Kushal Haran

Mr. Nguyen
AP Language
4/12/14
Maquiladoras
Introduction
It is 1994 and the deate o!er NA"#A rages on. $%%onents &a'e the nationalist
argu&ent aout (os )or A&ericans and ho* %erha%s the agree&ent *ould ta'e a*ay (os )ro&
the A&erican %ulic. Pro%onents suggest that NA"#A actually increases the nu&er o) (os and
that %ro)its )or the A&erican Pulic *ould s'yroc'et. A)ter a long %ole&ical deate+ congress
decides+ on a contentious 2,4-2.. decision+ to %ass NA"#A+ u%on *hich /ill 0linton clai&ed
1NA"#A &eans (os. A&erican (os+ and good-%aying A&erican (os. I) I didn2t elie!e that+ I
*ouldn2t su%%ort this agree&ent.340linton5 "ast )or*ard 2. years+ the %ri&ary result o) NA"#A
are the nu&erous Maquiladora )actories on the 6.7.-Me8ico order in *hich *o&en are
o%%ressed on a daily asis+ in *hich %eo%le are e8%loited )or their gender and color o) their s'in+
and in *hich 19ighty %ercent o) the illion dollar &aquiladora industry is o*ned y the 6nited
7tates.3 Katie Pantaleo gri&ly e8%lains that 1#he o))icial na&e )or s*eatsho%s in Me8ico is
2&aquiladoras+23 and continues that 1the *o&en *ho *or' in the &aquiladoras along the 6nited
7tates : Me8ico order ha!e een !icti&s...Along the order+ es%ecially in 0iudad ;uare<+ close
to )our hundred *o&en ha!e su))ered )ro& torture+ ra%e+ and then &urder.3 4Pantaleo5
Historically+ these &aquiladoras are the result o) NA"#A enaling the creation o)
)actories on the 6.7.- Me8ico order y largely eli&inating the tari))s on the goods %roduced in
said )actories. Ho*e!er+ ecause o) the agree&ent+ the )actories *ere %er&itted to regulate *ages
at their o*n discretion. #he result is an a!erage %ay o) 4 to = dollars %er day to *or'ers in
Maquiladoras 4;orgenson5. Ho*e!er+ *hat is &ore trouling is the intersection et*een se8ual+
racial+ and ca%italist do&ination that Maquiladoras re%resent. #hese 1s*eatsho%s3 ta'e
traditional Me8ican and A&erican hierarchies that %lace &en ao!e *o&en and &aterially
institute these through %olicies that )unda&entally o%%ress Me8ican *o&en through ca%italist
regulation and se8ual !iolence. "or e8a&%le+ a re%ort on the Maquiladoras )ro& Helen >ol)
1concluded that ,=. *o&en had een &urdered in ;uare<+ *ith aout a third ha!ing su))ering
se8ual !iolence e)ore eing &urdered3 and that 1they su))er+ not (ust )ro& stress due to these
auses+ ut also )ro& res%iratory %role&s caused y the inhaling o) to8ins in the )actories in
*hich they *or' 14>ol)5. #hese *or'ing conditions are the result o) ca%italist desires *hile the
se8ual !iolence is the result o) the *or'ing conditions en)orcing traditionalist se8ual hierarchies.
It is the 6.7. "ederal ?o!ern&ent2s in!ol!e&ent *ith these Maquiladoras that is the to%ic
o) this %a%er. #he 6.7. "ederal ?o!ern&ent has largely re&ained co&%licit *ith the cri&inal
nature o) the Maquiladora industry and )or this reason I a))ir& that the go!ern&ent should
i&%le&ent e8tensi!e regulations on *ages and *or'ing )or the )actories so as to co&at the
&aterial institutionali<ation o) racial and se8ual categories that has resulted in discri&inatory
!iolence on the 6.7. Me8ico /order. In the )ollo*ing section I *ill )or&ulate *hat I *ill ter&
a))ecti!e e&%athy-utility ethics. "ro& there I *ill e8%lain ho* the &ost ethical resolution is y
)ar go!ern&ental regulation o) Maquiladoras des%ite the ca%italist loss that *ill e incurred )ro&
the %lan. "ro& there+ I *ill address other ethical disci%lines that disagree *ith this decision.
