Planet money t-shirts

The information mode of development is the process of how all things are made. In lecture we defined technological relationship of production; which determines the level of surplus. Concerning Plant Money we talked about the production of something as simple as a t-shirt. The mode of development for the t-shirt goes as far back as the genetically modified seeds that it takes to make the prefect cotton; which then is processed to make the perfect yarn; to deliver the perfect fabric that goes into making the perfect t-shirt. These things are all a part of what is known as the mode of production. Next, the decentralization of production as described in lecture is the weakening of trade unions. That just means the transfer of power from one organization to another. This is related to the Planet Money clip in the way that the united states grows the cotton, and makes the yarn here, and sends it to other under developed countries to manufacture it sell it at cheap prices to the U.S where they sell it at higher prices for economic gain. In the planet Money clip we saw how the cotton was genetically modified here in the U.S made into yarn and Countries like Columbia, and Bangladesh work in factories under paid, and over worked for us to get the products that are convenient for our lifestyles. This is related to global manufacturing; because this is simply the story behind the product. Often time we take for granted the things that went into what it takes for our privileged lifestyles. Global flows of capital disrupt traditional assumptions about national boundaries because we assume that the issue is with other nations. We don’t take into account the contributions we have for the issues in other nations. We assume that it’s their problem, and it has nothing to do with what we are doing over here as far as the things that we require, and the things that some people have to go through for us to get the things that we want. In the clip we watched on Planet Money, the first example they showed was a factory that collapsed in Bangladesh. In the clip he agreed that often times we never take into account the people that are behind the items that we all love so much; we never take into account the things that a person has to endure the environment in which they live or even the work conditions for them to make our products for cheap labor to be sold affordably for us to buy.  The next, example was with Jockey. They decided to move their company from Columbia because they required too much of a payment for labor. The CEO from Jockey talked about how he did have a good working relationship with the people in Columbia, but explained that they require more than Jockey is willing to offer from a business stance. So, we never take into account the millions of jobs that will be lost, and the families that will suffer from this all because the prices of labor and conditions aren’t right for what Jockey is looking for. This reminds we of Wallenstein’s world system theories concerning countries in the core the periphery and the semi-periphery. Living in a modern world it seems as though someone has to be the exploiter, and someone else has to be exploited it not fair, but the need for power oversees all of that. Planet money was a great example to show the different commodities that we have in our everyday lives, and the story behind something as simple as a t-shirt. It was interesting to me because I never took into account what hard labor went into something like a t-shirt. The story that’s behind the clothes we wear, how every day we take for granted things that people in underdeveloped counties have to fight for. There’s a story behind every item that we have, and a life put in danger for us to live the comfortable lifestyle that we do, and the collapse of the factory was just one major example of the work environments that are provided for the people that make our “lavish” lifestyle so accessible.