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.

Racial Profiling: Reasons and Solutions

He walked down the street, looking at the surroundings of the beautiful city that he was in. On this cold day in Chicago, he wore some baggy pants and a hoodie to cover up from blistering cold winds that made his body shiver. As he walked down the street, he caught a few glimpses of people looking at him. A white lady, maybe around her 20s, walked passed him, and he could see her hands squeeze tightly onto the Channel bag that she was holding. Suddenly, as if a pretty girl walked into a room, everyone who he walked passed started acting different. The car door locking, the sudden motion of a man keeping his phone in their pocket, and the occasional police officer precariously putting their coffee down after making eye contact with him. Everything in the city now seemed dull and pessimistic to, like the rancorous emotions he felt towards everyone in the city who just discriminated him.

When you meet a person, you immediately to start to form an impression of them in your mind. This first impression lasts for a long time, and it does not usually easily succumb to change. It just so happens that the first impression of someone that you make is based off appearance. This frothy way of forming impressions based on looks can be deceiving and beguiling. A big part of what in influences these thoughts, positive or negative, is the media. The impressions that is posted on the news, and on social platforms change how we might feel about certain types of people. As a community, we are all in the movement to stop racial profiling, and to stop certain stereotypes about other people, but how can we actually do that?

Racial profiling is a sad yet common phenomenon that happens in daily life. This unfortunate event happens on a daily basis. A former black NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson, mentioned in his podcast that he has had experience with racial profiling, and how he was treated for being a black person. “You are very well spoken” was one of the comments that he was told when he met with a member of the public during an event. Now, many might take this for a compliment, but not Nate. Nate, being black football player, felt offended by these comments. He felt that this person created a stereotype for him, supposing that he was a ‘common black person’, and felt surprised by his formal manner that Nate presented.

Another example of racial profiling is the amount of times that black people have been pulled over. Based on a report by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, 46% of drivers and bikers in Chicago who were stopped were black, even though black people only make up 32% of Chicago’s population. This might suggest that the black people from Chicago might be targeted more, intentionally or unintentionally, by the mainly white police force that can be found in Chicago. In the same report, it is said that 3 out of 4 searches on the drivers or bikers, white people who were pulled over were more likely to be carrying a contraband item compared to black people. So why has the Chicago Police Force have numbers as high as 46% for the pull over rate for black people, even though white people have been proven to have a higher chance of having illicit items in their car? This issue about racial profiling when driving has become such a large issue, even the President of the United States, Barack Obama has addressed this. He said that he himself has been pulled over for no particular reason in Chicago, before he became the president.

But why do people profile black people? Some people feel threatened by black people they see, sometimes locking their car doors, or people holding onto their bags tighter. Based on a survey done by David L Goetsch, a retired college Vice President and professor of business and political science, most white people, both male and female, do not feel threatened by all black people, but only certain black people. A black man with baggy pants, a hoodie, tattoos and a strong attitude seemed to be factors that made these people feel threatened or uneasy. Therefore, it wasn’t their skin colour that made them feel threatened, it was their attire.

So why do people still associate badly with black people? This due to the media, and its effects on us. Mainstream media that says racial profiling is a branch of racism is complicit in that people of a certain demeanor are criminals. It is unfortunately true that the media, either intentionally or unintentionally, portray and report stereotypes about black people. With the average American using the television for about 5 hours daily and 75% of Americans believing what they see on the television, these numbers might be the reason why racial profiling has escalated into such a large problem.

But how can we stop this behaviour of racial profiling? The first step should be addressing the issue, and letting the people who are being discriminated against that actions will be taken. The next step that could be taken is reducing the publicity of black people doing wrong things, but increasing publicity of black people doing good things. In a paper written by Professor Jonah Berger from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania, he explains about bad publicity and its impacts. “When a rumor circulated that McDonald’s used worm meat in its hamburgers, sales decreased by more than 25%.” This offers evidence of how all the negative publicity can harm how people view black people. Reducing the amount of coverage on these events could reduce the stereotypes about black people, and how people view them. We should also have a positive and open mindset towards black people, or anyone who is being discriminated. Instead of picking on the wrongs they did, and saying something like,“Watch where you’re going!”, you could highlight what they did well, and pay them a compliment, like, “Thanks for using your turn signals when you changed lanes”. Simple words like this can make a whole world of difference, and will help to break down the walls of racial profiling.




Sources:

"Analysis: Major Racial Disparities In Chicago, Illinois Police Traffic Stops."Analysis: Major Racial Disparities In Chicago, Illinois Police Traffic Stops. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Lafraniere, Sharon, and Andrew W. Lehren. "The Disproportionate Risks of Driving While Black." The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 Oct. 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Lavender, Paige. "Obama Talks About His Own Experience With Racial Profiling." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015

"Mr. President Could There Be Other Reasons for Racial Profiling? - Patriot Update." Patriot Update. N.p., 31 July 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2015..

Ashkenas, Jeremy, and Haeyoun Park. "The Race Gap in America’s Police Departments." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Sept. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Dr. Mirko Janc (Tech Typeset) 427 1999 Feb 15 15:33:29. Positive Effects of Negative Publicity (n.d.): n. pag. Jonahberger. Jonah Berger. Web.