A))ecti!e 9&%athy-utility 9thics
As the title o) this ethical disci%line i&%lies+ this %aradig& uses e&%athy as its asis. #he
thesis o) this ethic is )unda&entally that *e should use our e&%athic )aculties to deter&ine
*hether an action is 1ethical.3 #his idea ste&s )ro& ?illes @eleu<e2s characteri<ation o) ethics
that de!elo%ed )ro& Niet<sche and 7%ino<a2s ideas+ 1>hat A@eleu<eB calls 2ethics2 is...a set o)
2)acilitati!e2 A)aculta- ti!eB rules that e!aluates *hat *e do+ say+ and thin' according to the
i&&anent &ode o) e8istence that it i&%lies3 47&ith5. #here are t*o &a(or ideas to ta'e a*ay
)ro& @eleu<e2s a%%roach to ethics+ that o) 1i&&anence3 and the idea o) 1i&%lied e8istence.3 #he
)irst idea is (ust )unda&entally that ethics ha!e to do *ith relations rather than transcendent rules.
7o+ ethics are di))erent than &orals in the sense that &orals e8ist in and o) the&sel!es in
accordance *ith a transcendent set o) rules *hile ethics ha!e to do *ith relations et*een
%eo%le+ al*ays contingent u%on the gi!en relationshi% de)ined y innu&erale circu&stances that
surround a gi!en situation. #he second %oint is aout *hat ethics &ean in relation to su(ecti!ity
and li)e in general. @eleu<e is &erely clai&ing that &y choice on *hat to do should e
deter&ined y ho* it sha%es &y su(ecti!ity and a))ects &y li)e. In this sense+ it is a &i8ture
et*een Niet<schean and 98istentialist ideas. It is e8istentialist in that it has e!erything to do
*ith the doctrine2s assertion that 1e!ery action i&%ly oth an en!iron&ent and a hu&an
su(ecti!ity3 47artre5 *hile it is Niet<schean in that the )unda&ental conclusion to e8ecute a
gi!en action is ased u%on ho* it can a))ir& our li!es.
#his ties into 1a))ecti!e e&%athy-utility3 ethics in that the idea o) e&%athy is also all
aout the relationshi% et*een %eo%le and ho* that relationshi% i&%lies ho* one %arty )eels as a
result o) the action. "or e8a&%le+ I &ay not hit &y )riend ecause I 'no* ho* it )eels to e hit
and 'no* that )eeling is ad so i) I *ere to hit &y )riend+ ecause o) &y e&%athic )aculties+ I
*ill )eel ad as a result. #here)ore+ I decide not to hit &y )riend. #he )irst %art o) @eleu<e2s idea
o) ethics in this instance is the relationshi% et*een &y )riend and I and hoo* that deter&ines
the the conditions )or a decision to e &ade. In this *ay+ relationshi%s are the condition )or
ethics. No*+ the 1su(ecti!ity3 %ortion o) this ethical decision is that I 'no* I )eel ad as a result
o) the decision and that is a 1negati!e3 a))ecti!e )or&ation o) &y su(ecti!ity. Hence+ the
1su(ecti!e utility3 o) the decision is negati!e. In this sense+ the asis )or this ethical disci%line
is )ounded on the elie) that e&%athy is intrinsic to su(ecti!ity and *e should use this to &a'e
decisions. Cirtue ethics is analogous to this ethical %aradig& in that !irtue ethics 1)ocused on
those qualities o) character &a'ing )or a good and ha%%y li)e3 47'idels'y5. A !irtue ethicist acts
in the conte8t o) 1character &a'ing3 *hich is nothing ut su(ecti!ity. "urther&ore+ *hat ends
u% getting ter&ed a 1!irtue3 is &erely an attriute that is 'ey to a 1good and ha%%y li)e.3 #his is
e8actly li'e @eleu<ian e&%athy-utility ethics in that decisions are &ade in the atte&%t o) 1&a'e3
a 1good and ha%%y li)e.3 #he di))erence is that the )or&er %laces e&%hasis on the s%eci)ic a))ect
o) e&%athy.
