I am looking through my closet and select random items from casual wear to formal wear. I come to realize when I purchase the clothing I prefer they are not only reasonably priced but comfortable. What I never noticed is where my clothes are made. I own very few items made in the U.S.A. The majority are from other countries, such as Mexico, China, Vietnam, and even from Peru.

I do not think we truly realize how many American iconic items are made anywhere but here in the United States! Money & Career Cheat Sheet provides a list of them we would believe are made in America but are not (https://www.cheatsheet.com/money-career/made-america-iconic-american-products-arent-actually-made-us.html/). For instance, Rawlings baseball made in Costa Rica. Barbie dolls made in Hong Kong and Mexico, the Ford F-150 trucks made in Mexico as well as in Canada. Our American flag made in China! Levi jeans in Asia, Latin America, and Haiti!

Here are a few reasons why we should buy American made goods. It creates jobs. The Economic Policy Institute 2015 report states the U.S. lost millions of manufacturing jobs between 1998 and 2013, some part due to the Great Recession but due to trade imbalances with countries like Canada and Mexico. Manufacturing provides good jobs with excellent benefits, especially for workers without a college degree (https://www.epi.org/publication/why-negotiating-great-trade-deals-is-not-the-answer/). Another reason is to reduce our carbon footprint. Items shipped from other countries, especially in the masses generates more pollution with distance. Buying American made will build a stronger economy. We have stricter environmental regulations as well as labor regulations for workers here. It will reduce the exploitation of foreign workers in other countries (https://www.moneycrashers.com/products-made-usa-american-made/).

I need to make a commitment and buy as many American made products. Not only will I be supporting American manufacturers, but I will also not be so quick in purchasing items on a whim. It will help with any impulse buying I have because I’ll have to read labels and not go by appearance. I will have to take my time research items in my community for these items.

This article talks about how the world has transitioned through the ages and its self-destruction. Wishard begins talking about how globalization enriches lives of the highest number of people (Henslin, p.535). With globalization, there is rapidly advancing technology. He believes globalization takes individuality and culture from countries.

With Science Fiction movies regularly made by Hollywood like iRobot, Terminator, Big Hero 6, to name a few people are concerned Artificial Intelligence will take over mankind. It is truly amazing to live in a time where our children can be across the country or even around the world, and we can video chat with them. There was a time we would have to wait for a written correspondence for weeks and pray photos were included in the envelope.

I still remember in the 1970s, when mothers were still skeptical in using a microwave oven in their homes for fear they may expose their family to something harmful. Today, it is in nearly every American household like any other appliance. The need to expedite meals has in some part taken away from many parents preparing a homemade meal from scratch. However, it does help when someone needs to reheat leftovers.

Technology has taken away jobs that most people use to do manually. This should be the most significant concern. If technology takes over additional jobs from humans, it will mean the inequality between the rich and the poor will only increase. Many fast-food chain restaurants already have implemented kiosks as well as smartphone apps for consumers to order their food. In turn, this means fewer employees are needed.

The minimum wage was first introduced in 1938 (https://www.thedailybeast.com/five-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-minimum-wage). Minimum wage is the lowest rate an employer can pay an employee. In 2012, two hundred fast-food workers walked off the job in New York City demanding $15 per hour and union rights. The movement grew not only national attention but worldwide as well. Currently, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York are the only states that have approved the $15 an hour minimum wage. What are the Pros and Cons for raising the minimum wage?

In raising the minimum wage, it would help the struggling worker. By no means will it make them rich but would assist them. In the past, these jobs were held by teenagers. However, that is no longer the case. According to Think Progress, the Center for Economic and Policy Research report finds that people aged 25–54 hold the largest share of fast-food worker jobs in the U.S. Eleven percent of workers earning $7.25 an hour or less are older than 20, as are 68 percent of workers earning between $7.26 and $10.09 (https://thinkprogress.org/the-majority-of-fast-food-workers are-not-teenagers-report-finds-e6cfef4f13ba/). That means the majority of these workers are trying to make a living to provide for themselves and their families. The increase would cause their income to be above the poverty line. It will encourage those to work in turn the employment rate will drop. With more Americans working it would provide revenue through taxes for communities.

The cons are some employers, especially small business may end up letting employees go because they can not afford to keep all of their employees at this rate. Another con could be larger franchises, such as McDonald’s began in 2015, to use kiosks for customers to order their food, which requires fewer employees. Many of McDonald’s sites already have these computerized systems in their restaurants (https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-kiosk-vs-cashiers-photos-2018-3). As their costs rises the increase would be offset to the consumer.

Will fast-food workers benefit from unionization? Unions would ensure appropriate wages, access to benefits, a sense of job security and there are strengths in numbers. The downfall is it does require members to pay union dues and fees which could cost hundreds of dollars annually. Many do not always agree with unions decisions during labor disputes or negotiations.

