This website uses IntenseDebate comments, but they are not currently loaded because either your browser doesn't support JavaScript, or they didn't load fast enough.
2099235 Responseshttp://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/whyd-you-eat-the-second-piece/Why%27d+you+eat+the+second+piece%3F2010-04-09+01%3A49%3A11Sam+Richards to Why’d you eat the second piece?
Clearly, No I would not have eaten the chocolate right in front of a slave, and I don't know of anyone who would. Honestly, I don't even think the chocolate that we had in class was made by slaves because Sam probably wouldn't buy bags of chocolate made by slaves even for a class presentation. That's partly why I ate the second piece of chocolate. The other side is that chocolate is only a small portion of the slave made products that we come into contact with on a daily basis. Whether it's the cotton in my clothes, the electronics in my phone or anything else, there is immorality and unfair treatment involved with most producers of consumer products. I personally can't do anything about slavery and the chocolate production, but if the candy was made by slaves, it's not like there's much of a difference is a few people or even a lot of people decide to avoid the product. We have chocolate in numerous types of foods and to our generation, people's lifestyles are more important than some things they seemingly cannot control.
Why did I eat the second piece of chocolate? Honestly, because I already knew a bunch of the stuff that Sam showed us about how slaves make a lot of it. And I still really love chocolate. Chances are, if you put a piece of chocolate in front of me, I would eat it no matter who made it. I would like to eat Fair Trade chocolate if I could, because honestly, who wouldn’t? Same delicious flavor, and yet you avoid that guilt of knowing you’re eating something made by slaves. That sounds like a good deal. I wouldn’t even mind it if it were a little more expensive. But Fair Trade chocolate is so much harder to get than just regular chocolate, and in the quantities that I eat chocolate, that makes it impractical to try to get it. Out of all the Fair Trade brands of chocolate, I’m pretty sure the only one I’ve ever even seen in a store before is Green and Blacks, and that stuff first of all is not only significantly more expensive than regular chocolate because it’s considered artisan and organic, but also it’s hard to find and their dark chocolate has too high a percentage of cocoa for me to really enjoy.
I guess what I’m really saying is that I’m selfish, just like everyone else who enjoys chocolate regardless of whether or not they know how it’s made and who it’s made by. In the end, I care more about my own enjoyment than about the suffering of the slaves on the Ivory Coast who gather the cocoa needed to make chocolate. And I don’t really feel guilty about that either. It’s like Sam said in class. If you don’t eat the second piece of chocolate, then good for you. But if you don’t eat the second piece of chocolate, then you better prepare to commit to never eating another piece of slave-made chocolate again, or else you’re a hypocrite. I’m a realistic person. I know I can never commit to doing that. I love chocolate too much, and Fair Trade chocolate is too hard to get. And on top of that, I don’t just eat chocolate in bars. I eat it in hot chocolate, cakes, brownies, ice cream, cookies, chocolate milk and a whole host of other products, and how will I ever know if the cocoa used to make those is Fair Trade or not? I can’t, and that’s the way it is. So I don’t feel guilty about it, because what would be the point in that? I could have not eaten it after watching the video, but that would have been a spur of the moment kind of thing. But I know that this time next year, I’ll probably have forgotten about the video and I’ll be eating chocolate with absolutely no qualms again. So for those of you that didn’t eat it, will you still remember the video in a year? Will you still be eating only Fair Trade chocolate? If you eat chocolate at all, then the answer is probably not. Which means that the real reason you didn’t eat the second piece of chocolate is because you felt self-righteous in that moment after watching the video. And that isn’t good enough if you actually care about making a difference.
If the person was sitting next to me, I probably wouldn’t have eaten the chocolate because when the young man said that quote about eating his flesh, you could see how angry he was about what had happened to him and how people were enjoying the thing that he struggled so hard to make for us. I have a question for the people who did not eat that one tiny morsel of chocolate: Will you never eat any chocolate again that is not fair trade chocolate? Or did you go home and eat chocolate in the comfort of your own home and not even think about it, especially because others were not around to look at you weird. I did eat the chocolate and it sure didn’t taste as good after hearing the stories of all of the slaves and that’s why I am going to try my best to only eat fair trade chocolate from now on.
