In high school, I learned about globalization and how corporations extract natural resources and invest in cheap labor in developing countries to reduce the product price and keep their inventories flowing. Theoretically speaking, it makes sense for a company to relocate its factory to where it can find cheaper labor in order to stay competitive in the market. However, when we’re paying the things we buy, the real costs of manufacturing aren’t truly captured in the price. We subsidize the price with jeopardizing the natural resource base, clear air, labor rights, proper health care, and children’s future. It’s shocking (yet not that surprising) to see companies that I’m so familiar with were reenacting this 1984 craziness in real life, and they did it so unapologetically…
Nevertheless, the power of the documentary is strongly demonstrated in “Maquilapolis” and I’m glad that it has become an important case study of social movement for so many classes. This film not only exposes the invisible truth of globalization but also shows that the working class and the women are capable of making great impacts. The tactics I saw the filmmakers and the group employed were Make the invisible visible, Lead with sympathetic character, Media-jacking, and Occupation. One that I thought was really effective is when the group led the workers to demonstrate outside the PROFEPA offices to demand attention and actions from the representatives. Though the demonstration was peaceful, it successfully forced their target to respond and make decisions that are to their advantage. It's really incredible to see the growth of the community that these women created, and how they've learned to find ways to have their voices be heard and to make the invisible visible.
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