingly. The list of major companies that use slave labor is long, and shockingly includes many iconic brands such as Nike, Apple and Disney. The fact that we in the First World allow anyone, especially such high profile, successful companies, to get away with exploiting people is truly atrocious and shameful, and most of us are shocked to learn about it. So how does it come about? What is modern slavery?

Slavery relies on systems of bondage, discrimination and exploitation that have been in place for thousands of years and have continued to grow and evolve throughout history. Modern slavery is also fueled by globalisation. The movement of people, money, and information throughout the world, and the spread of production, supply, and distribution chains has allowed modern slavery to grow, and enabled it to stay out of the grasp of authorities. Of course Nike, Apple and Disney don’t directly enslave people, but their suppliers do, which makes them, the companies and us, their customers, ultimately responsible for the exploitation of slave labor.

Modern slavery exists in many forms, the most common of which is debt bondage. Debt bondage occurs when people are encouraged to borrow money, often on the promise of a better job, or a better life elsewhere. The debt they are subsequently forced to pay back is massively inflated by interest and other charges, so these people end up working for years with no reward, in short as slaves. Sexual slavery, where people, usually women and children, are forced to work in the sex industry is also flourishing in modern times. As is domestic servitude, where the normal and legal practice of live in help is used to cover the exploitation and control of another person, and contract slavery, where people are deceived into slavery by a false employment contract. So you can see that while the traditional chattel slavery, where a person is legally owned by another, may be virtually extinct, slavery itself is alive and well.

How is it that this abhorrent and illegal practice is so widespread today? Put simply, it is because we aren’t doing enough to stop it. Kevin Bales, president of Free The Slaves, says that the fact slavery is still thriving comes down principally to ignorance about the institution and lack of resources directed at eradicating it. This is particularly true in first world countries where we are often not aware that slavery is not exclusively a thirld world problem. Many people in first world countries believe that slavery is nothing to do with them and that they are powerless to prevent it. Nothing could be further from the truth. We all benefit from the slave trade, only the slaves themselves do not.

Slavery may be illegal in every country in the world, but that does not mean it doesn’t exist. Between 14,000 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year. Most are forced into the sex trade, domestic servitude, or agricultural labor. At any one time, between 52,000 and 87,000 are in bondage. We don’t notice these people because we don’t realise what they are, we simply don’t perceive them as slaves. David Batstone, the author of ‘Not For Sale’ describes how he had, unknowingly, been dining at a restaurant staffed by slaves. “That’s the paradox: slavery is in reality not invisible, Except in rare circumstances, slaves toil in the public eye. The truth is that we do not expect to find it in “respectable” settings.” he writes.

We may prefer to think of slavery as a thing of the past, but in doing so we turn a blind eye to the crime of slave trading and we fail to acknowledge the suffering of the slave. David Batstone also writes that

“Many people bristle to hear the word slavery used to describe the modern practice of exploitation. Deeply ingrained in the collective psyche of Western culture is the notion that slavery ended in the nineteenth century. It is not unusual to read a newspaper account of “slavelike conditions” in a copper mine in, say, Bolivia. The laborers were kidnapped, coerced to work without pay and prohibited from leaving the mine. So why would the writer ferfer to the laborer’s conditions as “slavelike”? Because the writer buys into the cultural myth that “real slavery” was vanquished long ago.”
If we continue to deny the suffering of these millions of people, nothing will change.

Slavery will only be eradicated if we all take responsibility for its existence. All sections of society must acknowledge their reliance on slavery and take active steps to cease this unhealthy dependency. It is no good pleading ignorance and shifting the blame onto others. We must all stand up to be counted and reject slavery in its entirety. We must boycott products and services produced by slave labour, even if this means paying higher prices. We must lobby our governments to enforce anti slavery legislation, to end human trafficking and to help other nations tackle the endemic poverty, corruption and violence which allows slavery to flourish. We must provide better opportunities for those at risk of exploitation and we must work to overturn cultural norms which encourage and condone the exploitation of others. Slavery is a scourge on humanity and it is the responsibility of all humankind to work towards its abolition.

The Inevitable Act of Change

In both, “Wonder” and “George”, two realistic fictional stories, feature similar concepts on what defines us as human beings. It’s who we really are, our inner emotions, our inner feelings, and that we should learn to apprehend consequences. We can understand and acknowledge the fact that in Wonder and George, everyone is different as an individual. In Wonder, we can see how August desperately wants to change his face so he can be normal. Similarly, in George, George wants to change his/her body image and personality to achieve and gain newer opportunities. This shows that in both texts, there is a strong feeling in both characters, that change is the only solution for success. Now you might believe that change is an inevitable action that can be beneficial as it makes us take risks, makes us more independent, but the truth of the matter is that being who we are, is good enough in life. So now what is true in both texts is that, facing reality and accepting the bitter truth is the most toughest act to do. If we change, then who are we.

