Third world oppression - Flowers...

[Invader Zim]

Next time you go to Tesco's or M&S and you see the flowers for sale remember that people inj the third world are being poisoned to produse them.

Artical (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/real_story/3020329.stm)

[Socialsmo o Muerte]

I don't buy flowers usually, but if I ever have a reason to need to buy them in the fututr, I will be sure to go to a proper florists now!

[chamo]

I saw the program. Just a few pointers is that the workers are ignored, are paid 85p a day (that's 1/170th of what they make for the owners), and they aren't given adequate protection against pesticides and are getting ill from exposure to the chemicals. Exploitation at it's lowest form.

[CubanFox]

I buy flowers for a special occaison (mother's day or whatever) from a little old man who cuts them from his own garden.

[Invader Zim]

Quote: from happyguy on 4:19 pm on May 13, 2003
I saw the program. Just a few pointers is that the workers are ignored, are paid 85p a day (that's 1/170th of what they make for the owners), and they aren't given adequate protection against pesticides and are getting ill from exposure to the chemicals. Exploitation at it's lowest form.


It was a good program want it, hopefuly they will show more about the international sweat shops.

[Dhul Fiqar]

Which flowers, though? Is it just potted plants?

I can't really imagine it practical to cut flowers in China and send them to America, because they'd die rapidly.

Anyway, thanks for the heads up, I'll be looking into this! Those are truly horrible crimes...

--- G.

[Urban Rubble]

Last time I needed flowers I jumped in my neighbors yard and cut them. He saw me and was not stoked.

[Exploited Class]

The whole idea of doing the flowers thing for any reason has always turned me off.

"Look at me, I have a bunch decaying dead material in a fancy vase." "I love you, now take this grouping of material killed for the sole purpose of aesthetics"

"Hey, would you like to buy this flora that was grown on land that was stripped of its original inhabitants, grown in an alien enviroment, had valuable resources of water and fetilizer wasted on it, now dying slowly, to take home for your loved one?"

The idea is kind of vulgar, but then again I view people watering lawns as a somewhat vulgar use of valuable resources.

You don't even get to eat the flowers or grass.

This article only strenghtens my desire to avoid the whole cut flowers economy.

[chamo]

Quote: from Dhul Fiqar on 7:01 pm on May 19, 2003
Which flowers, though? Is it just potted plants?

I can't really imagine it practical to cut flowers in China and send them to America, because they'd die rapidly.

Anyway, thanks for the heads up, I'll be looking into this! Those are truly horrible crimes...

--- G.


They were cut flowers and were grown in Kenya. Because of the warm climate and high yield the oppressive companies are able to grow, cut and export them economically while paying badly and not protecting their workers. The program was only covering flowers being brought to British supermarkets.

[CruelVerdad]

I live in a third world country [Ecuador] that produces a lot of flowers, it´s one of the biggest and it sells a lot to the US. You guy must see that this offers a lot of jobs opportunities to many people that are poor.
Buy ecuadorian flowers!

[chamo]

How are the workers treated? Do they have good pay, good treatement, a voice, protection against chemicals?

[Invader Zim]

We aught to add this to the practice forum, or at least place the artical in the sweat shops thread.