American Factory (Documentary, 2019)
Netflix
The Industrial Revolution transformed countries from the Western World by leaps and bounds. That, together with colonisation, it improved their living conditions radically. In the USA, industries flourished. Immigrants trickled in from the world over to work to their last drop of sweat. Being employed was a cool thing to be. The first and second generations were hardworking.
All the way things happened. The subsequent generations became complacent. They did not have to work to survive. Work became optional. After all, the country took care of everybody.
All these while, the countries in the East missed the Industrial Revolution bus. Not only were they thrown under the bus, they also had to be contended staying subservient supplying the raw material to fuel the big wheels of the machinery of their masters.
Times change. The slaves, looking up at their masters all these while, have caught up. They have learnt the trade and have overtaken their teachers. Poverty, as the New Economic Order defines it, is a good enough motivator to succeed. The sons of slaves have risen to bite the sons of slave owners. The tiger roars again.
This interesting documentary, produced by the Obamas' company, Higher Ground Productions, recalls the time in the late 2000s when many automobile industry workers were out of jobs. The American automobile was in the doldrums. In Daytona, Ohio, a vast glass factory supplying automobile part had been closed for almost two years. A Chinese showed interest in reopening the plant.
Workers initially showed relief in being able to be employed again. The Chinese bosses had a strict set of rules for the workers to follow. The American workers were not happy. Amongst the workers were also Chinese workers from the parent company, who were working like robots. They worked non-stop and went on working even through lunch break. The Chinese went beyond the call of duty, without complaining, endangering themselves and doing the work that generally involved two American workers.
The Chinese boss was unhappy. The American workers wanted to start a workers' union, which was denied. The management tried to expose the top-level American workers to the Chinese workers via a working visit to their parent plant in Mainland China.
The Americans realised that they cannot work like the Chinese. The cry for a union became louder. The workers were penalised for being slow or taking long, sick leaves. The workers talk about human rights. Pink slips started flying. Sales were down. Quality of the end-product was not up to the mark.
Finally, it came down to automation. Rather than engaging humans with innumerable complaints, the Chinese owners decided to go full-on into automation. Only then did the business started seeing profit trickling.
What started as a noble intention of giving employment opportunities to the jobless American workers, turned out to fall flat. The workers, because of their demands and non-compromise, lost their job to automation. On the other hand, the management needed to see returns on their investment.
Poverty may not be a qualification, but it is undoubtedly a driving force to reach higher grounds. A growling stomach is good enough a reason to dance for your next meal. The hunger fizzles out when the comforts of life are showered liberally, one starts demanding.
At the end of the show, viewers are reminded that the East has awoken from their slumber. They are undergoing a renaissance of sorts, and they are out to rule the world, once again.
Netflix
The Industrial Revolution transformed countries from the Western World by leaps and bounds. That, together with colonisation, it improved their living conditions radically. In the USA, industries flourished. Immigrants trickled in from the world over to work to their last drop of sweat. Being employed was a cool thing to be. The first and second generations were hardworking.All the way things happened. The subsequent generations became complacent. They did not have to work to survive. Work became optional. After all, the country took care of everybody.
All these while, the countries in the East missed the Industrial Revolution bus. Not only were they thrown under the bus, they also had to be contended staying subservient supplying the raw material to fuel the big wheels of the machinery of their masters.
Times change. The slaves, looking up at their masters all these while, have caught up. They have learnt the trade and have overtaken their teachers. Poverty, as the New Economic Order defines it, is a good enough motivator to succeed. The sons of slaves have risen to bite the sons of slave owners. The tiger roars again.
This interesting documentary, produced by the Obamas' company, Higher Ground Productions, recalls the time in the late 2000s when many automobile industry workers were out of jobs. The American automobile was in the doldrums. In Daytona, Ohio, a vast glass factory supplying automobile part had been closed for almost two years. A Chinese showed interest in reopening the plant.
Workers initially showed relief in being able to be employed again. The Chinese bosses had a strict set of rules for the workers to follow. The American workers were not happy. Amongst the workers were also Chinese workers from the parent company, who were working like robots. They worked non-stop and went on working even through lunch break. The Chinese went beyond the call of duty, without complaining, endangering themselves and doing the work that generally involved two American workers.
The Chinese boss was unhappy. The American workers wanted to start a workers' union, which was denied. The management tried to expose the top-level American workers to the Chinese workers via a working visit to their parent plant in Mainland China.
The Americans realised that they cannot work like the Chinese. The cry for a union became louder. The workers were penalised for being slow or taking long, sick leaves. The workers talk about human rights. Pink slips started flying. Sales were down. Quality of the end-product was not up to the mark.
Finally, it came down to automation. Rather than engaging humans with innumerable complaints, the Chinese owners decided to go full-on into automation. Only then did the business started seeing profit trickling.
What started as a noble intention of giving employment opportunities to the jobless American workers, turned out to fall flat. The workers, because of their demands and non-compromise, lost their job to automation. On the other hand, the management needed to see returns on their investment.
Poverty may not be a qualification, but it is undoubtedly a driving force to reach higher grounds. A growling stomach is good enough a reason to dance for your next meal. The hunger fizzles out when the comforts of life are showered liberally, one starts demanding.
At the end of the show, viewers are reminded that the East has awoken from their slumber. They are undergoing a renaissance of sorts, and they are out to rule the world, once again.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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