Stand Up & Live Better: A Glimpse Into Walmart's Harsh & Unlivable Work Conditions.
It is obvious that America is one of the great capitalist world powers, but at the expense of whom?
Karl Marx ‘s concepts of alienation and exploitation, or estranged labor, are the reality for the many people affected by America’s economic dreams, not only in America, but also worldwide (70). Marx wrote of the exploitation and alienation innate to the capitalist system, a system of private ownership. He believed that the true danger of the idea of capitalism was it’s exploitative ways (71). The worker is forced to work at an unlivable wage while the excess of labor becomes the capitalists’ gain (205). This exploitation is further expanded by the unfair and demeaning working conditions the workers or "proletarians" face on a daily basis (208).
The worker is no longer a unique human being, but a commodity, to be used, traded and disposed of when the wear and tear shows (206).
Marx’s ideas were based less on concepts and more on simply looking at how people lived in their everyday lives and understanding their struggle (207).
Sadly, workers are not only exploited through the capitalist system, they are also alienated in numerous ways. Marx discusses the four distinct ways capitalism alienates the worker, from the product, the act of producing, from himself and from others (75). This alienation estranges the worker from how he/she would live their lives naturally, as well as from his humanity and from being able to relate to those around them (76).
In essence, Marx believes workers lives begin outside of their work in a capitalist society. There is little enjoyment in producing a product you yourself will not sell, but instead in selling yourself (207). And it is not simply about who has more money, it is about who owns the production. Marx believed in an ideal world where humans are able to enjoy what they do, producing it for the good of all, not simply because of dollar signs. In the eyes of Marx, through the capitalist system we are selling not only our skill, our labor power, but ourselves, our souls, to produce for the benefits of the bourgeoisie, the capitalist owners of the means of production (206).
Marx’s 19th century ideas regarding the welfare of workers in a world of capitalism are shockingly still very true in the 21st century.
Walmart has been said to be the world’s third largest corporation, with over 2 million employees (progressive.org). While the company made $258 billion dollars in sales in 2009, the workers of Walmart have continued to struggle living on the bare minimum (progressive.org). One has to wonder how a company can continue to keep its prices so low, yet rake in such huge numbers. There is only one answer: at the detriment of the workers of course. While the owners of Walmart stuff their pockets with money, full-time Walmart workers make only $10.80 per hour, putting many families below the poverty line (ABC News). Workers are constantly exploited to squeeze out as much “savings” as the corporate giant can by cutting corners to rip off the workers that keep the company functioning.
It seems that to Walmart, these workers are much like Marx described in his work, commodities, to be sold and used. They are not human beings with dreams, needs and families to support. They are just a number. Workers are exploited financially and by being exposed to constant health hazards at work. They are alienated from not only their fellow workers but also themselves. Stress and inhumane treatment, where workers must choose between paying their rent that month or taking their sick child to the doctor, is commonplace (progressive.org).
This year the Walmart workers came together to produce a “Stand Up, Live Better” campaign to expose the harsh realities faced by Walmart’s workers across the country. As one employee says, “We are humans,” not the commodities that capitalism has turned us into. The experience of the Walmart worker is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of what Marx was attempting to explain in the late 19th century. One would think we would have progressed greatly since then, but it seems that his view of capitalism still stands true today. What we have to understand though, is that the prices at Walmart come at the expense of the workers and we have a choice. Every day we vote with our dollars, choose to support the Walmart workers that want to earn their living with dignity. Choose to shop at small businesses rather than at Walmart until workers are treated with respect—stand up for what is right.
Karl Marx ‘s concepts of alienation and exploitation, or estranged labor, are the reality for the many people affected by America’s economic dreams, not only in America, but also worldwide (70). Marx wrote of the exploitation and alienation innate to the capitalist system, a system of private ownership. He believed that the true danger of the idea of capitalism was it’s exploitative ways (71). The worker is forced to work at an unlivable wage while the excess of labor becomes the capitalists’ gain (205). This exploitation is further expanded by the unfair and demeaning working conditions the workers or "proletarians" face on a daily basis (208).
The worker is no longer a unique human being, but a commodity, to be used, traded and disposed of when the wear and tear shows (206).
Marx’s ideas were based less on concepts and more on simply looking at how people lived in their everyday lives and understanding their struggle (207).
Sadly, workers are not only exploited through the capitalist system, they are also alienated in numerous ways. Marx discusses the four distinct ways capitalism alienates the worker, from the product, the act of producing, from himself and from others (75). This alienation estranges the worker from how he/she would live their lives naturally, as well as from his humanity and from being able to relate to those around them (76).
In essence, Marx believes workers lives begin outside of their work in a capitalist society. There is little enjoyment in producing a product you yourself will not sell, but instead in selling yourself (207). And it is not simply about who has more money, it is about who owns the production. Marx believed in an ideal world where humans are able to enjoy what they do, producing it for the good of all, not simply because of dollar signs. In the eyes of Marx, through the capitalist system we are selling not only our skill, our labor power, but ourselves, our souls, to produce for the benefits of the bourgeoisie, the capitalist owners of the means of production (206).
Marx’s 19th century ideas regarding the welfare of workers in a world of capitalism are shockingly still very true in the 21st century.
Walmart has been said to be the world’s third largest corporation, with over 2 million employees (progressive.org). While the company made $258 billion dollars in sales in 2009, the workers of Walmart have continued to struggle living on the bare minimum (progressive.org). One has to wonder how a company can continue to keep its prices so low, yet rake in such huge numbers. There is only one answer: at the detriment of the workers of course. While the owners of Walmart stuff their pockets with money, full-time Walmart workers make only $10.80 per hour, putting many families below the poverty line (ABC News). Workers are constantly exploited to squeeze out as much “savings” as the corporate giant can by cutting corners to rip off the workers that keep the company functioning.
It seems that to Walmart, these workers are much like Marx described in his work, commodities, to be sold and used. They are not human beings with dreams, needs and families to support. They are just a number. Workers are exploited financially and by being exposed to constant health hazards at work. They are alienated from not only their fellow workers but also themselves. Stress and inhumane treatment, where workers must choose between paying their rent that month or taking their sick child to the doctor, is commonplace (progressive.org).
This year the Walmart workers came together to produce a “Stand Up, Live Better” campaign to expose the harsh realities faced by Walmart’s workers across the country. As one employee says, “We are humans,” not the commodities that capitalism has turned us into. The experience of the Walmart worker is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of what Marx was attempting to explain in the late 19th century. One would think we would have progressed greatly since then, but it seems that his view of capitalism still stands true today. What we have to understand though, is that the prices at Walmart come at the expense of the workers and we have a choice. Every day we vote with our dollars, choose to support the Walmart workers that want to earn their living with dignity. Choose to shop at small businesses rather than at Walmart until workers are treated with respect—stand up for what is right.