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Monday, February 20, 2012

Theater / International Fact: Mike Daisey's Live Theater Has Helped Change the World

Posted by Eli Sanders on Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 6:00 AM

The welcome news that Foxconn—"one of the biggest manufacturers of products for Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and other electronics companies"—is going to start improving its horrendous working conditions has among its roots the performances of one man:

Mike Daisey.

His monologue, “The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs," is not the only piece of reportage to ever shed light on how the people who make smartphones (and tablets, and so on) are treated in Shenzhen, China. Nor was Daisey the first person to sound this particular alarm. But his work moved in the culture in a way that kept the problem present for longer than just one news cycle, and it lodged in people's minds in a manner that inspired action—especially after Daisey adapted it for This American Life.

Now Daisey says that starting tomorrow he'll be "granting an open license—free of charge and without royalty—to anyone who wishes to perform or adapt the work in any way around the world."

Bravo.

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It is still illegal for the workers to organize and their pay is nowhere close to adequate but this is good news.
If they give the workers another 25% raise, I'll consider getting another made-in-china e-device.

Posted by Allyn on February 20, 2012 at 7:33 AM

Hell hath no fury like an NPR patron who's been guilted into action.

Posted by Banna

on February 20, 2012 at 7:38 AM

Episode #454 of This American Life, available on iTunes, is devoted entirely to Daisey's monologue.

It is not the complete monologue, just the best parts that fit in their hour-long format.

If you haven't seen it live though, it may be the next best thing. It's powerful. The last few minutes are Ira Glass interviewing Daisey about his trip to China.

There's also a segment that corrects a couple of errors that crept into his original script, such as the size of the cafeteria.

Go to iTunes and get it. It's free. It's good.

Posted by Dr_Awesome on February 20, 2012 at 7:41 AM

@2 HA!!!
That's why the pledge drives work so well.

Posted by Allyn on February 20, 2012 at 7:45 AM

It was my thinking that the death of Steve Jobs was a primary factor in their decision as Jobs was a cold, ruthless, greedy person who gave not a care for anyone would couldn't afford his products. And if one could afford his products, he offered only his contempt.

Posted by mattro2.0 on February 20, 2012 at 8:19 AM

I have proposed the following:

1. Make the American minimum wage $25.

2. Impose a Labor Tariff on all imported goods that would be the difference in what Americans would be paid and what foreign workers are paid to make the good.

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on February 20, 2012 at 9:27 AM

@3: the TAL version didn't necessarily use the "best parts". They completely eliminated the Steve Jobs / Mac addict storyline of the monologue, and there are some great lines/parts there. The removal was done to focus the story on the foxconn stuff, which is fine, but it gives the piece a slightly different tone and removes a lot of the humor.

Posted by stinkbug on February 20, 2012 at 10:21 AM

Isn't it marvelous! And you folks at our favorite "news-paper" have been behind him from waaayback - you can be proud too. As an admirer of careful journalists, genuine activists and skillful dramatists, I've rarely been so starstruck as when Daisey himself popped into comments a few weeks ago to clarify how much Apple was hiding behind the camouflage of its new watchdog group.

Posted by gloomy gus on February 20, 2012 at 11:50 AM

Turns out that Mike Daisey was a big fat fraud.

His goal always seemed to be self-aggrandizing, rather than actually helping anyone.

Posted by jimg on March 16, 2012 at 10:28 PM

Fatso is a Liar, stop putting up for him. His credibility is shot.

Posted by greenlv828 on March 19, 2012 at 11:32 AM