In this chapter, Robin Leidner, Over the Counter at McDonald’s provided insight into a well-known American food chain. As I started to write my blog on this chapter, my husband noticed the “Golden Arches” and broke into McDonald’s Big Mac song that came out in 1974 and he knew every word ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEBCV0ic6Tc). It is amazing how this company has had such a huge impact not only in our country but worldwide!

I remember the mass media hype surrounding the first McDonald’s opening in Moscow (https://www.boredpanda.com/first-mcdonald-restaurant-opens-soviet-union-moscow-russia-1990/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic). Over 30,000 customers were served the first day. Founder Ray Kroc created this franchise by standardizing it, ensuring replication of the items on the menu so customers would receive the same tasting burger regardless of the restaurant’s location. Every restaurant’s settings are similar, especially with the easily recognizable Golden Arches. Thought Co. states, according to the McDonald’s Corporation website (as of January 2018), McDonald’s has locations in 101 countries. More than 36,000 restaurants around the world serve 69 million people every day (https://www.thoughtco.com/number-of-mcdonalds-restaurants-worldwide-1435174). 

Initially, McDonald’s hired teenagers even though this establishment was created as a family restaurant. At the Russian opening, patrons described their surprise not only to see young employees, but they all smiled. This was another standardization from founder Kroc. To provide Quality Service and cleanliness.

According to Google dictionary Rationalization is defined as
the action of attempting to explain or justify behavior or an attitude with logical reasons, even if these are not appropriate. The not so pleasant side of McDonald’s is the treatment of their employees. Employees schedules fluctuate and are required to be flexible to stay late or leave early -depending on the customer flow. Also, employees are predominantly part-time to prevent the franchise from providing benefits such as health insurance and sick leave. Ironically, one of their famous mantra’s is ‘You deserve a break today’ and the emphasis his establishments is family oriented” However, they do not seem to treat their employees with the same sentiment. The low wages and no opportunity for full-time positions says otherwise.

Barbara Ehrenreich is a journalist who decided to enter what is considered low-wage but also considered “unskilled” workforce during the Clinton Administrations welfare reform of 1998: Building on policies that had been passed by Reagan, and a foundational principle of “personal responsibility,” TANF added work requirements for aid, shrinking the number of adults who could qualify for benefits. This legislation also created caps for how long and how much aid a person could receive, and well as instituting harsher punishments for recipients who did not comply with the requirements (https://www.history.com/news/clinton-1990s-welfare-reform-facts).

However, she found it to be anything than that. She discovered this line of work took intelligence, experience, and skills to perform the daily tasks. She also found the high demand that is placed on this working class of individuals could barely make enough money to for appropriate housing. She traveled to four different locations lasting one month or less in each area. She decided she would remain in each place if she could sustain herself on her wages and if not, she would move on to the next destination.

The majority of employees who are in these jobs, such as waitress, housekeeper, dietary aide, etc., are women who are paid minimum wages. This working class cannot maintain an appropriate standard of living, even as a full-time employee. She also realized these employers have high turn over rates due to the stressful conditions employees have to work under and at many times without benefits, such as vacation, health insurance, etc.

These are the individuals who should receive assistance for their efforts. Unfortunately, many would not qualify for their state’s welfare assistance because they are in the workforce. According to Food Research & Action Center, Although the nation’s unemployment rate continued to fall in 2017, wages were largely stagnant, and Congress and most states failed to provide needed initiatives to boost both wages and public programs for struggling individuals and families (http://frac.org/news/new-report-finds-americans-particularly-children-risk-hunger).

The working class is the backbone of the United States. In order for others to live comfortably these individuals sacrifice more than we can ever imagine. “In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same”-Albert Einstein

As corporations have grown, it appears the working class is forgotten. There was a time when employees felt a sense of loyalty to their employer because the employer was loyal to their employees. Today the drive for money has exploited workers with little to no regard. The fast food industry is just one of many companies that make their multi-millions using the labor force, but there are so many others.

There are a vast amount of products we purchase that exploit the labor force, and we have never taken into consideration. I read an article in the Washington Post on something I didn’t think about; however, I use daily, lithium. The article not only shares where lithium is mined it discusses how the miners are exploited (https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/tossed-aside-in-the-lithium-rush/). Lithium is something we are using on a daily basis. We use lithium–ion batteries in cell phones, laptops, and even for those conscientious environmental individuals in our electric cars. However, I can assure you none of us ever asked where this metal came from and how are the miners compensated? Here is an idea of how much lithium is used for our modern day amenities-cell phones use 3 grams of lithium but were you aware that a typical hybrid car uses 44 pounds and a Tesla model requires 112 pounds? We may believe we are protecting the environment by choosing an electric vehicle, yet we fail to realize it is causing harm to an entire community.

