Response to Factory Fire

     American society's response (or lack thereof) to the fire at the factory in Bangladesh recalls the idea of desensitization that we discussed earlier in the course. The story about the factory was "hot" for a couple of days, and then, like all other news stories, died down. As with many other global events, many Americans seem to accept such tragedies as part of everyday life in those countries. Therefore, I don't think the fire had much of an impact on the majority of Americans. I certainly doubt that it had any affect on where they shop. I think the people most affected were probably those  who were already concerned about labor issues overseas. Save for these few people who make a conscious effort (as difficult as this is) to shop fair trade, USA products etc, I'd assert that the majority of Americans are not "responsible consumers."

    As for the American companies whose products were found at the site of the factory file, I think it's extremely disheartening that even these companies who claimed to believe they were no longer doing business with this particular factory were still involved. How can we, the government, or anyone really hope to address this injustice if even when companies think they're operating fairly, some middleman sees that they are not. These companies who are aware of the issue, and attempting to address is (unlike Nike) should be commended. However, perhaps consumers should make clear to them that, obviously, they are not doing enough.