Part I: Four errors and corrections of universal intellectual standards.
In the essay “Sweatshirts from Sweatshops” about Cromwell College sweatshirts, the information was obtained from Cromwell Clarion, the school paper. The WorldWeave Foundation, a nonprofit organization funded by American garment workers’ union, conducted an “investigation” report. The first violation of the Universal Intellectual Standards is inaccuracy. The statistics regarding the company’s total workers, including minors and females, lack validation from an unbiased party. UNICEF would be a more reliable source to gather demographic data in industrial settings compared to a union’s statistics. Additionally, the author’s statement about “children who appeared to be as young as eleven or twelve working with dangerous fabric-cutting machines” is purely subjective and lacks verification of their ages; they could have been underdeveloped teenage individuals.
The second violation pertains to the scope of the essay. It fails to include any interviews with the workers or present opposing or alternative viewpoints from the supervisors. The issue arises from the fact that Honduras is categorized as a third world country, where workers are compelled to work ten hours a day. In comparison, typical sweatshops require their workers to toil for a minimum of twelve hours. It is possible that the workers may be willing and enthusiastic while working for this particular company. However, since there was no communication established with the workers, we will never truly comprehend their sentiments or thoughts.
Another issue is the lack of depth in the essay. There was no investigation into the political factors in Honduras, nor were any industrial-wide statistics or workforce information provided. Additionally, we were not informed about the specific circumstances of each worker that influenced their decision to work for this company. The essay displayed a strong bias without offering any other information. To create an outstanding essay in the future, the author should incorporate all aspects of their research.
The essay violates standards in terms of fairness due to its assumptions and narrow scope. It is unfair to expect the audience to reach a conclusion to boycott Cromwell sweatshirt purchases without considering a broader range of merchandise that may originate from sweatshops nationwide. This constitutes two logical fallacies in Part II.
The author employs the use of emotive language as the first logical fallacy. For instance, when describing a young girl in fifth grade who works tirelessly without breaks or water, amidst a deafening roar of machinery, and with the constant fear of getting her fingers sliced off or collapsing. This evokes a strong emotional response and elicits pity for the issue at hand.
One of the fallacies employed is the straw man fallacy, where the author overstates the working conditions by describing it as a ten-hour work day that is both physically exhausting and mentally deadening. However, the reality is that many Americans already work ten-hour workdays and most working conditions are closely monitored by government regulations, so they would not be accurately described in the same way.