While the companies from Silicon Valley are making over a quarter of 250 dollars in lithium-ion batteries, the indigenous miners from these regions are receiving between $9,000 and $60,000 annually. Many may defend the pay they are receiving supersedes their typical wages but who is regulating the safety and employee’s rights? The demand for lithium is only growing. According to Mining.com “Current annual production of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), for all purposes, stands at about 230,000 metric tonnes.SQM recently predicted that demand will increase from between 600,000 and 800,000 tonnes of LCE over the next 10 years. To meet the need, SQM plans to double capacity from current annual production of 48,000 tonnes to 100,000 by 2019″ (http://www.mining.com/lithium-bears-wrong/).

Not only are the miners being taken advantage of financially their natural resources are being used. Water is a significant source for mining lithium. One plant uses an average of 24 gallons per second which equates to approximately, two million gallons per day. It has affected a village so much so, it has to have water delivered back into their town for the villagers use. This is a region where water is already scarce. This is another area which these corporations are using a region of the world that does not have strict environmental regulations on top of cheap labor.

Unfortunately, we believe since these companies are providing jobs and helping communities build, there are only benefits to be reaped. The sad truth is the people are being used as modern day slaves and communities are being destroyed. There will come a time where the water resources will be exhausted and the villagers forced to leave.

Exploitation of the working class continues on today. The labor force exploited are those working from agricultural fields to well-known companies. It took a movement in 2012, here in the United States to demand higher pay for the working class to increase the minimum wage (http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/12/fight-for-15-movement-boon-for-low-wage-workers.html).

Unfortunately, many migrant workers come to the United States with the American Dream to earn 10 dollars an hour which is what they made in a day in Mexico. Their desire to make a significant amount of money is what drives them here. In 2000, an elderly man came to my office stating he wanted to retire and return to Mexico. He was seeking his Social Security benefits he felt was entitled to because he had worked here for over 30 years. I asked him to bring any and all of his check stubs and tax filings so we may review them. Surprisingly, he kept every check stub and yearly filings in sequential order. We assisted him in filing for the benefits. The man was here as an undocumented worker. However, he created a social security number and always used the same one under his true identity. People would think because he was here without legal residency he would not be entitled to these benefits. He was definitely entitled and received his them because he could prove he was the only one who worked under this number and contributed as a taxpayer.

Another undocumented elder migrant worker heard how we assisted the first gentleman. He too sought out our assistance. He stated he had worked in the United States for over forty years. He was asked to do the same; bring his check stubs, and tax filings so we may begin the process. Sadly, this man was not so fortunate with his attempt. He used other various names and social security numbers. The elderly man had visible arthritis, injured knees, and back from his work in the agricultural fields of California. We asked why he had not used his name and one social security number? He stated the contractor issued them their identifications and social security number for each site they worked. We later found out the contractor, who is of Mexican descent but here with legal residency status was using his family’s information. This benefited the contractor’s relatives with his workers using their data, leaving the trusting undocumented worker to be taken advantage of.

The inappropriate treatment of workers does not only fall onto the illegal migrant worker. Some individuals are exploited by well-known corporations- Amazon, Tesla, and FedEx are just a few. These companies place employees in a position where they are not protected by labor laws, placed in stressful situations to meet deadlines, and or are injured due to extreme work conditions (https://www.newsweek.com/amazon-drivers-warehouse-conditions-workers-complains-jeff-bezos-bernie-1118849) (http://www.jwj.org/fed-up-with-fedex), (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/18/tesla-workers-factory-conditions-elon-musk).

The labor force can change these conditions. When thinking about ideology sociologically, it’s important to understand ideologies are not static, but are constantly reshaped and contested (JCB, p.65). The Fight for 15 movement started in 2012. It started in the United States and gained global recognition with many states agreeing to reach the 15 per hour as a minimum wage. Even undocumented workers were recognized by the federal courts in 2013 to have rights when undocumented workers were not paid for their hours of employment (https://hkm.com/employment-blog/undocumented-workers-right-to-sue-unpaid-wages/). Never doubt that small group of thoughtful and committed people can change the world;indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.-Margaret Mead.

Solomon Asch conducted research in the 1950s on how far would social pressure from a majority group affect a person to conform even when the answer was not correct. He demonstrated when the majority are in agreement the (unknown) participant went along with the group, even when they were wrong. Why do we fall into peer pressure?