So I thought the same thing in class. How can I bear to eat the second piece of chocolate? Everyone sitting around me seemed to be eating it. Why could not I? Well I did finally eat it after about twenty minutes of tarring with the idea. But my friend who was sitting next to me said was that if you throw it out it is not going to help anyone. And that is what Sam in other words said. If you are going to give up chocolate entirely then go ahead and leave the second piece of chocolate. But do not not eat it because of Bale's video. So I ate it. It kind of made me sick but I did. And so far I actually have not touched chocolate. Even my morning Mocha Iced Coffees have gone to the waste side. Probably better for my waist anyways. And if I do want chocolate I know I will buy Fair Trade.
We were talking about it in our discussion groups. This girl who will remain anonymous said every summer she went to Hershey Park because Disney World was out of her family’s budget. But she would go on the rides and see where chocolate is made from and how it because the delicious kinds of chocolate we all have grown up on. Imagine if they put that the coco beans come from the slavery. That the delicious milky creamy chocolate that everyone consumes is off the back of slaves… That you are "eating their flesh" every time you take a bite. It might not go over as well as coming from the coco beans from candy land. She said that now that she knows where chocolate originates from all of her childhood memories of going to Hershey Park with her family have been disrupted and ruined. I felt terrible but I am so glad that now we know. Because before this I had no idea that there was even a controversy with chocolate. I had no idea that it was manufactured off the backs of slaves. To tell you the truth I had no idea where it came from. I was just oblivious and unaware to the fact. So with the awareness that Sam has provided me with I will tell other people and inform them of what is going on before your milk chocolate bar is consumed. I will hopefully make a small drop, which will hopefully ripple, throughout the entire pond. Because that is what Sam Richards and Kevin Bales have done for me. There as so much that slavery is apart of and no one has a clue. If people become aware it can hopefully make a difference and stop the persecution and slavery that is occurring today.
Are you seriously going to throw this question out? I'm fairly certain that almost every single thing we use throughout our day has been touched by slaves in some way. Try to tell me you can live in a world that hasn't been touched by the hands of slaves. I knew where Sam was going with the chocolate exercise the moment I realized what was inside the foil. He gave us that chocolate to make us feel guilty and then play devil's advocate by eating it himself. Seriously, it's like vegetarians who won't eat meat because it "hurts the animals." The deed is done. Someone made this chocolate and bought it (cough Sam) and presented it to me. I've been eating chocolate all my life. It's delicious. I don't mean to sound like a cruel bitch, that video really did make me stop. When he said he'd have no words for the people who have eaten the chocolate from the cocoa beans he's picked…that hit me. And I was shocked to hear that he'd never tasted chocolate in his life. But, in my own opinion, not eating that single piece of chocolate isn't going to change anything. Even if the entire class boycotted those mini hersey kisses nothing would be accomplished unless one of the students became an extreme activist and gave their life to it…along with a few other thousand people….
I feel like there's so much negativity in this class….like how much can we really do? How much can we do that's logical. We can buy fair trade chocolate? We're poor college students and you expect us to give up our Hersey Bars for a five dollar fair trade bar that most likely won't taste half as good…I'm tired of being made to feel guilty…don't tell me I'm as bad as the men beating these "slaves" and holding them captive just because I buy candy bars.
I am curious though to know how many of the students didn't eat the chocolate. I have no problem with the students that didn't eat it for moral reasons I just don't appreciate anyone that's going to call me out on my decision either. Yeah I hesitated, debating with myself for about a minute before eating the last piece. And no, after it being described as someone else's flesh, it didn't seem so appetizing. But that's not going to stop me from eating it in the future. Maybe one day when I'm a wealthy businesswoman I'll start buying fair trade items. But for now I'm shopping at Walmart.
Eating the second piece of chocolate or not eaten it is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. The fact is most chocolate is produced from West African slaves is the issue. Steps you can take personally go much further then not eating chocolate. Just to spread the word and be aware of what you purchase and what you are actually doing in general. It’s not good to be tuned out. If you do not know where the things you buy come from then find out. We eat and drink things that we have no idea what is put in it and no idea where it came from. The video opened my eyes to the fact that is it our responsibility to know where the things we eat comes from and even further it is our responsibility to inform those who are ignorant to care and think about where the things they use come from as well.
Although I did not eat the second piece of chocolate, I can understand why people did. We all eat chocolate on a normal basis so how this one piece any different from the rest? I could say I am done eating chocolate but I cannot make any guarantees. The trade free chocolate makes sense to buy though. I feel like that should be more widely advertised to people because to be honest that is now what I will be looking for. But then again what about the things that have chocolate in them, cake mixes, chocolate ice cream etc, how do we know if they were made by trade free chocolate?
