Maggie Nelsen

Maquilapolis

This documentary was great because it touched on many different inter-related problems. Globalization is certainly the driving factor at play; however it is not the only thing going on. This modern age allows corporations and countries to extend their business endeavors across borders for better deals, more space, more money, and more — cheaper— labor. If anything this documentary demonstrates the power and reach private companies have. The fact that these Mexican factories are shifting to a new part of the world—Asia—where labor is even cheaper is indicative of globalization and how unstoppable mega, global companies are. I thought it was also fascinating to see that an entire town revolves around the factories. Every day the majority of adults all go to work at the same place. The wages only provide for meager living situations, where most people construct ramshackle houses from old dumped garage doors and flimsy roofs.  I thought it was particularly despicable that every time it rains the factories release all their waste water, absolutely flooding residential streets, yards, creeks, water just flowing anywhere it pleases. It is almost unbelievable how readily these factories release incredible amounts of pollution—water waste, fumes, smoke, chemicals, lead—right into the town where families live. They release tons of water waste as if no one lives there, there is no consideration for the many human lives that surround the factories. Even more problematic was the government did nothing to clean up the hazardous waste, already putting townspeople and children at risk for leukemia.

Globalization has definitely brought on these unfortunate circumstances, the whole multinational companies phenomenon. However, I think the bigger culprit in this scenario is the Mexican government. Apparently a pretty good federal labor law exists in Mexico, but it is not enforced. The people of this small labor town all pay taxes yet there are no sewage lines, clean water systems or electricity wires that run anywhere but to the factories. The movie made it quite clear that a huge portion of the problem is the government, not globalization. For a lot of the movie I thought about how this wouldn’t happen the in the states; the US government would never get away with ignoring massive amounts of pollution or not enforcing  labor laws, and most of all not providing basic infrastructure to tax paying citizens. I can actually think of a few exceptions in the states, come to think of it; but the point is when negative effects of globalization collide with the absence of governmental support or awareness, the problems for those who are victims quadruple. If this kind of corporation-induced impoverishment is flourishing in some places in Mexico, a stable, democratic country, imagine the dire circumstances in parts of the world where corrupt governments exist and lawlessness is rampant. Domestic politics can exacerbate globalization most definitely, and it is this relationship which one must focus on to understand the whole phenomenon and find solutions.