The irony of our post-industrial lives – Waterloo Record

Living in a post-industrial society can get complicated sometimes.

I am reminded of that by two separate events: first, the April 24 factory collapse in Bangladesh that left more than 800 people dead; secondly, by a documentary I watched.

As we all now know, the factory that collapsed was a hellhole of a sweatshop, employing underpaid and vulnerable citizens, who were in no position to fight for better working conditions.

We are told that when the workers resisted entering the illegally constructed, eight-storey building in a suburb of Dhaka over concerns with a cracked wall, they were given no choice: get to work or get out. One can only imagine the dread and panic when their worst fears came true.

The twist in the story is that a Canadian chain was among the retailers which bought garments produced in the factory. Joe Fresh, the stylish and dirt cheap line of clothing sold by the Loblaws chain, is one of them. As I look in my closet, I note that at least one pair of my jeans carries that label.

So, shame on Loblaws, perhaps. But also shame on me.

We used to produce clothing in Canada, of course. But when the tariff walls were torn down and companies could get goods made elsewhere for a fraction of what it cost here, well, what’s a capitalist to do? What would anyone do? Compete or submit to the laws of Darwin.

The clothing industry joined a growing list of things we don’t make anymore: vacuum cleaners, TVs, bicycles — even a lot of our furniture. They have all gone, or are headed, to post-industrial limbo.

The documentary was about one of my favourite subjects — Detroit. The movie is called Detropia. Get it?

Detroit is such a shambles, in such a desperate way, that a whole media subculture has emerged documenting its almost inconceivable collapse. I call it Detroit devastation porn. Each of these stories is saturated with images of burned out houses, vacant hotels, overgrown yards and disconsolate citizens. In one scene, Buddy from the United Auto Workers has to tell his workers to take a 50-per-cent pay cut or their factory will be shut down. Next scene: the factory has shut down. You get my drift.

Detroit’s story is about a huge industry and one that’s at the heart of the U.S./Canadian industrial heartland — auto manufacturing. As the North American automakers grow incrementally smaller, we see in their wake bewildered workers who just can’t believe that hard work and innovation will no longer save the day. So, an industry that drives a large part of North America’s economy is headed for post-industrial status, too.

I ponder the terrible injustice of it all as I stare out the window at the Hyundai parked in my driveway.

OK, here’s the thing. As consumers always hunting for the best deal, we are all culpable in the inexorable march to a post-industrial continent. We have quite literally found ourselves priced out of the market.

And at least some of us wring our hands and feel intense guilt. How could we stand idly by and allow impoverished workers in far away countries be exploited like that? How could we watch the heartbreaking demise of what was once one of America’s great cities, and not demand that some justice be served?

It’s complicated, isn’t it? And ironic.

The irony is that we live in a society of our own creation. We make choices that are at times driven by a need to be thrifty, or by common sense or — let’s face it — sometimes greed, without really pausing to consider the bigger picture. We have been assured that there is life after the industries are gone, but I have to confess I’m not entirely confident in that. Will we really be able to be the white-collar workforce, the idea factory, while we make Faustian bargains with other parts of the world to do the dirty work?

I used to work in the newspaper industry. It was one of those “knowledge” jobs that could never be shipped offshore. That is until someone figured out that educated people in the Philippines can run a Mac computer just as well as someone here, and for a lot less money. Just to drive the point home, I recently received an offer from an offshore company to supply feature stories at prices between $3 and $5 apiece.

So, I think no job or sector of the economy is safe. How long will it be before someone figures out how to produce modular homes in China for a fraction of what it costs here? Are you really willing to bet against it? (Don’t forget, we ship our raw hardwood there, and buy back flooring.)

I think it’s time for Canadians to start talking about repatriating some of what we were so eager to cast off. Before we all become our own Detropias.

Doug Firby is editor-in-chief and national affairs columnist for Troy Media. (Troymedia/com)