US Olympic Outfits

[EnderD_503]

Ugh, the rampant and arrogant American nationalism that has gone on in this thread is somewhat...nauseating.

As far as my own opinion, I really don't care if my nation's Olympic uniforms are made in Canada, China or Bangladesh. I come from an athletic background. Played sports all my life, have tremendous amount of respect for the dedication and talent many athletes have. But an event like Olympics these days is nothing short of hypocritical. The slogans talk about "bringing the world together," being "anti-racism" and ending barriers of discrimination. Bullshit. It's entirely corporate and being corporate is all about maintaining barriers of discrimination where they benefit making profit.

The uniforms for this year's Olympics are in many ways very fitting for that reason. Very Western capitalist on top of disrespecting female athletes. To me many of the styles look like American military uniforms...and that's pretty scary. And yeah, the women in skirts/gender division...not surprising, but it's been a while since the Olympics have been that overt about their sexism. Now let's see if they challenge anyone's status as a woman again this year. Maybe they can ruin another female athlete's career. They're already off to a great start by banning the Iranian women's football team and further victimising Iranian women and claiming to do so in defense of "secularism" and "leaving religion out of the Olympics." When you ban a team of Muslim women from Iran from the Olympics...you definitely ain't leaving religion out of it.

I support the athletes, but I do not support the IOC, the Olympics as a corporation, as an institution (and that includes the very institution that produced these uniforms), the blind nationalism that the modern Olympics promote, nor the promotion of normative bodies and the discrimination of bodies that are the sites of patriarchal anxieties.

Originally Posted by Wolfsong

I wonder how fast the perception would change if we stayed at home where we belong, and let the rest of the world deal with their own shit while we deal with our corporate greed.

And of course, someone has to come out with the "rah rah, we save the world from everything" bullshit. Get over yourselves and your militaristic, paternalistic imperialism that you call "foreign relations." It's honestly revolting.

Originally Posted by Okiebug61

Are the workers who make these clothes paid well?

Are they paid well in the US? Typically, no. American minimum wages are...shocking at best. In Ontario, minimum wage is $10,25 and even then it can be difficult to survive on that. In the US there are States that don't even have a minimum wage, and those that do are often ridiculously low. Additionally, who are the Americans working in clothing factories? Do you not realise that an overwhelming majority of the people working in factories in North America are migrant workers, so-called "illegals," and recent immigrants? And what do you think these factories look like?

If the poor wages that Chinese workers receive making these uniforms is one of your primary concern, you should be turning to the horrid wages in your own nation as well. Because chances are those uniforms, if made in the US, would be made by the US's most disadvantaged demographic, namely recent immigrants, migrant workers and those without "legal" status.

Why is it so important that these uniforms be made in the US? So you can support the inhumane treatment of disadvantaged workers on US soil rather than on foreign soil? Sorry to sound snarky, but it's true.

Originally Posted by Ciaran

That said, last time I looked, many US workers in the garment industry weren't well paid and, furthermore, with the cost of living in the US, you'll find that the quality of lifestyle of many full-time workers in the US is often not much better (and can be worse) than those in comparable roles in much of the developing world (BRIC nations and the Next Eleven).

Exactly.

Originally Posted by ruby_woo

I head up the recruiting for a company here in Vancouver that designs and produces outdoor clothing and equipment, and roughly 30% (I believe) of our manufacturing is done in Canada. Finding people who have experience working on a production sewing floor, cutting floor, etc., isn't easy. To be blunt, these aren't really jobs that Americans and Canadians are being trained for anymore. The average person working in our factory is a 50-year female Chinese immigrant.

QFT

Originally Posted by *Anya*

I snipped all but the above quote Ruby.

As included in the WWD article I posted below. The jobs were here in the US, with plenty of people to do the work, until they, little by little disappeared overseas. Would there still be folks here to do those same jobs now? We will never know because they are gone now:

"Today, just 3% of apparel in U.S. stores is made in the country, according to the Cotton Incorporated Retail Monitor™ survey. In 1960, American manufacturers produced 95% of all apparel sold here, according to STGC."

They may have been, but if the US industry was anything like it was in Canada in 1960, then you'd still have people like my grandmother making up a large demographic of the workers there. Meaning poor, recent immigrant, very little spoken English, worked to the bone to try to support a family, very few recognised rights. Let's wake up a little and see who's really working minimum wage, factory jobs in the majority of the world's nations, and that includes North America.

Originally Posted by Hollylane

Is this the face of America? I hope not. I think it is the face of American Corporate Greed. It is a side of America, but not one that I'd like to see so prominently and shamelessly displayed at the Olympics.

Very much so. That this is surprising to anyone boggles my mind.

I can understand the sentiment behind buying products made in your own nation. I used to think that way as well, thinking "well, I'm a poor fucker and they're a lot of other poor fuckers in Canada. Jobs can be hard to come by, so let's make more jobs." Heh... yeah, but either way the jobs being made are low paying jobs that use human beings as cash cows. As a low income worker you are always expendable, and whatever rights the government affords you (if you are lucky enough to be given status at all and not forced to work under the table to avoid being deported) don't matter because in non-unionised jobs rights mean nothing. You stand up for yourself and you get fired or warned or worse. The sad reality that nationalist sentiment overlooks.

Originally Posted by StillettoDoll

I really don't like the uniforms , the uniforms look a little on the" French style" . I mean it looks like it would be more suited for France! Berets? Whats up with the Beret hats? And that scarf on the women ugh!!!! Totally french

Um, seriously? That's your complaint? The uniforms look "French" to you? Oh how horrid that would be! [/sarcasm]

Seriously, people. Are we really so ready to buy into a competition that is essentially corporate greed that tries to mask itself as "embracing diversity" and "promoting good sportsmanship between nations"? Overall, I think there are more important things to worry about that might actually make a difference in people's quality of life.