We were in Barcelona, Spain for our company meeting. I was always considered the black sheep of our team. I got along with everyone but after every meeting, I would return to my hotel room. My teammates and manager would always get together after each meeting to go out to a bar to have drinks. I am married and the majority were single. Out of respect for my marriage, I wouldn’t participate in the bar scene gathering. This time my colleagues insisted I joined them after our meeting for dinner and drinks. They knew I didn’t care for our manager’s dictator attitude. I reminded them her need to constantly control our every move while we were on the clock and I refused to tolerate it on my time off. They swore she wouldn’t be part of our outing and begged I joined them. I agreed as long as she didn’t join us.

We all arranged to meet in the lobby of our hotel to head out for dinner. I am with the majority of the team as we are waiting for two colleagues. The elevator doors open and there are my two colleagues with our manager! I am frustrated. One colleague walked directly to me and stated she found out about our plans and invited herself. I told everyone I no longer wanted to participate. The remaining colleagues were surprised as well but insisted I join them and our manager would not dictate our night.

We had two separate taxis to drive us to a restaurant a colleague recommended. We arrive at a beautiful restaurant and made ourselves comfortable to begin reviewing the menu. Suddenly, our manager decides this isn’t what she wanted and demanded we all leave to an authentic Spanish restaurant. I looked at my colleagues with a motherly stern look of “You’re all going to get it!” One pulled me aside and apologized profusely stating the team really wanted me to join them without her. We found ourselves marching around for over two miles looking for taxis. The night ultimately became her night once again! She was giving orders I translate to ensure we would get an authentic restaurant. She picked the restaurant. At dinner, we were all cordial but not as lively after her demeanor killed it.

Immediately after dinner was over we all returned to the hotel. I received apologies from everyone for not listening to me that she would even dictate our evening. My teammates wanted to make it up to me. As soon as our manager headed up to her room they took me to the restaurant’s club. We enjoyed each other’s company for the remainder of the night. Her behavior only validated to my teammates her need for control and my low tolerance for it. “I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself.” ― Rita Mae Brown

Erving Goffman stated in the Presentation of Self, we are constantly modifying ourselves, props, and manners to perform for others.
As a mother, we have to wear many hats to keep the family functioning.

The best example I could provide is getting six children and my husband ready for a special event. The day started at 6 a.m. for me, while others were still sleeping. I am preparing breakfast for the family. I begin waking up the children for showers and their grooming rituals. They had their own bathroom and there was always a fight over it. As each child is awakened the more the hysteria and sense of haste to get themselves ready. The children are individually yelling out to me they each need help. I am trying to get myself ready and the husband is in our shower. As the clock is rushing me and not sparing me any additional second I become aggravated.

I am serving the first round of children who are waiting to shower. Children are running around looking for shoes or their special hair products. I am trying to get myself ready and helping them all out. The more I feel pressured the more agitated I become with the entire family. They don’t realize there is a six against this one ratio. When the husband joins the chaos tells the children to find things themselves which has me blowing my top. I have to yell, rant, and rave for them to cooperate. Husband and children are all now cooperating but I am livid at this point.

Everyone is ready and loaded up in the SUV. There is dead silence on the way to the festivities because they know I am angry over the chaos. We are dressed to impress but my family is walking on eggshells because of my earlier outburst. We arrive to approach the party we are attending. The hostess greets us and I receive her with a hug and kiss. I am smiling and laughing with her. She is complimenting all of us on our appearance. The children are smiling and introducing themselves. She welcomes us in and asks us to have a seat as she proceeds to welcome others in. She had no idea of our morning commotion.

All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages -William Shakespeare

We all at one time or another have made a purchase in attempts to fit in with a group. I’ve done this twice for myself and for this reason. The first one was mentioned in an earlier blog when I was in high school I had to buy the New York deep pan pizza at the mall. Everyone hung out at the mall when I was a teenager and this pizza was the new rage since it was from a new restaurant that opened. I didn’t care for the pizza but at the time it was for a sense of belonging because I was not only seen at the mall by friends, I was also seen with a box clearly labeled with the restaurant’s logo.

The second time I have done this is when I went into the corporate world. I felt immediately I needed to dress the part. I ran out and went directly to Macy’s. I rarely went to Macy’s prior to this. I would have worn business casual in my past positions, slacks, and blouse. I began trying on several outfits that were considered business attire-full suits. By the end of my shopping spree, I spent nearly a thousand dollars! Conscientiously I had a difficult time but felt the pressure to ensure I looked the part. At my first meeting, I felt buyer’s remorse almost instantaneously! Everyone was in business casual clothing.

Both times I purchased items to “fit in” which were huge regrets, as a teenager and as an adult. “If you want to live in absolute hell, believe that you are responsible for what other people feel.”- Marshall Rosenberg. Now as a middle-aged woman, I could care less what others think of me. I purchase what I am comfortable with.