Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti Blog #5

When I watched the youtube video entitled "Disney Goes to Haiti" I was both shocked and appalled at the conditions that these haitian workers had to endure in order to just try and make a living. Many people here in the United States have good feelings when the name Disney is brought up or they see anything visual related to Mickey Mouse, but it is clear that Disney goes to great lengths to keep their dark underside hidden from the general public in America. Disney would not allow these journalist into their own factories and the reporter even mentioned at the end of the video that some of the workers who spoke out were identified and fired. Those who were interviewed wore masks or had their backs turned trying to not be identified, but it was clear that the conditions were bad enough that they felt it was their duty to speak out against them.

It is sad that a large cooperation such as Disney who makes their money off children's dreams and good clean entertainment treat their factory workers this way. They do not pay their Haitian workers a living wage, which the workers claim could be as little as 58 cents an hour. Many of their workers are forced to share housing with three other families and cannot afford to even feed their families. Yet, Disney chooses to charge thirteen dollars a shirt in America what cost them as little as twenty eight cents to make in Haiti. It is clear that the Disney cooperation is taking advantage to the poverty in Haiti and the willingness of the workers to accept these wages.

What I found most interesting however was the fact that when the factory workers were asked what they would tell the president of the company, they did not say that they wanted Disney to leave Haiti. The workers acknowledged that working for Disney was much better than working for the Haitian government and that Disney needed to remain in Haiti and even offer more jobs. It is clear that if cooperations like Disney began to lead the way in giving their factory workers more human rights and better wages then the Haitian government would be forced to follow. Disney is clearly a powerful presence in Haiti and it is sad that they are willing to treat their workers like the Haitian government rather than use their position of power to try to make things better.

It would be interesting to go to Haiti today and see if anything has changed for these workers now that the national spotlight had been focused once again on Haiti after the earthquakes.


References:
National Labor Committee, 1996. Micky Mouse Goes to Haiti Part I. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_OXhtgHBxk

National Labor Committee, 1996. Micky Mouse Goes to Haiti Part II. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8zcwniS3Es&feature=relmfu

Blog #4 Family Member with a Mental Illness

Growing up, I was never aware of my Aunt’s mental illness until I was older and took a psychology class and discovered that she had signs and symptoms of the illness. She suffered from bi-polar disorder, but many of my family members tried to keep this hidden from most people. I always felt like they were ashamed of her mental illness and really never came to terms with it. I don’t even think my aunt fully understood her mental illness either, and took the pills because she was told to rather than understanding she had a serious problem. My grandparents come from a generation that mental illness was not really acceptable and understood, so this is probably why they were not as tolerant of my Aunt.

I think my family’s response to the mental illness caused my aunt more harm than the actual illness itself. I also feel that my Aunt’s failed marriage caused a lot of depression on top of the bi-polar disorder which may have been the cause for her spiraling out of control of her own life. I do not think the mental illness caused the failure of her marriage however because she did not seem to have signs of a mental illness until her marriage failed and she had to file for divorce. My families response to her starting to show signs of a mental illness was to put her away in a house where she could live by herself and support her so she didn’t have to work. I think removing her from society and giving her financial support removed her last ties to a healthy lifestyle and let her indulge in her grief about her marriage.

My Aunt shows signs of being bi-polar by being happy one minute and then suddenly crying or saying terrible things the next. When not on her medication, she likes to talk to me like I am a five year old little girl. I do feel bad because she did want a husband and children and she sees me as her own child she never had since I am her niece. Most people feel uncomfortable around her when she is not on her medication, but when she does take it it would be very hard to know that she suffered from a mental illness.

I have learned from growing up with my Aunt having a mental illness that most people do not like to talk about mental illnesses, especially if it is their children that have it. They would much rather make other excuses up about why they act the way they do than tell the truth.

If someone I loved had a STD...

If I had a friend or loved one that I suspected of having an STD and they did not want to be tested I would try to approach the subject with extreme caution and sensitivity. I would sympathize with them about their condition and understand that what they were going through was embarrassing but explain that they need to seek medical help for their condition. Medical intervention is the only way they would know for certain if they truly had an STD, and it would be the only way they could seek help in treating it. I would remind them that medical personnel would treat them with the strictest confidence. They are trained professionals that only want to help. I would also try to help them understand that a lot of STDs can be treated and cured if caught early, so testing at the earliest time would be beneficial so that the STD did not progress into something worse or more invasive. If this loved one or friend was in a sexual relationship, I would encourage them to talk it through with their partner and see if they could go get tested together. This way, they would have a support system and not feel so afraid and they could both know of certain if they were infected. Even if the relationship was not sexual and there was no way that the STD could have be contracted from that partner, I would still encourage open communication between the two of them so that they both understand the risks they are taking when being intimate with one another.

I think mostly just showing love and support for the friend and helping them through the uncertainty and fear of contracting an STD is important. Hopefully, their partner or significant other would be supportive in this situation but it could turn out the other way. I could understand the person with the STD not wanting to tell their significant other out of fear, but they have to understand that their condition effects the entire relationship and if it was someone they should truly be with then that person will understand and support them.

