Question 1
The selection challenged my thinking about slavery as it helped me consider slavery in modern times. Before reading the selection, the idea of slavery was mainly about slaves that used to work in the Old South. The idea of slavery was that it only came from people in chains and that slavery had ended several years ago. From the selection, slavery is plaguing America today but it takes a different form. While slavery in the past included African and African American, modern-day slavery involves equal opportunity slavery. Modern slavery is a more severe form because it involves slaveholders and human traffickers keeping slaves hidden making it more difficult to locate the victim and to punish the offenders.
Slaves that work in my region can be found in different work environments. They can be found working as commercial sex slaves, fruit pickers, construction workers, gardeners, and domestics. They could also be working in restaurants in an environment that is with unhealthy work conditions. From the reading, slaves can be found in any work environment today where they are forced to work in forceful and difficult environments.
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Question 4
I fully agree with the statement by Bales and Soodalter that modern slavery is an example of capitalism at its worst. This is because the average slave in the 1850s could cost the equivalent of $40,000 in modern society but the slave today is bought for a few hundred dollars. The cheapness of modern slave makes them appear as a disposable commodity. The nature of today’s slavery is more horrific compared to that of the previous years.
The guest worker program is a program that helps foreigners find suitable jobs in the United States. However, the program has been largely misused by most employers. The government should do away with the program because employers face abuse and government neglect throughout their participation with the program. The structure of the program is such that it provides a big room for abuse among many employers.
In case the government does not do away with the program, it can undertake several measures that will reduce the mistreatment of the employees. The government can pay close attention to the employees by frequently checking their working conditions and monitoring their welfare. Close monitoring of employees should prevent employers from mistreating employees. Laws and regulations that protect the welfare of employees should also be put in place. Employers and companies that mistreat employees should be fined and prosecuted to prevent further mistreatment of employees.
Question 7
The working conditions of employees like the waitress are similar to that of migrant field workers because they face difficult working environments. The waitresses can go for many hours without getting any food. The work environment is also unsuitable as it is filled with smoke that pollutes the environment. The workers get also get paid poorly and have to sustain several jobs in order to make a significant income. The fieldworkers cannot afford cars and have to walk from one point to the next. Some have dark skin as a result of working too much in the sun. The jobs that the field workers do is also quite difficult.
Low wage workers become indentured to their employers by getting into debt and not having the correct papers. The workers get promised huge wages and get into debt which gets inflated. The workers are thus forced to work for long hours and can even work for several months without pay. The employers also destroy the guest worker’s passport and visas making them illegal. The migrant workers then cannot report any mistreatment since they are largely at fault for not having the correct papers for work.
