We may use cookies to help customize your experience, including performing
analytics and serving ads.
Learn More
Forums → WEPR → Slaves making Chocolate
| 57 | 6531 |
Well, if you guys don't know yet, plantations in Africa, specifically the Ivory Coast, use child slaves to harvest cocao beans. They are either kidnapped from their homes, usually from poverty, or are falsely misleaded into their families taking them to work in "good" conditions "fair Pay" and will come back in "2-3 months". Then they are taken to the boarder of Africa, where they meet bribed officers who let them through, and then go to the deepest of jungles, where hidden cocao plantations are held. They work fthe entire day, resting for anly a few hours, and fed a corn paste, only enough to survive. If somone cannot carry a bag, they are brutally tortured and beaten by their captors. They keep working until death, then their corpse is thrown into a ditch. This cocao is bought by several chocolate companies, who's headquarters is in AFRICA. Some companies include, Hershey, Mars, Nestley, and most chocolate manufacturers. They have signed a contract that by the early 2000's they would only get fair-trade chocolate, but it is 2012. They have signed another contract, but how can we believe them again? You can get fair-trade chocolate at certain stores, or online. This has been going on for decades. The government in the Ivory Coast has made using child slaves illegal, but there is so much corruption in their government, it is all most inpossible to stop without everyone's help. Please, please, support fair-trade chocolate and try to spread the information. Though Hershey has only discovered this a few years ago, they signed another document promising that they will stop using non-fair trade chocolate. Thanks for listening to this issue, and, well, bye.
- 57 Replies
It's the price one pays for cheap chocolate, sadly, human lives are never really factored in while people are gorging themselves on the stuff. I ensure that any and all chocolate that I purchase is fair-trade but quite a few of the people around me snark about it - they think I'm a hipster or a green-freak for some reason.
Yeah, I learned about it a few months ago, and have been having fair trade chocolate, tastes a lot better than Hersheys or Mars.
Well, if you guys don't know yet, plantations in Africa, specifically the Ivory Coast, use child slaves to harvest cocao beans. They are either kidnapped from their homes, usually from poverty, or are falsely misleaded into their families taking them to work in "good" conditions "fair Pay" and will come back in "2-3 months". Then they are taken to the boarder of Africa, where they meet bribed officers who let them through, and then go to the deepest of jungles, where hidden cocao plantations are held. They work fthe entire day, resting for anly a few hours, and fed a corn paste, only enough to survive. If somone cannot carry a bag, they are brutally tortured and beaten by their captors. They keep working until death, then their corpse is thrown into a ditch. This cocao is bought by several chocolate companies, who's headquarters is in AFRICA. Some companies include, Hershey, Mars, Nestley, and most chocolate manufacturers. They have signed a contract that by the early 2000's they would only get fair-trade chocolate, but it is 2012. They have signed another contract, but how can we believe them again? You can get fair-trade chocolate at certain stores, or online. This has been going on for decades. The government in the Ivory Coast has made using child slaves illegal, but there is so much corruption in their government, it is all most inpossible to stop without everyone's help. Please, please, support fair-trade chocolate and try to spread the information. Though Hershey has only discovered this a few years ago, they signed another document promising that they will stop using non-fair trade chocolate. Thanks for listening to this issue, and, well, bye.
In a word - No.
They have a choice. Organise and rise up or better still, a few brae souls could organise a sit down protest. Making sure the world's press know about it would be wise, but they need to let the world see what is happening and expose their 'employers'.
Relying on the Fair Trade project isn't the answer because the truth is, really, we don't care. If we did, there wouldn't be sweat shops making trainers, or forced labour camps digging out the world's coal. It is hidden away from our field of view and as long as we enjoy our comfortable lives, we're more likely to start playing on our smart phones that ironically were produced by workers who are paid less in a day than we pay for a cup of coffee.
The people this is happening to need to grow a set and stand up to be counted. At one time it was acceptable in the wider world to have slaves, but now it is not. How did that come about? Was it the hand-wringing liberals or was it the slaves themselves who turned around one day and just said "NO!"?
People will suffer, people will die, but to change the system, people need to stand up and be counted. A lesson the Western world should learn if it wants to be heard by the governments that supposedly listen to us.
There was a leader of an African country (I believe it was Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso but I'm not sure) that did what you said, Dewi. He refused investments from foreign corporations and helped the local people to work on their won. During his government both child mortality and illiteracy dropped.
He was assassinated.
As you can see it's not so easy for them to stand up on their own, because huge powers are suffocating them from the western world, the ones interested in keeping those countries the way they are to keep using them, the same corporations that sell us their chocolate. And the best way to decrease these corporations' power is not buying their products.
I agree partially with dewi on this one:
yes, we are more likely to play around on our cell phones than give a crap about the world around us, but we can change this by making this generation see what is currently going on in the world. if they see what suffering the children of africa face, they are much more likely to try and find ways to help them, instead of continuing to buy from the source of such woe. with such a massive change of heart, boycotts will become massive, and this will eventually starve the corrupted of their funding, leading to the point where they have to change their ways, or else they will lose everything.
it's not an easy solution, but it is a plausible one.
