Dear Reader,
Recently rapper Immortal Technique released his new album "The 3rd World." Along with the release of his album he held a writing contest for students in high school in order to foster critical thinking and writing skills. So in replace of my normal post I will post the essay that I submitted to the contest. I hope to hear your feedback of my submission. Good luck to all who submitted and thanks ahead for the feedback.
Sincerely,
Knowledge is Power
The United State's Relationship to the Third World
The tapping of sewing machines drones on hour after hour as logos from all across the earth find their place onto the cloth of a faceless country. As unit after unit pass through the machines the clank of the needles is interrupted by the scream of a young boy. The boy lay heaving in front of his machine as a pool of blood expands from the gnarled remains of his wrist. Upon examining the child the overseer of the plant realizes the damage and carries the boy out of the room and into the light of day. The boy is set down against a brick wall as another worker is called to fill his place from the crowded line that encircles the building. The productivity of the factory marches on unaffected…
In the wake of the age of imperialism the third world was released from the bounds of forced enslavement into an entirely revolutionized world. Countries spanning the globe from the depths of South America to the horn of Africa were all tackling the trails of creating governments and institutions to replace those left by the previous imperialist nations. The surge of freedom that washed over the people of these homelands soon proved to be a façade as the pervious governments of Europe, although gone symbolically, were as much in control as ever.
As the parliaments and police swept out of the darker nations they left behind long lasting legacies of violence and slavery. These vicious actions left the people of these nations starving for self determination and government. Any leader who surfaced that did not have a white face filled the people with the hope that they truly were emancipated from the bounds of control. What the citizens of these areas failed to realize was that when the faces on the currency changed, the owners of it did not. Although their leaders changed from white to the color of the people, the companies of the imperialist nations continued to function without interruption. Everyday the people returned to their old posts creating clothes, mining minerals, and growing the sugar cane that would most certainly end up in the hands of the very people that had ruled their countries for centuries.
This total liquidation of resources and labor from the third world was forced to transform from pure robbery to an accepted trade. This was executed by the multi-billion dollar companies that had begun their exploitation of the third world years before and who were not willing to give up their industries. Through these companies pressure was put upon the last remaining super powers of the earth to regulate the third world. From then on the independence of nations became an illusion. As the United States entered a new era the main issue in the spotlight was the red scare. Wielding this powerful weapon the U.S. proceeded to quell and control the people and governments of the third world in order to rebuild in their own image. These newly constructed democratic nations were firm allies of the U.S. and were willing to do anything to please their new keepers. They were even willing to look beyond the well being of their own people to keep the favor of their new masters.
Here lies the true nature of the third world. As the corporate powers flex their muscles upon the policy makers in Washington so beckons the third world to their agendas. So as both the government of the United States and the governments of the third world answer to the same power their relationship is therefore illustrated. They are one in the same. Whether one hails from the dense jungles of Latin America or the concrete jungles of the South Bronx your freedom is sustained or withheld by the same entity. The corporate powers that lobby for laws to be passed in the U.S. force that same power on the policy makers throughout the world. The only difference between the citizens of the U.S. and that of other countries is that in the third world people yearn for freedom, and in the U.S. people foolishly think that they have some.
…The child can be heard wheezing more slowly as times moves on. Minutes pass by as the boy gives his last few breaths on this earth. A moment later only silence comes from the area near the brick wall. Although the child died his death was not in vain for somewhere a stock has gone up, a fraction of a point.
