Mardi Gras Made in China

In the United States, we usually think of New Orleans when the word Mardi Gras is brought up.  It is a giant party full of bright costumes, rich food, a lot of booze, and thousands and thousands of plastic beads.  Where did these beads come from?  In the documentary, Mardi Gras Made in China, we get to follow these beads from when they are made, to when they are used as decor.  The vast majority of these beads come from a large factory in China.  This factory is the home for all of the employees.  They work around 12-16 hours a day, doing the same monotonous tasks over and over again, all day long.  They are only given two weeks out of the year to visit home.  One girl that was interviewed said she only made around $62 dollars in a month.  The employees are teens or in their early twenties who give up their dreams and aspirations to help their family’s economic issues.  The employees begin and end their day with each other.  They grow extremely close, and essentially become family.  The conditions are fairly poor.  They work around toxic fumes and materials, sleep on extremely thin cots, and work very long hours. The head of the company believes in punishment.  If an employee doesn’t work the required hours, or has someone of the opposite sex in their room, he will sometimes take away a whole months pay.  Not being able to have someone of the opposite sex in your room, what an interesting restriction, due to the fact that some of the beads made at the factory are penises they have to paint and that these beads are sometimes given to women in exchange for a peek at their jugs.  It is physical labor in China in exchange for physical fun in the United States.  We use these beads for the Mardi Gras holiday, to wear around our necks.  Some women expose themselves in exchange for these beads.  What an odd tradition.  Do we REALLY need these beads?  How important are they?  The beads start in the hands of young workers in China, and usually end up in the streets of New Orleans the morning after Mardi Gras, later to be thrown away.  In Materials and Processes, we were given a small packet of questions that you can ask about any product or technology.  They range from ecological questions, to social and moral questions. What are its effects on the health of the planet and of the person? Does it serve the community? How does it affect our perception of our needs? What values does its use foster?  Mardi Gras beads: is it really worth it?

Film director David Redmon did an extremely good job in creating Mardi Gras Made in China.  I would definitely recommend checking this film out.  It not only exposes you to what Chinese workers go through to fabricate Mardi Gras beads, but will also get you to think about the reason, use, and origin of other products that we use.  Explore, wonder, and ask about these products.