Wyatt Tan, Period 6, 12/11/2023

 Wyatt Tan

Period 6

12/11/2023

Current topics around inequity, oppression, and/or power

In today’s day and age, there is a huge issue regarding unethical work practices, especially in highly successful companies. From exploitative practices to corporate misconduct, many company owners use unethical methods to make their lives easier while leaving their workers in shambles. This issue regarding unethical work practices reflects the constant ideas of inequality prevalent in our society.  

One prominent example of unethical practices is the use of sweatshops. In these cases, the workers have no bargaining power and are often put into confined workspaces with disgusting work conditions. Many companies use such practices because they allow them to offer slim wages and excessive hours to gain the most profit possible while keeping their business expenses to a minimum. These factories are often found in developing countries, with the workers mostly being children and women and the owners being first-world major corporations. This practice leads to an endless cycle of poverty and inequality due to the lack of control governments have over first-world countries intervening with third-world countries. Along with this, there is constant discrimination and harassment that leads to toxic work environments. These instances of gender or race discrimination undermine the regulations of equality and diversity that we all strive for. For example, companies that pay female employees less than their male counterparts for similar roles carry on ideas of gender inequality. Not only are unethical practices limited to just the treatment of employees, but there are examples of unethical practices in corporate management. For example, Enron, a once highly regarded energy company, engaged in financial misconduct, manipulating financial statements to conceal debt and inflate profits. Once they were cracked down on their fraudulent practices, the company became bankrupt, leading to many workers losing their jobs. 

Through all this, many have tried to speak out regarding these practices, but they have been suppressed by these companies. There have been many instances where whistleblowers, those who expose crimes within companies, have been unsuccessful in doing so. One major case of this was Edward Snowden. Edward Snowden was a whistleblower who exposed the NSA (National Security Agency) to their many practices of storing private data and spying on many American citizens. This led him to eventually flee the country and find refuge in Russia, where he escaped American prosecution. Snowden was halted from practicing his right to free speech by the NSA, which goes against the many ideas of freedom and integrity that this country was built on. 

The idea of greed is very prominent in this topic. Many business owners are constantly trying to find ways to minimize their expenses at the cost of the workers, but this idea does not help anyone except themselves. By informing society of these unethical behaviors, we can allow for an equitable future for all, where citizens can voice their opinions for change. Without regulation in workplaces, greed overtakes many owners' minds, leading to inequality between the owner and their employees. Addressing these unethical behaviors demands a commitment to clarity within company lines and prioritizing employees and the company's integrity.