Recommended
More Related Content
Similar to Nobodies
Similar to Nobodies (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (16)
Nobodies
- 2. “We've stopped outsourcing. We've replaced cheap foreign labor with cheap illegal aliens in the Good Ol’ U.S. of A.”
- 3. “Proudly Made in the USA by imported workers on Chinese wages.”
- 5. NOBODIES: EXPERT GROUPS • Group 1: Legal Considerations • Group 2: Economic Considerations • Group 3: Social & Cultural Considerations • Group 4: Theological
- 6. NOBODIES: EXPERT GROUPS (A) What considerations pertaining to your area of expertise did Bowe specifically address or imply in his book? What examples (anecdotal, statistical, or other) did Bowe use that point to these considerations? (B) What other considerations in your expert field came to mind as you read the book that Bowe didn’t seem to focus on or address at all? (C) How are all the considerations brought up in this discussion important factors or issues in relation to human trafficking? Group 1: Legal Considerations Group 3: Social & Cultural Considerations Group 2: Economic Considerations Group 4: Theological Considerations
- 7. NOBODIES: JIGSAW DISCUSSION GROUPS • In your expert groups, count off by ones & be sure to remember your number! • Meet up with the others in the class who share the same number! This is your new discussion group. • Use the information discussed in your expert group, as well as material from Bowe’s book, to guide your responses to the questions posed in the remainder of this presentation.
- 8. NOBODIES: THE ROOT CAUSES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING • Bowe’s thesis is that the underlying cause of labor slavery is power: “What motivates human behavior more than simple greed or the desire for mere money is the desire for power— that is, power over other human beings.” • In your Jigsaw Group, discuss: Is Bowe successful in defending his thesis? Why or why not? What other motivations for human trafficking does Bowe link to power?
- 9. NOBODIES: IS IT SLAVERY? • Bowe: “When I published an article telling the story of García Orozco and his friends, its subtitle was: “Does Slavery Exist in America?” It might seem strange to ask. After all, a court of law had found the Ramoses guilty of holding people in involuntary servitude. But even after thinking about the subject for two years, I felt slightly hesitant about using the word slavery. Wouldn’t it be just as appropriate to say that García Orozco and his friends had simply been intimidated, threatened, and unpaid for a few weeks’ work? The answer to my question, I would eventually realize, is no.” • In your groups, discuss: In last week’s book, Brennan was critical of the use of the term slavery to describe human trafficking. Bowe, however, defends its use to describe the abuses of workers described in the book. Do you think slavery is an appropriate term to use to refer to human trafficking? Why or why not?
- 10. Coalition of Immokalee Workers
- 11. NOBODIES: SOLUTIONS • In your groups, discuss: What solutions does Bowe offer to help solve the problems of human trafficking? Keeping in mind Bowe’s proposed solutions and the work of the CIW; do you feel these suggestions are realistic in light of his thesis that human beings have a desire for power? Why or why not?
- 12. NOBODIES: POTPOURRI • In your groups, discuss: What else in the book did you find particularly powerful, surprising, meaningful, or puzzling?
- 13. NOBODIES: WRAP UP • What are the main themes addressed in Bowe’s book? • Would you recommend this book to a fellow seminarian, not in this class? Why or why not?
- 14. NOBODIES: INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE? • John Bowe appeared on C-Span & the Daily Show with Jon Stewart to discuss Nobodies, & the video is available online: http://www.c-span.org/video/?201704-1/book-discussion-nobodies http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/660s6x/john-bowe
Editor's Notes
- Please join me in prayer: Almighty and loving God, your son Jesus Christ promised to give rest to the weary. As we look into the issues surrounding human trafficking, as we learn of the suffering and greed of our brothers and sisters, are emotions are stirred. We pray that you guide us so that through our daily living and, when necessary, exceptional means, we choose to act in loving ways that nurture all your children and creation. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen." In his book, Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor & the Dark Side of the New Global Economy, John Bowe explains the contemporary contexts of U.S. labor slavery through historical, scholarly, and investigative research.
- From the title of Bowe’s book, one would conclude that Globalization is a driving force in modern day labor slavery in the United States, an assertion few of us would deny. In a world increasingly divided between the haves and the have-nots, employers and managers can manipulate, take advantage of, oppress, and abuse workers knowing that, should a worker leave, many other unemployed, desperate people are ready to fill the vacancy. In his work, Bowe focuses on the experiences of foreign-born workers in the United States, in particular, Mexican and Central-American tomato and orange pickers in Florida, India-born welders in Oklahoma, …
- …and Asian garment workers in Saipan. As you know from our reading last week, the workers in the U.S. on work visas or without legal permission are particularly vulnerable to abuse. Laura Germino, an organizer with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers explains, “Modern-day slavery cases don’t happen in a vacuum. They only occur in degraded labor environments, ones that are fundamentally, systematically exploitive. In industries where the labor force is contingent, day-haul, with sub-poverty wages, no benefits, no right to overtime, no right to organize—that’s where you see slavery taking root.” - John Bowe. Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy, Kindle Edition (New York: Random House, 2007), Location 786-789.
