If you're going to publish a piece on migrant workers, maybe speak to a local farm worker or two before you throw out a bunch of stereotypes about said group and use these assumptions to imply their sickness/death has to do with their actions alone. Infuriating.
I know this is an opinion piece but come on. The author was a whole university professor. He should know a thing or two research and not making arguments based on conversations with a couple friends who happen to own greenhouses.🙄
Perhaps the most cruel part of the column is the tone used to describe two "unfortunate" deaths and a number of infections as only a "small" number? So, what would be a palatable number instead? Are these people disposable?
Let's talk about why "young" people don't work in greenhouses anymore and why we have to rely on migrant workers for this low pay, back-breaking work instead of glossing over this fact, nostalgically dreaming of summers past for the gold 'ole days.
Throwing in a story about a greenhouse owner crying over a previous worker who died in a road accident seems like a way to weaponize a woman's tears in this scenorio. I would hope she felt some kind of emotion over a death of her employee. What about his family and friends?
And this: "Many off-shore workers are younger males. They are like any other young male interested in partying and more intimate forms of social engagement.
Employers are not able to restrict or control the private off-hours lives and activities of all their [employees]..."
Employers are not able to restrict or control the private off-hours lives and activities of all their [employees]..."
What an awful generalization that doesn't take into account being away from their families & friends, not knowing the language, not knowing how to access services, fear of speaking out - all in a foreign country. But the "boys will be boys" argument sure is convenient. 🙄
Of course, dude ends this with condescension wrapped up in bigotry by using phrases like "educating our guests" and "explaining it in a language they fully understand."
Man, screw you. People are getting sick and dying and you drop a "these dumb foreigners who know no better?"
Man, screw you. People are getting sick and dying and you drop a "these dumb foreigners who know no better?"
Way to ignore what public health on this and blame - again - the victims. There is a lot of responsibility to go around here and it does NOT fall on the backs of farm workers brought here to do the labour we won't do without the healthcare & resources we take for granted. Ugh.
Okay, I thought I was done but nope: this column is racist and needs to be explicitly called out as such. It's racist to imply a group needs to be "educated" and "doesn't understand" public health measures all while pointing out they're "foreign" - ie, Black and brown.
And if we wanna talk about young people "partying" and defying public health directives, I can go through social media right now and point out a bunch of folks not socially distancing who don't happen to be Black or brown. I don't see this author going after them. 🤷🏽♀️
