Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it s off to work we go.' It's difficult to imagine that the men and women sewing Disney-branded clothing in Haiti would be singing along to the familiar tune of Walt Disney's 'Seven Dwarfs'.
For my group's Wednesday presentation about globalization, I found a video online called "Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti." This short film was a documentary in which the National Labor Campaign investigates one of Disney's 3,000 factories abroad and displays the injustices that seem to be a cruel part of the aftermath of globalization. In the film, one worker, wearing a mask to protect his identity, states "They don't treat us like human beings. The quota [of clothes to produce] is too much. When I go home I collapse. I ask God and the international community to speak up for the Haitian people.' Other workers speak of being trapped in debt all their lives just to survive. 'The day I get paid, the children still go to bed hungry,' says one.
Disney can afford to treat these people better! In 2001 alone, Disney grossed 25.3 BILLION in revenues and spend 49.1 million PER DAY in advertising!
When I discovered how the Disney company was treating it's workers around the world, I did not want to believe it! For me, Disney represents a fair and jovial company that is in the business of making children smile.
My father worked in Hollywood in the 1960's as a casting director for Walt Disney himself. When I told him about what I had uncovered about Disney around the world he told me that "Walt would turn over in his grave if he knew about this."
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