Sports Ministry

So my fascination with contemporary China has continued this quarter with a soc class. I just finished one of the readings for the week (for once) about Foxconn. For those of you who don’t know, Foxconn is  a manufacturing company that originated in Taiwan in 1974 but since then has moved to mainland China. They are responsible for producing and manufacturing electronics for Apple, HP, and other large electronics companies. They make iPads, iPhones, Macbooks, you name it. The main point I want to get to is that the workers in these Foxconn factories have it way worse than I previously thought. These workers are being squeezed to maximize profits for the companies involved.

How are these assembly line workers being “squeezed”?
-Mainly through their extremely low wages.
     -Their basic monthly wage (40 hour normal work week) is about $147. 
     -Basically about $1/hour…Even a job at McDonald’s in the U.S. makes more…
     -They work about 12-15 hours a day (STANDING the whole time!). Overtime occurs everyday with no extra pay.
     -They are like robots working on an assembly line having to meet quotas daily, monthly, and yearly. If they fall behind and don’t meet their quotas, then their wages can be withheld.
     -Lunch Breaks. Many workers give up eating or going to the bathroom to keep up with the production pace.
-Workers are forced to live on the Foxconn “campus” in which they live in crowded dormitories (with no privacy) often in alienation from any of their friends they might have. Any chance of a social life is stripped away. 

Makes you feel guilty about the iPhone in your hand and the Macbook you are typing on.

-These workers are pretty much prisoners because they work for close to nothing wages and have to live within the Foxconn confines. They have literally made these campuses the workers’ homes. They have no other choice but to work at these factories because it is “better” than the countryside. All of these factors lead to depression, hopelessness, and sometimes even suicide. It’s tragic. They are powerless and collective action is impossible.

This is what consumerism has developed into and what globalization has allowed to happen: Consumers want low prices, which leads companies (Apple in partnership with Foxconn) to seek the cheapest labor source (China) so they can pay the workers rock bottom wages while fostering capital accumulation and profit maximization.

The paper made me realize how blessed I am to have been able to grow up in America. All the opportunities, education, and path to a career are blessings. Many of the workers who committed suicide or who work in these factories are around my age (early 20s). I can’t even complain about making $8.75 at Greenhouse. Next time you think you have it rough, think about all the millions of factory workers in China who would love to be you. Thank God for your situation and pray for these workers. 

I could write a ton more but I’m tired so goodnight! 

I am always truly amazed how God created us as humans. We were all intricately designed in a way that every body part works together to function as one. I have been blessed to be able to grow up in the United States and have access to doctors, dentists, etc. thus ensuring my health. The point is, it is amazing how we, as a society, through the advances of medical practices are actually able to help out each other through the donating of blood. I donated blood for the first time yesterday and was always kind of afraid of doing it because of the imagined pain it would cause. Not to mention, the needle. However, Joanna asked me to do it in order to help out her LAX team’s blood drive. At first, I thought, heck no, I need my blood and don’t like giving blood (only time blood was drawn was to test it in the hospital for something). On second thought, I said why not and would try to squeeze in an appointment after class. Luckily, Roy finishes class around the same time as me so I asked him if he wanted to do it too. I forgot to answer some questions because they said female so I immediately skipped over them but found out I had to fill out “I am male.” The lady had to read all 50 questions to me verbally because I skipped two, haha. Fast forward and I go through the entire process of donating my blood all in about an hour. After the process, I am still kind of shaky about the idea of having a needle stuck into my arm but I need to suck it up. 

Straight to the point though, I have realized that I should consider it a privilege to be able to donate blood and hopefully help save some lives. God has placed me in a situation where I am able to enjoy good health and can use that gift to help others. The compensation of 4 hours pay, T-shirt, and snacks should not be my sole motivation for donating. I pray that I would not think of the gifts and be so selfish, but to use my blood for the sake of loving others in the world who need my blood more than I do. 

So I had closing shift today for work and we usually throw out all the hot food.

As usual, I started packing boxes of food so I could take it back for dinner before lighthouse bball. This time I took a big box of fettuccine alfredo, a box of scalloped potatoes, box of mac and cheese, and a bag of rolls/butter. I put all of it on a table so I could take it home after work. (Was looking forward to feeding the apt and providing Joanna with lunch tmrw)

After I finished my tasks for closing up I go to find my food and find that it is no longer there…Sadness

I think some homeless guy(s) may have taken it. But it completely vanished, where’d it go? =(