“Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti” by the National Labor Committee Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Employment exploitation, sweatshops, cheap labor, and modern slavery remain serious problems in contemporary society affecting people in developing countries. The documentary Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti by the National Labor Committee (1996) explores this subject and reveals the unethical working conditions of the Walt Disney Company’s garment factories in Haiti. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the main points from the documentary and discuss what I learned from it.

The problem of human labor exploitation exists in developing countries all over the world, and many companies are involved in unethical practices to get more profit without any regard for their employees. The National Labor Committee (1996) film features Haitian workers who share their concerns and dissatisfaction with miserable wages and poor working conditions at Disney Company’s factories. Watching this documentary made me uncomfortable at first since I learned the harsh truth that has been behind something that I believed innocent and positive.

In Haitian Disney Company’s garment factories, workers do not get a minimum wage to satisfy their basic needs and provide for their families. They are not allowed to unionize and defend their fundamental human rights since they would be at risk of being fired or persecuted. At the same time, the company takes the goods manufactured in Haiti and sells them in the United States at a price ten times higher than what the Haitian who produced them would be paid. I find this fact inhumane and agree with a person from the video who stated that if Americans cannot provide a living wage for the clothes they are getting, they should not be wearing those clothes.

The Haitian workers are trapped in poverty and have no power to defend themselves. Most people in the documentary do not show their faces not to suffer from the employer’s punishment. Nevertheless, the National Labor Committee (1996) reports that soon after speaking to journalists, several Disney workers were fired. They are in miserable conditions, which makes them accept the cruel working conditions to afford at least a small amount of food and pay off the never-ending debt. Another thing I learned from this video is that the Walt Disney Company can afford the minimum wage for its workers. Human mistreatment and labor exploitation should not happen in the 21st century, and every company should be held accountable for its actions and policies.

Reference

The National Labor Committee. (1996). Mickey Mouse goes to Haiti: Walt Disney and the science of exploitation [Documentary]. The National Labor Committee.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, November 18). “Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti” by the National Labor Committee. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mickey-mouse-goes-to-haiti-by-the-national-labor-committee/

Work Cited

"“Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti” by the National Labor Committee." IvyPanda, 18 Nov. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/mickey-mouse-goes-to-haiti-by-the-national-labor-committee/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) '“Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti” by the National Labor Committee'. 18 November.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "“Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti” by the National Labor Committee." November 18, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mickey-mouse-goes-to-haiti-by-the-national-labor-committee/.

1. IvyPanda. "“Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti” by the National Labor Committee." November 18, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mickey-mouse-goes-to-haiti-by-the-national-labor-committee/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "“Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti” by the National Labor Committee." November 18, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mickey-mouse-goes-to-haiti-by-the-national-labor-committee/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1