Globalization….

Globalization….. ……Through the lens of American Factory.

Introduction. American Factory is a documentary that portrays the shifting ground of globalization, and the economic social and cultural issues, that arise, when a Chinese tycoon, buys a General Motors production plant in Ohio shut down in 2008 at the start of the Great Recession, to build his auto glass manufacturing empire, Fuyao..

US and its capitalist ideology. The United States built its economic empire, on a capitalist ideology, supported by the propaganda of the famous American dream, that you can raise your living standards if you work hard. This was particularly true after Word War 2, yet this dream is becoming a nightmare, under the pressure corporates are nowadays exerting, on workers’ living standard. The Americans invented the assembly line, yet they began to question its style of work, mainly in how it represented the dehumanization of labor. As predicted by Napoleon, China woke up with its hard-working and efficient workers with blind loyalty to their company..

The American factory. The movie depicts this clash of cultures between the workers coming from different backgrounds, different countries and speaking different languages. Although they share basic human needs (such as family love, the need to have a shelter…), their perception of work ethics and working environment is completely different..

Chinese workers. On one hand, we have the Chinese workers showing blind loyalty to the company, with a 12-hour working day, weekend work, little or no recognition from managers, lack of rigor in safety standards, and employees prioritizing the business before their own life. The Communist Chinese ran the factory like indoctrination camps: the business is sacred; no opposition is tolerated. Workers are taught that they are part of a mission for the good and glory of China..

American workers. On the other hand, Americans recall the good times where they used to work less and earn more. There was constant pressure to work faster and harder, yet th e management was not considering their safety and wellbeing that were important matters not to be neglected for them. The desire to create a union to address these concepts was thoroughly eradicated. Those who wanted to unionize or who had expressed concerns about authoritarian conditions were fired. Anyone who questioned the company or its guidelines was fired. Compassionate American managers were pushed out and replaced by cold and ruthless Chinese superiors. Only American workers without skills demanded in the market and lacking options are stuck in menial and low-paying jobs..