Aftermath of Tazreen: Rana Plaza

"Search crews on Thursday clawed
through the wreckage of the building,
which housed several factories making
clothing for European and American
consumers."

        Another and another. And another. First it was Tazreen Fashions Limited, then Smart Export Garments factory, and now the worst of them all, as the New York Times reports, Rana Plaza, claiming at least 377 lives, with hundreds of Bangladeshi clothing workers still missing. Rana Plaza contained five garment factories in a multi-story building. Our disconnect to our consumerism once again surfaces. supply and demand for cheap gods takes over! Rana Plaza employed more than 3,000 people producing clothing for both American and British companies: JC Penney, Cato Fashions, Benetton, Primark, and other retailers. After the arrest of Mr. Rana, the building's owner, cheers broke out in the streets. The garment factory bosses blame Mr. Rana for lying about structural safety in the building; cracks were discovered the day before the disaster and Mr. Rana reported that it would be safe to operate. Rana, known for his corrupt and greedy ego, of course, opposes this saying he was pressured by the bosses...
        Out of this came horrifying stories that no one would ever want to witness, hear, or read. Of the workers who survived, many suffered crushed and broken bones, severed and punctured organs, and amputated limbs.

        For nearly 12 hours, rescuers tried to save a trapped woman, lowering dry food
        and juice to her as they carefully cut through the wreckage trying to reach her. 
       But then a fire broke out, apparently killing the woman, leaving many firefighters
       in tears.

"Volunteers used a length of textile as
a slide to move dead victims recovered
from the rubble."

       When bodies were announced to be found among the rubble, families rushed to identify loved ones and claim the dead. Families still have hope for their loved ones, but officials say it is likely that very few are alive. So what is the next step to these ongoing disasters? Why didn't we take more action after the first, Tazreen? Reading these articles got me thinking of the writing assignment we had after reading Shirt by Robert Pinsky. I wrote about my Patagonia sweatshirt which I was able to trace back to the exact factory:
                         Nicaragua, Managua, Zona Franca Industrial.
                         The Great King of Americas Sewing Factory:
                         2,100 trabajadores sólo hablan español.
                         80% female; 20% male.

I was informed about my sweatshirt. Why not take the initiative Patagonia has to inform buyers and make sure the products we get are made in safe environments? Yes, America is a country based on capitalism, the cheaper the better, but I think we have to put a stop to it somewhere.