modern day slavery

In Bales and Soodalter’s essay, they explore the ways of modern slavery. The two authors claim that modern slavery is an example of “capitalism at its worst.” By definition, capitalism is an economic system in which trade, industry and the means of production are controlled by private owners with a goal of making profit in a market society. Taking modern slavery into context, it can be determined that both capitalism and slavery maintain the same principles. Where as slavery is an economic system in which the trade of human beings creates profit of their owner and eventually their new owner. Modern slavery is truly capitalism at its worst because it demonstrates the true nature of how slavery can be financially successful in the modern day, how money rather than fair treatment is idolized, and the lack of obstacles that perpetuates the life of slavery.

The private owners of slaves in the modern day generate immense profit. In times of legal slavery, a slave would cost an equivalent of forty thousand dollars today. But in the modern day, a slave would cost you only a couple hundred dollars. Slave owners today take advantage of illegal immigrants for work. Many people from Mexico will pay a coyote, a guide, to take them across the border to find work. A crop harvester is a common employment for illegal immigrants. The owners give their workers the short end of the stick. If you were a tomato harvester in Immokalee, your hands are tied as a worker. Every week you need to pay the slum lord fifty dollars for rent. “The going rate- which has barley changed in nearly thirty years, despite the steady rise in living costs- is $25 per ton of tomatoes picked. This means filling around 125 buckets of tomatoes a day just to gross $50.”(728) ...

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...and the Caribbean are allowed to come to America and work. It promises good working conditions, hours of work with acceptable wages, government-inspected living conditions, and medical benefits. Even though this sounds like an excellent opportunity, some companies cannot be trusted. Some companies will use government loopholes to play by their own rules. The neglect of the government allows companies to abuse the system for their own advantage and their future workers misfortunes.

Slavery in the modern day can truly be defined as capitalism. When nothing is higher than money, lives are seen as objects. Modern slavery is truly capitalism at its worst because it demonstrates the true nature of how slavery can be financially successful in the modern day, how money rather than fair treatment is idolized, and the lack of obstacles that perpetuates the life of slavery.