23 Feb Fast fashion has taken over the fashion industry by storm. Most people relish in the idea of affordability and conveniency buy a cheaper shirt with terrible quality than to purchase a more s
This essay will use one of the topics we have learned about in class to examine and analyze a real world current event in the field of comparative politics. You will need to read the news, find an event and write about it in the context of one of our class topics. For example if we are discussing the political nature of international trade, you may choose to examine a recent trade deal between two countries and use what you learned in class to analyze it from the perspective of both countries. Ultimately the choice of topic is yours and a big part of the assignment. You should pick topics that are important to you. The intent of this assignment is for you to show that you understand how the topics and theories we discuss in class apply to the real world. Merely defining a topic, repeating back the lecture, or vague overviews will receive zero points. They must be a minimum of 800 words and use one peer reviewed journal article from the library. Though the essays can show a personal perspective they should still be written with in good grammar and academic focus. Vague definitions, over repetition, or filler will deduct from the grade, so try and stay focused and produce meaningful content.
Attached are the two sample essays
Attached as well some powerpoints from class topics to choose for the essay
Requirements: 800 words minimum
***Student
Eric Hart
International relations
April 27th, 2022
Fast fashion impacts on globalization
Fast fashion has taken over the fashion industry by storm. Most people relish in the idea of affordability and conveniency buy a cheaper shirt with terrible quality than to purchase a more sustainable option. In todays world, most people would rather by a 3-dollar shirt made in a Vietnams sweatshop, rather than take an alternative route. Even though the world already faces water shortage issues, the fashion industry produces toxins which pollute valuable drinking water. Many may not see the issue with fast fashion, but the fashion industry is one of the main contributors to an unsustainable environment and inhumane working conditions. This industry alone is one of the biggest producers for landfill waste and toxic carbon emissions which account for 10% of total global emissions. The fast fashion industry is one of the most unsustainable, exploitive industries in the world today. With pressures to have cost low and production time running at an all-time high, the environment we live in sustains catastrophic environmental impacts that are a detriment to our health, our kids, and our future. People will continue to buy fast fashion since the environmental impacts are executed behind closed doors, hidden form the consumer. Fast fashion has been amplified due to technological advancements and globalization.
People all over the world all have one common denominator, the desire for affordability. Because of this, many developed countries exploit underdeveloped countries for their cheap production cost and cheap labor cost. Labor laws in undeveloped countries are not strictly enforced which results in unsafe working conditions. Most of the workers in undeveloped countries start to work in sweatshops as young as 12 years old with extraneous hours on the job for such little pay. In countries like China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, children are forced into work as for the educational opportunism in the underdeveloped countries are unavailable. There was an underlying social consensus that exploitative practices are an accepted part of the fast-fashion supply chain to ensure the continuation of low-cost clothing? . Meaning most fortune 500 fashion companies have little to no concern on the acts of modern slavery performed in the horrid conditions, for an increase in profitability. It has also been noted in these environments reports of physical and sexual harassment, child labor, sweatshop conditions, poor and unsafe working conditions? . Companies who report record growth sales turn a blind eye to the worker welfare crisis. On a global scale, developed countries are exploiting lesser developed countries, using workers until death. It was reported in 2013 Primark sales reportedly rose by 22% in the months immediately following the Rana Plaza collapse that saw 1,127 garment workers lose their lives in Bangladesh? . Global companies focus on economic profit around the world. With the increase in technology, most companies strain their workers to the point of death for an increase sales turnout. Fashion consumers are more concerned on their own personal gain and consumption, rather than the toxic environments workers are put through to make less than a dollar. It is common for people who live in developed countries to not be concerned with the welfare of others as for the environment they grew up in was completed different. Even though western consumers are against sweatshop conditions and worker exploitation, they demonstrate an attitude behavior gap. Consumers may preach the idea that supply chain and fast fashion is detrimental, but the individuals intentions do not correlation to their actions. The more people buy fast fashion the worse the ethical problem becomes. It is an individuals responsibility to consume wisely, as for the increase in fast fashion consumption fuels market sales.
Everybody loves to buy clothes that are cheap, it is a profitable investment to many people. Others cannot afford expensive and sustainable clothing, so they lean towards the cheaper option, but at what cost? The word sustainable is not in the vocabulary for fast fashion. Besides natural oil and gas, the fashion industry is one of the top leaders in environmental pollution. The European Environmental Agency ranked clothing, textiles and footwear fourth in the list of industries by impact on the environment, after Housing, Transport, Travel and Food? . With the rise in production in the fast fashion world, many toxins are released into the air as well as millions of unused clothing discarded into hazardous landfills. When looking at fabrics The manufacture of polyester and other synthetic fabrics is an energy-intensive process requiring large amounts of crude oil and releasing emissions including volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and acid gases such as hydrogen chloride, all of which can cause or aggravate respiratory disease.? . What fails to be recognized is VOCs are the most diverse group of indoor air pollutants, with manty health implications unclear due to low concentration levels. Particular Matter is one of the 6 most dangerous criteria pollutants in the world, which damages the respiratory system when inhaled, primary pollutant of soot in factories and a secondary pollutant from sulfates and nitrates. Our waters are also becoming extremely polluted due to unregulated contamination of microfibers. For most people, microfibers are just the inner stitching worn in our clothing, but microfibers are a leading pollutant for our water supply. Synthetic microfibers and nanofibers have been estimated to comprise up to 35% of primary microplastics in the marine environment, which are found in marine habitats worldwide including shorelines?. The microfibers have also been detected in the digestive tracts of a range of aquatic organisms and seafood including commercially important fish and shellfish?. For global sustainability and food consumption, the toxic waste pollution our oceans lead to a decrease in food supply and an increase in water pollution. Mass amounts of water pollution result from the chemical dye and preparation process put into each article of clothing. In a world with increasing?water shortage the current usage level of fashion (79 billion??annually) is very concerning, particularly when textile production largely takes place in areas of fresh water? . It is estimated approximately 350,000 tons of clothing end up as landfill each year? . Landfills take hundreds of years to decay, with incineration from landfills polluting the air and releasing dangerous emissions which could all be avoidable if traditional recycling practices were put in place.