Many disci%lines+ )ro& &oral relati!is& to religious e8tre&is& *ill %erha%s ta'e issue
*ith an e&%hasis on e&%athy. Ho*e!er+ I *ill &a'e the clai& that e!en i)+ in a logical !acuu&+
so&e o) this %hiloso%hi<ing is correct+ in the conte8t o) &aterial actions and the *orld that has
originated as o) no*+ e&%athy %ro!ides a %re)ect stasis %oint around *hich 1li)e a))ir&ation3 is
&ade %ossile. Moral relati!ists and s'e%tics *ould argue that there is nothing asolute aout
e&%athy in that nothing requires us to e e&%athetic. Ho*e!er+ that is not the asis )or e&%athy-
utility ethics. I+ at a &ore )unda&ental le!el+ ta'e the Niet<schean !ie* that transcendent &oral
!alues are li)e negating. >hat I &ean y this is I agree that ?od is @ead and 19!erything is
%er&ittedD3 4Niet<sche E.E5. Ho*e!er+ this does not &ean that delieration and e8%erience+ *ith
an atte&%t to stri!e )or i&%ossile o(ecti!ity cannot re!eal that certain decisions enale us to
en(oy and a))ir& li)e &ore so than others. In this instance+ nothing necessarily requires e&%athy
to e considered at all. Ho*e!er+ the argu&ent this %a%er %resents is that e&%athy enales
en(oy&ent. $ther %hiloso%hers &ay argue that e&%athy is only a social construction that
institutions use to control %o%ulations e!en &ore and that *e do not need e&%athy to e ha%%y.
>hile is li'ely accurate i) *e are tal'ing aout a *orld that is starting as a lan' slate+ tabula
rasa. Ho*e!er+ the *orld that *e li!e in no* has already estalished that e&%athy is i&%ortant
to consider. "ro& irth+ through %arenting and other institutions li'e tele!ision %rogra&s and
school+ *e are taught that *e should e e&%athetic. #he a))ecti!e res%onse that *e should e!o'e
)eelings si&ilar to ones *e in)lict and use those to deter&ine our o*n )eelings )ollo*ing a gi!en
action is disci%lined into us+ seared into the !ery )aric o) our cogni<ance. #here)ore+ i) *e
o%erate using this 'no*ledge+ it is clear that *e should ac'no*ledge e&%athy as a clear
deter&iner in ho* *e )eel as a result o) our actions and use that to deter&ine *hether an action
is ethical.
Maquiladoras and 9thics
It *ould e si&%le to clai& se8is& and racis& are atrocious institutions that should e
resisted in all instances ecause they are e!il+ %lain and si&%le. /ut+ this is not nearly rigorous
enough ecause to assu&e and acce%t certain institutions as good and e!il in and o) the&sel!es
)orecloses the delierati!e %otentiality )or ethics that *as discussed in the %re!ious section. 7o in
this section I *ill )or&ulate an ethical resolution to %role& o) &aquiladoras in accordance *ith
the discussion in the section e)ore so as to )or&ulate a co&%rehensi!e a%%roach to issue o)
Maquiladoras and racial se8is& in general. #here are a cou%le o) cases to consider *hy these
institutions could e considered so ad. "irst+ %erha%s so&eone (ust )eels good resisting these
institutions )or so&e aritrary reason. I) this is in )act the case+ the discussion ends as this ethicist
is a))ir&ing his/her li)e *hile e!aluating the relationshi% that goes into the ethic. Ne!ertheless+
let us consider the &ore general case o) so&eone unsure o) an ans*er to question %osed y the
issue o) Maquiladoras.
6sing the theory o) a))ecti!e e&%athy-utility ethics+ I shall estalish the ethical asis )or
)ighting Maquiladoras as an institution. Perha%s the est %ath to do so is to illustrate the horrors
o) MaquiladorasF
9!en *orse than all this is that the %lant &anagers thin' they o*n the *or'ers+ our
eauty is theirs )or the clai&ing. #hey ta'e credit and then e8%ect you to e the ideal+
%retty *or'er... he de&ands %laced on the )e&ale &aquiladora *or'er2s ody through
se8ual harass&ent ser!es as an added &eans o) in)or&al control o) the *or'ers... A#Bhe
&anager had his %ets...he graed &e in the %ar'ing lot and 'issed &e. He said
so&ething li'e+ GI) you don2t gi!e it to &e I2ll &a'e sure you ne!er *or' in ;uare<
again.G 4Arriola5
0ou%led *ith the ra%es and &urders &entioned u% ao!e+ and the incredulous *ages+ the
Maquiladoras sound li'e a horror story. ?ranted+ *e can ne!er 'no* the su))ering *or'ers in
the Maquiladoras ha!e to go through e!ery day. @ue to our %ri!ilege and detach&ent )ro& the
situation+ *e can ne!er )ully connect and 1e&%athi<e3 *ith the *or'ers. Ho*e!er+ this is *here
the narrati!e2s utility is )ound. >e can at least so&e*hat atte&%t to e&%athi<e using the narrati!e
as a guide to understand the 1Maquiladora e8%erience3.
