Consumerism Is Not Free

My favorite classes in school have always been literature. My two favorite teachers of all time were literature teachers that greatly shaped the person I am today. They taught me how to learn about the world through fiction. My last literature class in college was about Latin America but specifically the US-Mexico border. The class came at the perfect moment in our world today, and especially in my world. I submitted this piece as a scholarly precise for my final project. However, my professor didn't accept it because it was not from a previously written scholarly work. This piece is my own "scholarly work" on just how dangerous consumerism is in the United States. Reading the texts mentioned (which you should absolutely look into) opened my ideas to horrors unknown to me. I hope it opens your eyes too. 

*Latin@(s) is a way to indicate gender neutrality in the term Latinos 

      Consumerism in the United States affects more than people’s wallets. It actually puts people’s lives in danger just to supply a need, or more often a desire, for a mass population. The growing demand of consumption in the Untied States can be attributed to the 23 million person increase in the past ten years (“US Population By Year” 1). It can also be attributed to the lack of fulfillment and happiness found amongst the country’s population. According to a United Nations study, the US is at its lowest happiness ranking in eleven years (1). This lack of happiness and the rise in population has increased the demand and desire for products in the country. Few people consider where or how their products are made and are just thrilled to see their Amazon Prime packages arrive in time. This lack of knowing, or perhaps caring, about product manufacturing has allowed companies to exploit individuals in vulnerable situations to satisfy demand at as low of a cost as possible. The growing demand of consumption leads to death, poverty, illness, and demeaning work for Latin@s who supply the United States with food, goods, and all of our heart’s desires. It is seldom recognized that this group actually pays a high price for us.

Under The Feet of Jesus and Each and Her illustrate two harrowing realities that often go unnoticed. Under The Feet of Jesus depicts a makeshift migrant family who travels throughout California looking for seasonal farm work to sustain themselves. Whether they are legal citizens or immigrants, they are treated as though they are beneath the rest of society and all Latin@ stereotypes are immediately applied to them and families like them. They have less than $10 to their name at the end of the book and often times have $0 in their pockets. Estrella, the main character, takes care of her friend Alejo who is working a summer job picking fruit in the fields. Due to pesticides sprayed on the foods, he becomes ill and is eventually taken to the hospital because he cannot work or survive without constant care. Alejo’s sickness unfortunately is not a rare occurrence. The pesticides used on the plants to increase growth and prevent unwanted insect infestation can cause serious harm to humans. Farmworker Justice claims that, “Pesticide exposure causes farmworkers to suffer more chemical-related injuries and illnesses than any other workforce in the nation”. The pesticides are usually toxic to humans and pesticide poisoning is very common, estimated at 10,000 to 20,000 per year (1). Pesticides are applied to increase the supply for the hungry mouths of those living in the United States and beyond. Consumerism, for people like Alejo and Estrella’s family, has serious and life-threatening consequences. 

Each and Her discusses another life-threatening type of work. It deals with the femicide occurring on the border of the Untied States and Mexico where maquiladoras are built to produce and manufacture goods. NAFTA allowed these factories to be established, creating duty-free and tax-free goods to supply the economy of the United Sates with extremely cheap labor and products. These factory workers work long hours, have few breaks, and often live in terrible conditions. However, they have nothing else to escape to. This is their "better life". This allows these women to be targets. Each and Her beautifully shows, through documentary poetry, the hundreds of women factory workers who have died on the border and the fact that their murders have never been solved. The number of deaths increase every year but little is being done. NAFTA, a desire for cheap products, and an unwillingness to learn the truth has led to hundreds of women’s senseless deaths. 

Consumerism is not cheap. In fact, for specific groups such as Latin@s, it can be deadly. The more the U.S. consumes, the stronger the economy grows. The stronger it grows the higher the demand for cheaper goods. Cheaper prices only happen because of poor quality and/or cheap labor. It can no longer be ignored that a majority of food grown in the United Sates is done so by immigrants, illegal aliens, and Latin@s with families and mouths to feed. They pick our food but never taste the fruits of their labor. It can no longer be ignored that women make our clothes, shoes, and raw materials but know no other life than one of fear and poverty. Our satisfaction with our new bag and shiny red apple is not free. In fact, someone may have paid for it with their life. The people paying are Latin@s.

Works Cited

Martínez, Valerie. Each and Her. Tucson: U of Arizona Press, 2010. Print.

"Maquiladora." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Mar. 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maquiladora>.

"Pesticide Safety." Pesticide Safety | Farmworker Justice. N.p., 2016. Web. 23 Apr. 2017. <https://www.farmworkerjustice.org/content/pesticide-safety>.

Shen, Lucinda. "Americans May be Rich, But They're Not Happy." American Happiness Is at an 10-Year Low, United Nations Study Finds | Fortune.com. Fortune, 20 Mar. 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017. <http://fortune.com/2017/03/20/america-world-happiness-report/>.

"US Population By Year." US Population by Year. N.p., 2016. Web. 23 Apr. 2017. <http://www.multpl.com/united-states-population/table>.

Viramontes, Helena María. Under the feet of Jesus. New York: Pengin , 1996. Print.