Sewing the Threads of Daughterly/Sisterly/Motherly Loyalty

Enloe’s Globetrotting Sneakers & Daughters and Generals

When we entered the war, Woodrow Wilson insisted that we make the world safe for democracy. What actually happened after WWII was a world made safe for capitalism. Right after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Reebok and many other multi-national corporations took it as a sign to start moving in. Though the general examples Enloe gives really reveals how the poor, working class receive the shorter end of the stick, she is actually focusing on how women are faring with two systems of oppression working to redefine womanhood to profit industrialized nation’s companies like Nike and Reebok. The Asian women’s lives that she shares illustrate how oppressive patriarchy and capitalism are, especially when it works in conjunction to profit big businesses, Whites, men.

While reading these chapters, I couldn’t help but see this as an entire propaganda campaign against women and the poor. Reebok’s advertisers are the children tugging at their mother’s sleeve to beg for some sneakers that cost more than twice their average monthly income. Big businesses see that the Asian culture is already primed for their propaganda with their already traditional image of womanhood and their roles in society. All they have to do is amplify that image, tie it to Confucius and make sure patriarchy reigns supreme. Women are already not supposed to go out alone at night, which makes it hard for the workers to unionize or meet. Corporations push the message for women to marry early in order to increase turnover rates so that women don’t profit from “senior pay.” China, South Korea, Indonesia, and Vietnam push the message through that a dutiful daughter is supposed to go off into the city and work in these factories. To punish those who reject this propaganda, they are sexually assaulted and forced into submission. Yet, this relocating and serving of big corporations is advertised and sold as the most honorable thing to do. But, Enloe challenges us to think: whom does this type of thinking actually profit? Enloe talks about dangerous working conditions, 10 cents an hour to an American’s $7.50, and humiliating experiences. It’s obviously not benefitting the workers.

Enloe also discusses whether or not our actions reflect our intention to preserve human rights. She points out how American companies like Nike and Reebok give out annual “Human Rights” awards yet they seem to miss that their 400 Chinese, women workers are all locked in dilapidated dormitories. Our response to critics who question the way our companies’ practice is as Enloe quotes it, they would be “harvesting coconut meat in the tropical sun,” without their American corporation saviors (41). This answer is highly ethnocentric and reveals a lack of sympathy or interest in human rights. Our companies also foster a woman-to-woman distrust and encourage them to compete and think harshly of their peers in hopes of directing their interest away from organizing and fighting together for human rights.

Enloe shows in these chapters how capitalism drives companies to identify that vulnerable, docile women are the best source of cheap labor and manipulates patriarchy to drive women into their sweatshops – right under our noses. Brilliant.

Shyam’s Safe Keepers and Wage Earners
This second reading is a great transition from the last. Whereas Enloe’s chapters talks more broadly about women’s experiences, Shyam provides us with a more personal narrative so that we can see how this propaganda affects a South Asian women and her family.

Enloe’s reading reminded me of propaganda of capitalism and patriarchy and Shyam reveals how, at a young age, she internalizes this. When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, Shyam replied that she wanted to be a housewife, just like her mother. Shyam shows how this cultural propaganda doesn’t just affect the people of that culture, but also spurs stereotypes from outsiders. As a result, employers stereotype South Asian women as “passive and submissive, unambitious, and unassertive,” (180).

Shyam also talks about her mother as an example of the unpaid second shift – the stay-at-home-mom. When her mother was forced to enter the professional workforce in a software company, she was still responsible for breakfast, school lunches, hot meals for dinner, and all the housekeeping. This “second shift job” is not paid and this is not just exclusive to women in the South Asian community.

Shyam then talks about an issue that she sees to be prevalent in the South Asian community – domestic violence against women. Unlike most Americans, she sees that most South Asian women lack the language, connections, and knowledge of resources to find help. Thus, they are stuck in oppressive relationships and as they do nothing, their children witness this and perpetuate this. To counteract this, Shyam shows how an organization like Manavi plans to give South Asian women the key out of their oppressive relationships. Manavi holds workshops and informational sessions to give these women the skills needed for living a more autonomous life.

These two readings focus on the exploitation of women – especially women of color and how there are institutions in place to keep it this way. Little did we know, the Nike’s, the Forever 21s, the Levi’s that we all support monetarily are all involved in a campaign promoting patriarchy and exploitation of women in all facets.