companies continue to promote fast fashion without conversation for achieving sustainability. The fashion companies all compete on a global scale to produce clothes that are currently trending in a timely and costly manner. From this, companies are not concerned on environmental aspects from waste generation, but rather watching their short life cycles profit. Since new fashion trends are always on the rise, big manufactures must prepare for short life cycle clothes, in response to critical demands. This ultimately leads to the competitive industry cycles, ignoring sustainability. The Competitive dynamics and the nature of the customer value proposition mean that such a redistributive approach would not be sustainable economically?, proposing sustainability is not economically feasible as for it will lower sales and leave companies to be defeated by unsustainable manufactures. Many are creating the push forward to reduce pollution rates by producing less waste and re- using excess materials.
Globalization is the key component on why fast fashion has become an urgent environmental issue. With new technology and faster production rates, the fast fashion industry is income stream is multi billions of dollars a year. It has also become a place for developed countries to abuse less developed countries. Even though the short life cycles of fast fashion are profitable for companies with cheap labor cost, at what expense does it make it all worth it. There needs to be a push for environmental sustainability and workers rights, as well finding ways to produce clothes within sustainable margin lines. Although everybody loves cheap clothes, it is not environmental or ethically feasible.
***Student
Eric Hart
PSC 100-7
28 April 2022
Russias Use of Preference Falsification and Media Control in Reference to Ukraine
For months the world sat and watched as Russia slowly aligned troops along the Russia and Ukraine border, waiting to see if a nuclear power was going to make an advancement that was against the wishes of NATO. After months of troops aligning on the border, on February 24, 2022, Russian troops stepped onto Ukrainian soil and began their attempted takeover. The world sat in shock and watched as Russia slowly started using violent measures in attempts to take back what Putin claimed was their cultural land. His reasoning was that the heritage of the Russian people came from Ukraine and therefore, that land had major significance to them historically. Since the invasion began, the world has questioned the opinions of the Russian people on the invasion. While approval ratings of Putin continue to be reflected as high, protests and people’s disagreements have been shown through various different social platforms. The main reasoning for the conflicting reports is because of a concept known as preference falsification as well as the government’s control over the media: both strategies dictators use to control the opinions of their people.
Preference falsification, defined as the act of deliberately misrepresenting ones genuine views and wants under perceived social pressure? (Yang). Preference falsification is used consistently throughout dictatorships in order to showcase strength to the rest of the world as well as put fear into people who may disagree with the actions of the government. Once that fear is planted, it is more unlikely that anti-government ideas will spread due to people being afraid of the repercussions the government might have if they are caught expressing discontent with the government. Preference falsification is very prevalent in reports of Putins approval rating. For instance, Putins approval rating has been reported as rising once he began the invasion of Ukraine and is continuing to rise despite his streets being filled with protests and the citizens of Russia are voicing discontent throughout many different media outlets. In March 2022, over 80 percent of Russians approved of the activities of the Russian president Vladimir Putin. The popularity level saw an increase during the Russian invasion of Ukraine that started at the end of February 2022? (Putins Approval Rating Russia). People in Ukraine are told that everyone supports Putin and his actions. Therefore, people are very hesitant to disagree with the government because they are told everyone around them supports the government and the actions they are taking.
Russia does not have any type of freedom of speech, but rather they have weakened the media outlets to the point where citizens only receive their information from the government. Due to the government having so much control, they are able to completely distort the public’s opinion of things happening in the world because they showcase acts differently than they actually occur. The information being fed to the citizens of Russia does not match what is actually happening in the world. For example, the media reported events of the Ukraine invasion occurring very differently than they actually did. It is also an ordinary day in Kharkiv,? [a reporter] said as the footage switched to an apparent live stream of a deserted city center, Ukraines second largest, which international media Russian forces launched missile strikes on and advanced towards? (Cordell). This misreporting directly shows how the Russian government has weakened all other media sources within their country. All the people of Russia are told good things that show Russia in a good light. Therefore, they are ignorant to things happening in the real world.
Overall, when a dictator utilizes preference falsification and weakens the media, they are able to deceive the public into supporting them further. The Russian government is deceiving their own people and making them believe that everyone around them supports Russia, Putin, and the actions being taken against Ukraine through preference falsification and weakening the media. Ultimately showcasing the steps a dictator can take to gain control over its people.
Works Cited
30, Mar. Putin Approval Rating Russia 2022.? Statista, 30 Mar. 2022,
https://www.statista.com/statistics/896181/putin-approval-rating-russia/.
Cordell, Jake. How Is Russia’s State TV Depicting the War in Ukraine?? The Moscow Times,
The Moscow Times, 6 May 2022, https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/02/25/how-is-russias-state-tv-depicting-the-war-in-ukraine-a76588.
Yang, Dahli. Lying or Believing? Measuring Preference Falsification From a Political Purge in
China.? Shibboleth Authentication Request, https://journals-sagepub-com.esearch.ut.edu/doi/10.1177/0010414015626450.
