John Bowe

Bowe writes about non-sex slavery in America (though sexual abuse makes appearances, as you’d expect), from Florida to Kansas to Saipan. He argues that slavery is in its essence about power rather than just about saving money; power unsupervised invites abuse and is abused. Repeatedly the perpetrators justify themselves by saying that the victims are poor and couldn’t do better anyway, even when—as with the Kansas case—they’re well-trained and jobs with better pay and conditions are also available to them. Bowe argues that mainstream Americans have made a choice not to know how our oranges, clothes, and devices are made—something the recent reporting on Foxconn has also made clear. It’s an engaging and enraging read, and Bowe does one very powerful thing that makes me wonder why everyone else doesn’t: he tells you the race/nationality of every person in the book, not just the nonwhites/non-Americans. By disrupting the default, he makes clear how much privilege matters to people’s perspectives on labor issues without even needing to say so explicitly.… (meer)

I saw Gig when I was lolling around the Sociology section of Bongs & Noodles, and I inspected it closely and bought it a few days later. It is so cool! It is the result of interviews with people in all sorts of different jobs – palm readers and bus drivers and book scouts and just dozens of things. The interviewees have about two to five pages where they describe the job, how they got into it, what a typical day looks like, a story or two, and where they want to go from here.

MY GOD this book is just relentlessly fascinating. I especially like it when people in jobs I would never consider doing, or didn’t know existed, talk about what inspires them. There’s a corporate identity consultant who goes on at some length about Apple’s logo, and how it’s such a legendary logo because of all the things it implies about the company. I don’t know – it’s just that I would never have thought of doing that job, so I would never have had to think about the Apple logo at all, if it weren’t for that book. Or, possibly a more interesting example, from a produce stand owner:

I started off cooking peanuts back in 1956. I was fourteen. Sold ‘em for ten cents a bag. And see, I’ve always cut my peanuts with lemon. That’s what makes mine different. Most people just boil ‘em in salt. Well, I’ve always cut them with lemon. I got that idea from the Good Master – the Good Master up there. I dreamed it one night. And I just woke up one morning knowing I was gonna start putting lemons in.

Though just when I think this guy’s a dear, this happens:

I’ll have pumpkins in October and Christmas trees for Christmas. And all year round I’ll be selling pillows, bandannas, quilts, the Aunt Jemima dolls – which I’m probably gonna get a kick from the [African-Americans but that isn't the word used here] about that, but that don’t mean a damn thing with me. Ain’t nothing they can do about it, you know?

Blech.

Or, this is nicer, the flower lady – she seems so sincere!

I always want flowers. I still spend my money on flowers. Even when I’m around them all day, I still want them at home. And I don’t care that they die. I think that the ephemeral quality of flowers is really seductive. I think there’s something really wonderful about the fact that they really only last for a certain amount of time. Within that time, they can be more beautiful than something that might last forever.

Some of these people have terrible stories to tell – bad things that happened to them, bad things that happened to their clients and coworkers. Bad things they’ve done. Look at this corporate headhunter lady:

But still, there’s lots of ways to get names. I’ve gone into bars in Silicon Valley after Happy Hour and stolen the bowl where everyone drops their business card for a sandwich drawing every week. I wear a trench coat or something and just walk out with seventy-five leads…You just need to be ingenious – hang out in the lobby of a company, and tell the receptionist you’re waiting for your friend to meet you, and then when the receptionist turns away, steal the directory from her desk. Whatever it takes.

…And although it is deceptive, it’s lying sometimes, it’s not immoral, I don’t think. Because I’m helping people.

Sure, lady. Whatever helps you sleep at night.

I felt like the Doctor when I was reading this book - you know how one minute David Tennant’s all “The human race! Indomitable!”, and then the next second he’s all “Run and hide because the monsters are coming: the HUMAN RACE” and bringing down governments and things. I mean you read this book and you can really see both points. (Was that a superfluous Doctor Who reference? Perhaps. But I… (meer)