The People -- and the Shame -- Behind Our Food

Justin, I have no doubt there are unreported deaths. My issue is this. Blogger A makes claim X. Blogger A doesn't back up his claim with statistic Y. I'm a professional doubter and cynic. I make my living forcing other people to back up the numbers they're feeding me. I never accept any argument at face value.

Agree 100%, numbers and sources are very important.

In this case the numbers don't matter to me. If 10, 100, or 1000 workers are being mistreated or dying for no other reason then profit, it is shameful. I would rather pay a little more for my fruits and veggies knowing they came from a farm where the workers are treated with some respect.

I posted this article to shed some light on a subject I knew nothing about. I never dreamed crap like this was going on in the U.S. I just wanted others to be aware.

DanB,

I deleted the previous post (about a minute after posting it) because I was making a claim for Becky (speaking for her), and it's not my place to do so. Whether or not you have said anything denigrating is up for interpretation. While you may have not intended to say anything denigrating, you may have done so (I feel you have). What is not up for interpretation is your offensive questioning of Becky's intelligence and reading comprehension skills. That's just downright disrespectful.

While you have every right to respond to what I have said, I will not be responding back to you. This is going nowhere productive. I obviously have issues with how you present your argument in this forum and do feel the spirit of your posts violates the community expectations (as my previous post did as well), so I'm going to step out of this conversation.

I apologize for publicly calling you delusional.

Fair enough Matthew. For my part I thought Becky was 1) reacting irrationally and 2) deliberately misrepresenting what I said just because I wasn't marching in lockstep with the majority opinion on a matter that she is obviously passionate about. I've made my thoughts clear in as concise an English as I can muster. I've stomped the length and breadth of Mexico and had nothing but positive experiences with its people, except for that one guy that tried to cut my liver out. But that's another story.

In general, any topic worth discussing is worth rigorous examination as opposed to bland, superficial judgment before one goes right back to eating the fruit salad (that somebody picked).

http://action.ufw.org/page/s/MariaIsabel

17-year old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez died in 2008 while laboring in the grape vineyards.

There is a crucial court hearing tomorrow, Thursday, July 29, on the circumstances surrounding Maria’s death.

Really? 24 hours with nothing to say about a 17 year old girl dying while picking grapes.

[Robin Garr]

Really? 24 hours with nothing to say about a 17 year old girl dying while picking grapes.

Makes me crazy, but I'm not sure what to add other than, "Sheesh, agribusiness," and "Queremos un contrato" with the UFW Aztec eagle in the middle. I'll gladly wear my button to the next offline.

Just making sure someone is listening.

Hands tied?

[Robin Garr]

Just making sure someone is listening.

Hands tied?

Who me? Hell, no. Can't speak for anyone else, though, but your reference to the vineyard death just struck me sad and didn't really leave much to say other than "$*&$()%."

Here's an idea: Throw a point on the table that points in a direction for discussion. I'll pick up, and I'm sure others will too. The mere factual statement of the death, meaning no disrespect, was pretty much a conversation stopper for me. I share your horror but was pretty much stunned speechless.

Just making sure someone is listening.

Hands tied?

Who me? Hell, no.

No, not just you, all of us. What can we (consumers) do to stop crap like this from happening?

[Robin Garr]

... What can we (consumers) do to stop crap like this from happening?

Starting back in the '60s and '70s, the Cesar Chavez/UFW boycotts of the grape and lettuce growers and the Sin Fronteras organizing in the New Mexico chile pepper industry, among others, have had a significant effect toward improving farm-worker pay, work conditions and living conditions, and even with this horrific death, conditions in the fields are far better than they were a generation ago.

Frankly, getting on the mailing lists of organizations like United Farm Workers (http://www.ufw.org), making an occasional contribution, and speaking up about the work they're doing even if it's a little uncomfortable to do so, can help. I'm not sure how effective it is to declare an individual boycott, although it's certainly all right to do that if it's personally inspiring. But collective action, whether by workers or supporters across the nation, can be effective.

Just making sure someone is listening.

Hands tied?

Who me? Hell, no.

No, not just you, all of us. What can we (consumers) do to stop crap like this from happening?

Good question Justin. It seems harder and harder to get this generation interested in anything at all when it comes to human rights. We hear a great deal about "our constitutional rights" and some are willing to stand on a soapbox if it's in protest of abortion rights (which I'm for) or rant against gay marriage (which I'm also for) but when it comes to the simple , day to day moral rights of every individual and worker to be treated fairly and earn a livable income those same people fall silent. Especially if it doesn't directly affect them and saves them a few pennies.

I am a child of the 50s and grew up with a generation that fervently vocalized on the war in Viet Nam, women's rights, racial rights and on and on. Now? It seems everyone is too busy twittering to be bothered.

It seems harder and harder to get this generation interested

BTW, when I say "this generation" I don't mean people of a specific age group born in a particular time frame. I mean ANYBODY living now.

I thinking along the lines of the organic or fair trade movement. Having farms that are certified in some way as treating farm workers fairly and humanely, kind of like fair trade coffee.

Especially if it doesn't directly affect them and saves them a few pennies.

I think that hit the nail on the head.

ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA!

There, Justin. Feel better?

I believe people mistakenly follow the notion if persons' don't suddenly cry out in a rage or comment on a travesty, then they do not care about the particular situation or may even be against it. .