-Blade
The worst part is, that if we boycott anything, well, all the chocolate companies will either change to fair-trade, or do nothing, and lose money. If those companies lose money, the economy goes down, and right now, we don't need that, so we basically have to aim for the small victories, and just inform people of this. Then, when and if the economy gets better, then we can start boycotting, and let them go bankrupt.
The worst part is, that if we boycott anything, well, all the chocolate companies will either change to fair-trade, or do nothing, and lose money. If those companies lose money, the economy goes down, and right now, we don't need that, so we basically have to aim for the small victories, and just inform people of this. Then, when and if the economy gets better, then we can start boycotting, and let them go bankrupt.
You're missing the point. For a boycott to have any sort of effect it relies on the general population giving a ****. And lets face it, they don't.
As long as we get our luxuries, our nice TVs and good food, why bother? We earned them, we worked in dead end jobs for crappy bosses, so why should we come home after a long day at work and give a flying **** what happens to give us chocolate? Seriously, its chocolate. I can buy it for less than a pint of milk, so why would I give a monkeys where it came from?
I know I sound harsh and uncaring, but I'm giving you what you must accept. The world is not ideal, it is not all fuzzy and caring. It is harsh and cruel. But those oppressed need to rise up, we can't do it for them, and seriously, do you think for a minute that the Fair Trade agreement is altruistic? Everything earns a profit, and the Fair Trade is no different.
As long as we get our luxuries, our nice TVs and good food, why bother?
That's basically why Wal-Mart's still in business. If people boycotted China's imports until workers conditions improved, things would change.
But those oppressed need to rise up
The problem is that no one wants to get shot or die of starvation. Also, no one would really hear about protests because there's not much media coverage there.
I know I sound harsh and uncaring, but I'm giving you what you must accept. The world is not ideal, it is not all fuzzy and caring. It is harsh and cruel. But those oppressed need to rise up, we can't do it for them, and seriously, do you think for a minute that the Fair Trade agreement is altruistic? Everything earns a profit, and the Fair Trade is no different.
you are right about the fair trade, they can charge more for it so they can maintain their profit margin, or to increase it a little more.
You're missing the point. For a boycott to have any sort of effect it relies on the general population giving a ****. And lets face it, they don't.
it is when pescimists and cynics denounce the possibility of us being able to do something do we say "screw you" and do it out of spite. we don't need softness, we need a guy who calls us uncaring A-holes, and then says he doubts we can change. those usually have a better effect than idealism.
The worst part is, that if we boycott anything, well, all the chocolate companies will either change to fair-trade, or do nothing, and lose money. If those companies lose money, the economy goes down, and right now, we don't need that, so we basically have to aim for the small victories, and just inform people of this. Then, when and if the economy gets better, then we can start boycotting, and let them go bankrupt.
first off, trickle down economy doesn't work.
2nd, companies are too greedy to let their coinpurses be anything less than bloated, and fat. when the king no longer is able to afford his nightly suckling pig, that is when he finds a way to get one again.
-Blade
The problem is that no one wants to get shot or die of starvation.
Well there you go. No one wants to die for a cause. So why should any one else care?
I've put myself up for the fall, not as serious as I'm suggesting, but I've risked what I had. Luckily I wasn't shot, I was dishonourably discharged, stripped of rank and privilege and out into the world I went. Never question your commanding officer people, he, apparently, is God!
How many slaves died in the US before the law changed? How many women died before the law changed? Stand up and be counted or is it better to fade away rather than burn?
it is when pescimists and cynics denounce the possibility of us being able to do something do we say "screw you" and do it out of spite. we don't need softness, we need a guy who calls us uncaring A-holes, and then says he doubts we can change. those usually have a better effect than idealism.
Well you are all uncaring. You care more about the roof over your head, the food on your table and the iPod in your pocket.
Give it all up if I'm wrong. Give all of it up and donate the money from the sale of your worldly possessions to some poor kid who is making chocolate in a foreign land.
No? Why?
Wouldn't you prefer a simpler life? A life of just gathering food and shelter every day to help your survival? No heating, but the potential of warmth from a fire and remember, the man that collects wood for a fire keeps warm twice.
Sod electricity, sod computers, give it all up and live a basic life. Or donate some money that will go to management companies whilst you believe it reaches the people struggling.
Either way, it doesn't really matter. Unless the people it is effecting rise up and make a difference, your contribution means diddly.
Well, yeah. But they slaves didn't do it alone. They had help. Very often, people have hell in their revolutions. Also, if these are kids that are being abused, the people who care the most are the kids. And well, they're kids.
How many slaves died in the US before the law changed? How many women died before the law changed? Stand up and be counted or is it better to fade away rather than burn?
the slaves didn't gain their freedom in the US by rising up, they gained it by abolitionists lobbying the goverment to the point that it caused a civil war. the slaves couldn't do it on their own, they needed outside help, like what I'm trying to argue now.
-Blade
Either way, it doesn't really matter. Unless the people it is effecting rise up and make a difference, your contribution means diddly.
it took a long time, but a river eventually carved out the grand canyon. didly may no ammount to much at one moment, but lots of "didly" over a good period of time can make huge changes.
they gained it by abolitionists lobbying
And why did they lobby?
Remember slaves where sub-human. They were stupid blacks with no brains. Why lobby for them? Think about it before you answer.
You must be logged in to post a reply!