A killer bargain.
(eVideo)

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Published
[San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2014.
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Format
eVideo
Language
English

Notes

General Note
Title from title frames.
Date/Time and Place of Event
Originally produced by California Newsreel in 2006.
Description
The killer bargain referred to by this hard-hitting documentary's title is the availability of cheap consumer goods, imported by Western companies, whose prices don't reflect the actual human and environmental costs associated with their production in the developing world. Consumers remain largely unaware of the conditions under which the goods they buy are produced; this film makes those connections shockingly clear. While some retailers and manufacturers refuse to talk to the filmmakers, workers, doctors and scientists testify eloquently to the tremendous human costs of globalization. The film takes as a case study the production of textiles in northern India, from the growing of cotton, through the dying of cloth to its final sale as towels and sheets in European and American stores. A Danish company, Cheminova, produces much of the pesticide used in the Punjab; while it saves crops from insects, however, these pesticides are known to cause cancer and have long been banned throughout the West. There are exponentially more pesticides found in the blood of Punjab farmers than in any other population in the world. Whereas in 1998 there was only one cancer clinic in the Punjab's 'Cotton Belt', there were six by 2004. Representatives of Cheminova and Aarhus University, the largest stockholder in the company, have refused to review the filmmakers' documentation. The WHO has lobbied for decreasing the use of chemicals and for introducing protective measures. One Indian doctor denounces the purveyors of these pesticides as "merchants of death, marketers of murder." The film next moves to Panipat a leading textile producing center, where many retail chains buy their products. The filmmakers were able to gain access to the factory of GS Exports only by posing as an imaginary Scandinavian company, 'Beautiful House.' There they find open tanks of fuming chlorine gas, banned in Europe for twenty years and used as a poison gas in World War I, a 'weapon of mass destruction.' GS Exports pays its workers less than {dollar}60 a month, including overtime; if they join a union, they are fired. Approximately 50 of the employees are children, and the workers are housed in sub-human conditions. Dansk Supermarked wouldn't speak to the filmmakers but claims that, as a result of their investigations, they have suspended their contract with the factory. ICA, another large Scandanavian retailer, after watching the footage, claimed it would investigate immediately. JYSK is the largest textile chain in Denmark, outstripping McDonald's in growth. They buy from Kapoor Industries, a modern plant which discharges its waste water into ponds, polluting the surrounding farmland. The viewer watches as company security stops the filmmakers from shooting, and Kapoor's executive director threatens them with beating, personally confiscating their tape. In its statement of corporate ethics, JYSK claims to be improving the environment but refuses to confront the filmmakers' evidence to the contrary. An economist explains that, often, the availability of cheap consumer goods is due to fact that they were produced by underpaid workers in environmentally destructive plants. Some Indian textile suppliers use environmentally friendly techniques but, because their products cost marginally more, many western retailers shun their products for cheaper goods. Corporations, even those with stated commitments to buy from suppliers that respect their workers' rights and the environment, cannot be trusted to enforce these principles if their enforcement would result is a cost increase. A killer bargain, like Black gold, makes it clear that it is up to consumers to hold companies accountable for the conditions under which their products are produced - even if that means a slightly higher cost. An Indian economist points out that globalization may create work in the developing world, but often at the price of shortening workers' lives. An Indian doctor adds that we in the West should realize that the clothes we wear are often made at the expense of someone else's life. The film ends with a quote from Gandhi: "There is enough for everyone's need but not enough for one man's greed."
System Details
Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

(2014). A killer bargain . Kanopy Streaming.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

2014. A Killer Bargain. Kanopy Streaming.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

A Killer Bargain Kanopy Streaming, 2014.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

A Killer Bargain Kanopy Streaming, 2014.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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Grouped Work ID
3d0da167-d3f8-b08b-6398-39392e0bb7ba-eng
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Grouping Information

Grouped Work ID3d0da167-d3f8-b08b-6398-39392e0bb7ba-eng
Full titlekiller bargain
Authorkanopy
Grouping Categorymovie
Last Update2024-03-15 10:54:27AM
Last Indexed2024-03-28 00:23:02AM

Book Cover Information

Image Sourcesideload
First LoadedAug 18, 2023
Last UsedFeb 8, 2024

Marc Record

First DetectedAug 01, 2014 12:00:00 AM
Last File Modification TimeMar 15, 2024 10:55:05 AM

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