At the beginning of the book, August is shown to be a character who is shy and depressed because of the harsh comments made by people referring about his face. As we know, August was born with a distorted face and has gone through many surgeries, and yet people, still make fun of him. Additionally, George is shown to be a mixed feeling type of character who struggles to choose who she really is. At school, George’s teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte’s Web and George really wants to play Charlotte, but, is then rejected from her teacher because she is a boy. A person and a rejection should not stand in the way of achieving our own dreams just because we are different. “Someday, somehow, George is going to tell mom that she is a girl, but this was not the day” This quote shows what kind of a character George is, from burying the fact that she wanted to tell her mother, she was a girl.

In George and Wonder, the two characters, August and George have different issues and difficulties but overall, they somehow connect to each other. August can easily relate to George as they both know that they are going through an extremely tough phase and are unable to decide their path. The more we hide, the more we add insult to injury. In Wonder, we can seem to realise that August does not want to be judged by how he normally acts, but in George, she wants a chance to be judged to prove that there is nothing wrong in a boy playing the role of the opposite sex in the school play.

By the same token, we can visualise the similar symbols being shown as a crucial role in both texts. In Wonder, Palacio uses the concept of masks and helmets to symbol August’s anonymity to the outside world, because, he gets a chance to show people who August Plaman really is. Likewise, in George, Gino uses the idea of telephone poles to show the sheer desire George craves for and that is to change her whole image, and to also show who she really is. “George stared out the backseat window, counting telephone poles. When she was little, her grandfather told her that if you count one hundred telephone poles, one day, an electric fairy would come and grant one wish” This quote proves how August and George are similar because even August wishes he could be someone else.

With all things considered, these aspects conclude and show how August and George go on living their lives similarly. From masks and helmets to telephone poles, there will always be one main idea connecting the two factors, whether if it is separating the fiction world to reality.

Third Culture Kids

She screams to Noshin about One Direction coming to Singapore, turns around to talk to Juliette about the math tuition on Saturday and throws an imaginary rugby ball at Jemma.

“Good catch” She laughs.

Noshin stares at her, the confusion all over her face. How can you have so many friends and be so different around each of them?

“Third culture kids tend to be very social and adaptive people because they are constantly having to make new friends.” Claims the website I Was An Expat Wife. So how socially different are third culture kids to normal kids?

“I think that because I’ve experienced so many different places and people I’m able to connect with a wider range of people.” Says an eighth grade student attending UWC. Having lived in quite a few countries the student has really been able to experience different people and cultures and as she said those things make her able to connect with a wider range of people. This anomaly is something very common to these world travelers and 95% of the interviewed subjects admitted to having a very diverse friend base because of this ability to connect with very diverse and differently unique people.

Some of the questioned subjects felt however that they don’t have much of a say in the friends that they make, “We are going to have a varied mix of friends because we are in a place where there are people from all over the world so obviously we are going to connect with very diverse people.”

So does this phenomenon occur because of their clearly different and more adaptable personalities or because they are simply put into a position where they don’t have much of a choice? Well according to the subjects it was an exact divide, fifty, fifty.

Author Courtney Runn from the article TCK for teens, suggests, “Having to say hellos and goodbyes very often these kids learn to establish deeper connections faster than most peers.” A lot of TCK’s find that after having to make friends so quickly so often it becomes a ‘simple concept’ and learn to skip past the uncomfortableness and awkwardness that adolescents know too well.

Despite only focusing on the TCK’s of today many adults struggle with their new more stable lifestyle. Twenty five year old Joel Winget, “I don’t like change, but I need it.” Many of these people find that there is a very unique thrill to changing environment, culture and even having to make new friends and transitioning into a usually more stable adulthood isn’t easy for all of them.

This reveals that in spite of having this constant ‘hardship’ of having to say a lot of hellos and goodbyes kids still learn to love this way of life. “The constant sense of uncertainty and fear of going to a new place and meeting new people is what I think that the excitement of life is all about. I can’t imagine living in one place my whole life and not going insane.” Says the fourteen year old TCK.

This paradox though is really only specific to these change craving migrants as after interviewing a non TCK they conveyed, “As I don’t particularly like change I can’t imagine having to adjust that often and make new friends so quickly. Leaving my life long friends now would break my heart.” And so it becomes even more clear that the different homes TCKs have has impact the way they look at making new friends and the way they look at change as a whole.

So is this a good thing or not?

Maria Foley, author of I was an expat wife.com suggests, “Because of their knowledge of other cultures TCKs get excellent interpersonal and intercultural skills,” However she also speaks of these kids having somewhat a fear of commitement especially with relationships. So this suggests that although these kids create relationships quickly they sometimes aren’t as deep as the normal only one culture kid.

 
So to the TCK readers, as you move forward in your adventure know that as you continue on the journey that is life you will find durable and sometimes endless relationships with both TCKs and non TCKs.