Non-Fiction Reading Response 1:Upfront Article

     After reading "The High Price of Cheap Fashion" by Patricia Smith, I think that the author wants the readers to realize the terrible working conditions of the workers that make Americans' clothes. This article is about the unsafe working conditions and low pay of workers in places like Bangladesh and China. The author writes about one factory in specific in Bangladesh where a building collapsed. It collapsed because the owner illegally added extra floors and let heavy equipment be installed that the building could not support.  This caused 1,100 deaths and 2,500 more workers to be injured.This factory was used to produce clothes for companies like Benetton and Children's Place to be sold in the U.S. and Europe.
     The author states in the text, "As recently as 1990, 50 percent of the clothes in the U.S. were made in the U.S. Now it's just 2 percent." This shows that the author wants readers to know that the amount of clothes made in the U.S. has decreased. In the article the author also states that the minimum wages of workers in Bangladesh are lower than any other in the world and this does not change because fourteen million people depend on this industry. This shows that the author wants readers to know about where their clothes come from and how much workers there are paid.
     The author's bias is also shown in this article. The author quotes from books and companies such as the National Consumers League that are also addressing the issue of unfair pay and unsafe working  conditions in other countries. An example of this is where the author quotes the N.C.L.,"We're hoping this will be a game changer in the way the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire was in the U.S." The author also discusses the Triangle fire in 1911 that also shows bias. The author also quotes many sources that show this as an issue, but misrepresents the opposing side. I think the author does this so this topic is clearly shown as an issue in this article.
     After reading this article, I have concluded that this clothing industry can be unfair to it's workers and it might even be a danger to them. I believe that Americans should be more aware of what clothes the buy and look past the price. This article has made me more aware of this issue and even though I knew these workers were paid unfairly I didn't know that these jobs were potentially dangerous to them. I believe this article will make other readers more aware of what they buy and might make them purchase fair-trade certified clothing instead of the alternative the next time they need new clothing.