- At this time, we are going to count of by fours in order to form four “Expert” Groups Will all the ones meet here, twos here, threes there, and fours over there.
- Each group is going to discuss an aspect of human trafficking utilizing Bowe’s text to find examples, information, and arguments from all sides of any issue. Group 1 will be addressing legal considerations; Group 2 – economic considerations; Group 3 – social and cultural considerations; and Group 4 will look into the text to uncover theological considerations that underlie the anecdotes and statistics.
- In your groups, you will have approximately 7 minutes to discuss the following: What considerations pertaining to your area of expertise did Bowe specifically address or imply in his book? What examples (anecdotal, statistical, or other) did Bowe use that point to these considerations? What other considerations in your expert field came to mind as you read the book that Bowe didn’t seem to focus on or address at all? How are all the considerations brought up in this discussion important factors or issues in relation to human trafficking?
- In your expert groups, count off by ones starting with ones until each person in the group has a different number. Be sure to remember your number! Meet up with the others in your class who share the same number. This is your new discussion group. If you did this right, there should be no more than one expert from each area of expertise in your group. Depending on the number of experts in class today, you may not have a full complement of four experts in your group. As we continue through this morning’s presentation, we will occasionally pause to discuss a topic or question. Use the information discussed in your expert groups as well as information from the book and other sources to discuss these topics in your group. At the end of each discussion, the groups will be asked to share their insights with the entire class. A different group member will serve as “reporter” for each question.
- Bowe’s thesis is that the underlying cause of labor slavery is power: “What motivates human behavior more than simple greed or the desire for mere money is the desire for power—that is, power over other human beings.” -John Bowe. Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy, Kindle Edition (New York: Random House, 2007), Location 2730-2731. In your Jigsaw Group, discuss: Is Bowe successful in defending his thesis? Why or why not? What other motivations for human trafficking does Bowe link to power? What did your groups have to say on the subject of power and human trafficking?
- Over the course of researching for this book, Bowe came to the realization that the situations of manipulation, maltreatment, and exploitation of workers he was investigating were, in his mind, cases of modern slavery. “When I published an article telling the story of García Orozco and his friends, its subtitle was: “Does Slavery Exist in America?” It might seem strange to ask. After all, a court of law had found the Ramoses guilty of holding people in involuntary servitude. But even after thinking about the subject for two years, I felt slightly hesitant about using the word slavery. Wouldn’t it be just as appropriate to say that García Orozco and his friends had simply been intimidated, threatened, and unpaid for a few weeks’ work? The answer to my question, I would eventually realize, is no.” - John Bowe. Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy, Kindle Edition (New York: Random House, 2007), Location 1518-23. In your Jigsaw groups, discuss: In last week’s book, Brennan was critical of the use of the term slavery to describe human trafficking. Bowe, however, defends its use to describe the abuses of workers described in the book. Do you think slavery is an appropriate term to use to refer to human trafficking? What did your groups have to say about the use of the term slavery? Me: Topical Quote: Dr. Kevin Bales believed that the workers at JPC were the victims of modern slavery. In his testimony at the trial, he said that according to the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 200, “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.” Bowe continues, “What was so tricky to understand? The men had been forced to work in a situation they had not freely consented to and had been made to feel unfree to leave.” - John Bowe. Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy, Kindle Edition (New York: Random House, 2007), Location 2473-2476.
- Bowe cites the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as a model for ways of helping exploited workers. Here is a short video discussing a few of the many ways the CIW is working with Florida agricultural workers to improve conditions. From PBS Video, A Voice For Workers, PBS, http://video.pbs.org/video/2365031701/ (accessed February 13, 2015)
- In your groups, discuss: What solutions does Bowe offer to help solve the problems of human trafficking? Keeping in mind Bowe’s proposed solutions and the work of the CIW; do you feel these suggestions are realistic in light of his thesis that human beings have a desire for power? Why or why not? What did your groups think? Me: At the face of it, it seems that the wealthy, powerful business owners have rigged the system and their lust for power will always result in the exploitation of workers. On the other hand, the exploited workers desire power as well, and to empower laborers at risk of being abused with knowledge about their rights, when coupled with fair labor laws and adequate enforcement, could help eliminate the abuse of workers.
- John Bowe’s book was filled with a variety of anecdotes, statistics, and arguments. In your groups, discuss: Is there anything else in the book did you find particularly powerful, surprising, meaningful, or puzzling? As we near the end of this presentation, what would your group like to add to our class discussion? Me: In his conclusion, Bowe paints a bleak picture of oppressed people resorting to violence and warns that in many ways, the uprisings have already begun. I agree that much of the violence and extremism in the world is at least, in part, caused by poverty and oppression. But, as a Christian, I do not share Bowe’s somewhat pessimistic outlook on the future. My faith in a loving, merciful God gives me hope that, with hard work and sacrifice on all our parts, things can get better.
- We have covered a lot in a very short time, and so, before we end, I would like to help you bring what we have discussed together in a way that will hopefully help it stick in your brain. To do this closing exercise, you will need a piece of paper or your computer so you can write down your individual responses to the following questions: What are the main themes addressed in Bowe’s book? Would you recommend this book to a fellow seminarian, not in this class? Why or why not?