Life & Debt Essay -- Economics Film Poverty Jamaica Essays

Life & Debt The documentary Life and Debt portrays a true guinea pig of the impact economic globalization can have on a developing boorish. When most Americans think about Jamaica, we think about the dishy beaches, sensitive weather, and friendly people that make it a fabulous vacation spot. This movie shows the place in a different light, by showing a pressuring occupation of debt. The everyday survival of many Jamaicans is based on the economic decisions of the United States and other powerful foreign countries. The film opens with camera shots portraying Jamaica as the beautiful and carefree place that most Americans view it as. The vast majority are oblivious to the fact that the delicious food they indulge in on their voyage probably came off a ship from Miami. In the 1970s, the countrys former prime minister signed a loan agreement which at last led Jamaica to over four billion dollars in debt to the World Bank and IMF. This ultimately caused a sinking economy of low valu ed imports and sweatshops are destroying topical anesthetic businesses and agriculture. In the video, we see workers who are working gruesome six-day-a-week work schedules to receive the legal minimum wage of only $30 in US silver for the entire week. Many women have protested against the poor compensation, and have been fired from their jobs being placed on a blacklist preventing them from ever getting work again. The countrys ports are lined with the factories of high profile companies, ...