Blog #2 Option 1

My fiancé and I have discussed how we would approach the topic of sex and sexual intercourse with our children because we both think it is important in this day in age. Sex seems to be thrown around in the media quite blatantly, and it is important to talk to children before they develop ideas that could be harmful or destructive to themselves. Personally, I never developed this trust with my own parents and never had an open forum to discuss questions I had about sex when I was first finding out about it. My parents always relied on the schools to provide the necessary information, but the school only provided horror stories of STDs to scare teenagers into not having sex. I now see that this was a one-sided way to think about it and did not give me an open mind to sex. I just believed that if you had sex you would be punished by receiving a STD or immediately getting pregnant.

My fiancé and I would try to talk about sex with the child like a normal discussion and would not bring it up after having found out that the child was engaged in sexual activity. Not putting special emphasis on it or using “the talk” as a way to punish and embarrass is extremely important in a delicate situation such as this. We both understand that it will be uncomfortable for the child and for us as well, but it is important for the child to feel like there is no consequences to being open and honest with their parents. It is also very important that both parents are present regardless of the sex of the child because it shows support and agreement with both mother and father and builds trust for the child that either parent would be sufficient to go to. We would try to be sensitive to the child’s level of embarrassment throughout the talk and would remain at home so the child would not feel as though we were cornering them.

If the child were female, I would consider as a mother maybe following up with a gynecologist visit to talk about birth control and other contraception options open to her. My own mother was very unsupportive when I began to use birth control, so I want to help my own daughter make those decisions for herself and show my support. I do not believe, as my mother did, that this means she will sleep around with guys, only that she will be protecting herself.

Both my fiancé and I would try to explain the mechanical aspects of sex in brief detail because it is an important part of the learning process. Another important aspect would be to talk to them about protection so they know what to use when ready. What would be most important to explain, however, was the physical and emotional aspects of sex. My fiancé and I believe sex should be about love and should be an expression of love. It should be viewed as a serious commitment that should not be taken lightly. We would explain to the child that it is their body to do with what they will, but they have to be careful about the physical and emotional harm that sexual intercourse can cause. I believe also that our church has a very positive view of sex and that we should support the child in gaining valuable knowledge there as well.

One thing I would never do is say that the child was absolutely restricted from having sex or trying to give the child a negative view of sex. This will only hurt the relationship between parents and children and cause secrecy and intrigue. Sex should be an open discussion between parents and children when they are teenagers and should be a choice that the child makes for themselves.

My Feelings About the Current State of Health Care in the United States

I feel that health care in the United States is in dire need of reform. I am of the belief that everyone should have a right to health care and the fact that the United States denies people that right is embarrassing. It is also shameful that people who are trying to get medical attention are expected to go into serious amounts of debt just to pay off their medical expenses when other democratic countries like Great Britain have figured out a system where patients do not gain this debt. While the system in Great Britain may not be perfect, it still does not punish the consumer of health care like the United States. It is scary to think how many millions of Americans do not go seek the medical attention they require just because of lack of heath insurance.

I am actually one of the millions of Americans in insurance limbo right now. My job does not offer health insurance because it is a small dentist’s office. When I asked about health insurance, my boss told me that she has always relied on her employee’s husband’s work insurance to cover the medical insurance for them so she has never had to offer health care. I was dropped from my father’s health insurance plan at the age of 26, and although I am getting married in April, I was required to find a private insurance plan to cover the 6 month gap of insurance. While uninsured, I was very anxious about my health and worried that I could get sick or have an accident at any moment and be stuck with thousands of dollars in medical bills. Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to not get sick while uninsured, but I cannot imagine the millions of people that do who have to go through that fear everyday.

The major problem with United States Health care, I believe, is the fact that as a capitalist country we gear health care towards making a profit rather than helping people. We have lost sight of what the true purpose of health care is. I believe health care reform is a long time coming because so many people see health care for all as a socialist idea, and we as a nation are afraid of that.

About Me

My name is Laura and I am currently working on obtaining my second degree in Dental Hygiene atTWU. My first degree is in Art History from TCU and although I loved the field of art, the job prospects were not that great. After looking for a job for two years, I decided that I would become a dental assistant to try something new. After completion of my dental assisting course, I began to work at a pediatric dentist's office and fell in love with the field of dentistry. This encouraged me to pursue a degree in dental hygiene specifically because I felt that so many people are discouraged from working in pediatrics because they think it is too challenging.

While work and school take up most of my time, I enjoy reading and watching TV when I have some free time. I also enjoy spending time with my two dogs, Wyatt and Leroy. However, my free time is limited because on top of work and school, I am also planning to get married in April. I am completely obsessed with my wedding, and it is all I can ever think about some days.

I decided to take this class because we have a lot of mothers who bring their children into the office and I wanted to connect with them on certain health issues. I thought that it would also be valuable information for myself as I began to age and become more responsible for my own health. I have also closely followed the debate over planned parenthood and other woman's health topics and am interested in these topics.

Looking forward to chatting and getting to know everyone better!