#he narrati!e illustrates the o(ecti)ication o) Me8ican *o&en at the order. #hey
literally )eel li'e 1%ets3+ li'e suhu&an co&&odities a!ailale to &ani%ulation y the &anagers
o) the )actories. #his is a result o) the ontological condition o) se8is& that estalishes that
*o&en are elo* &en and the &ateriali<ation o) this condition y e8%loiting the *o&en2s
socioecono&ic conditions. >hile this )eeling is uni&aginale )or us as detached oser!ers o) the
)actory conditions *hat *e can atte&%t to i&agine is the horror o) eing le)t as su(ugated
co&&odities *ith no agency or ca%acity to a))ir& one2s o*n li)e. >ith this in &ind+ it is
aundantly clear that *e &ust act in *hate!er *ay so as to resist the creation and sustaining o)
Maquiladoras.
0onclusion
It is clear and &aye trouling that there is a lac' o) discussion o) the s%eci)ics o) the
%lan and i&%le&entation o) )i8ing the &aquiladora )actories. Ho*e!er+ to ta'e issue *ith that is
to o!erloo' the )unda&ental cru8 o) this %a%er. @iscussing the 6nited 7tates "ederal
?o!ern&ent2s %osition in this issue is e8tre&ely i&%ortant+ no dout. Ho*e!er+ to assu&e I a&
in a %olicy &a'er2s su(ect %osition is the sa&e heinous cri&e as assu&ing I a& in the sa&e
su(ect %osition o) the Maquiladora *or'er. Moreo!er+ the %olicy &a'er is not engaging the
su(ect &atter o) Maquiladoras directly. Hather he/she only accesses the to%ic as an entirely
detached e!aluator o) %olitics+ *hich is the sa&e condition )or ethics that got NA"#A %assed
*hich *as the %rogenitor o) Maquiladoras. In this sense+ it is unethical )or &e to discuss the
i&%le&entation. Perha%s it is etter to say+ the &ost ethical action in relation to the Maquiladora
issue is &erely )or &e to advocate the go!ern&ent i&%le&entation o) re)or&ation o) the
Maquiladora institution.
/iliogra%hy
Arriola+ 9l!is. GC$I097 "H$M #H9 /AH/9@ >IH97 $" @97PAIHF >$M9N IN #H9
MAI6ILA@$HA7+ LA#INA 0HI#I0AL L9?AL #H9$HJ+ AN@ ?9N@9H A# #H9
6.7.-M9KI0$ /$H@9H.G @e Paul La* He!ie* 49.=29 42...5F n. %ag. >o&en on the
/order. @e Paul+ 2.... >e. 1. A%r. 2.14.
0linton+ /ill . GPresident 0linton 7igning NA"#A.G President 0linton 7igning NA"#A. N.%.+ n.d.
>e. 1E A%r. 2.14. Lhtt%F//historycentral.co&/docu&ents/0linton/7igningNa"#A.ht&lM.
;orgenson+ 7ierra. GMaquiladoras and the 98%loitation o) >o&en2s /odies.G Maquiladoras and
the 98%loitation o) >o&en2s /odies. /ryn Ma*r+ n.d. >e. 14 A%r. 2.14.
Lhtt%F//serendi%.ryn&a*r.edu/sciNcult/courses/'no*ody/).4/*e2/s(orgensen.ht&lM.
Niet<sche+ "riedrich .. The Will to Power. #rans. >alter Kau))&an. Ne* Jor'F Cintage+ 19OP.
E.E-.O. Print.
Pantaleo+ Katie. G?9N@9H9@ CI$L9N09F M6H@9H IN #H9 MAI6ILA@$HA7.G
7ociological Cie*%oints , 42..O5F =. Print.
7artre+ ;ean-Paul . G98istentialis& is a Hu&anis&.G 6ni!ersity Lecture. >orld Pulishing.
7oronne+ Paris. 1P A%r. 194O. Lecture.
7'idels'y+ 9d*ard. G#he Heturn o) ?oodness.G Prospect. Pros%ect+ 2P 7e%t. 2..P. >e. 12 A%r.
2.14.
7&ith+ @aniel. G@9L96Q9 AN@ #H9 I697#I$N $" @97IH9F #$>AH@ AN IMMAN9N#
#H9$HJ $" 9#HI07.G Parrhesia 2 42..=5F OO-=P. Print.
>ol)+ Helen. G90$"9MINI7M AN@ #H9 0HHI7#$L$?J $" H$79MAHJ HA@"$H@
H69#H9H.G @iss. "ordha& 6ni!ersity+ 2.1.. CNR. "ordha& 6ni!ersity. >e.