At first I was very disturbed after viewing the video. I didn't want to eat the second piece of chocolate so I let it sit there. Then Sam said are you never going to eat chocolate again? If so, then don't eat it. I planned on eating chocolate at one point or another in my life so I ended up eating it. I do feel something now when the topic arises. When I go clothes shopping I'll remember the video. When I have a nice dinner at home I'll remember this class. When my mom is complaining about how work it tough and times are bad for us right now, I'm going to remember these experiences. The fact is that I live completely out of their world, and I have priorities in my life to the point where there is nothing I can give. My main priority in life right now is myself, as selfish as that may sound. I will try my best not to eat and use slave made goods, and help the cause as much as I can, but I can not live in guilt from day to day for using these products which are on that list of slave made goods. I wish I was very wealthy and I could make more of a difference, and I hope to one day be so I can help causes like these with more influence. For now, I can only reflect and be educated on the topics, and spread this knowledge to others. This is a major step in the right direction, especially if the entire class spread their knowledge to others and helped make a difference. Maybe then more slave made products would go off the market, once the country is informed as a whole as to how the economy is operating.
From the moment that I got my little foil ball and discovered that there was chocolate inside of it, I knew EXACTLY what was coming.
So when Sam was like, "Go ahead and eat the first piece of chocolate," I was already kind of hesitant to do so.
Then we watched the video and we were challenged to eat the second piece. I pondered what I'd just seen and decided to wrap it up really nicely to display on my desk as a reminder to myself that many of the products that pass through my hands every day, and even the ones that I consume on a day-to-day basis are actually produced by people under awful conditions that I myself could never survive.
I made it I think…… thirty minutes or so before I looked at my little aluminum soon-to-be desk decoration and then asked myself, "If I bled to produce something that was to be consumed and enjoyed, would I want it to sit on someone's desk?"
I figured that it was a good thing that I was going to use it as a reminder to myself that not everything in the world comes at a truly fair price. But then I thought about what would happen to that piece of chocolate. When I move out of my dormitory, I'll have to throw it away, pack it away, or take it home with me. I wouldn't want to flat out throw it away, but if I pack it, then it'll melt in the sweltering summer heat in a storage room somewhere. The chocolate would get everywhere, probably ruin some of my stuff, and then I'd, first, feel contemptuous toward that melted piece of chocolate, and, two, clean it up and throw it away. The last thing that I want to do is take the product of slave labor and waste it, least of all to feel bitter toward its existence. If I tried to take that piece of chocolate home with me, it'd probably get smashed up in the bottom of my bag while I'm going through security, or on the plane ride home, or at any point of my travels; in other words, no matter what I ended up doing, if I put that piece of chocolate on my desk, it'd ultimately end up in the trash—– and the forced labor of some poor slave on the Ivory Coast half a world away– rather, the "flesh" of some poor slave on the Ivory Coast— would be in vain!
So I ate that piece of chocolate. And I enjoyed it more than any piece of chocolate I've ever eaten in my entire life.
I made sure to savor every last bit of that piece of chocolate, and all the while, made sure to feel grateful toward the slave that shed his blood, sweat, and tears to harvest the cocoa beans for that piece of chocolate.
If someone is sacrificing their flesh for the production of something that is solely for the momentary pleasure of another, I think the least I could do is enjoy it, and enjoy it thoroughly. It's an acknowledgment of that particular slave's suffering, and an effort to insure that that suffering was not in vain.
And, for the record, even without that piece of chocolate sitting on my desk, the realization of slave-involvement in chocolate production has stuck.
I had a bowl of chocolate ice cream after dinner today, and you can be damn sure that I made sure to eat and enjoy every. last. bit.
This girl brought up an interesting question. I am curious as to how many people in the class ate the second piece of chocolate. I ate the first piece of chocolate without thinking. However, after watching the video in class, I was conflicted as to whether or not I should eat the chocolate. I didn't know if I should eat the candy and not waste what was already purchased or not eat the chocolate out of respect for the people in the video. In the end, I couldn't eat the second piece of chocolate. I felt sad for the slaves in the video and I couldn't get past the idea that the poor people in Africa endured torture and hardships just so I could enjoy one little chocolate chip. Dr. Richards made a good point though. After we watched the video and he told us to eat the second piece of chocolate, he said unless we are planning to never eat chocolate again, eating the second piece won't make a difference. Honestly, I know I won't follow through with never eating chocolate again. I actually have eaten chocolate since class, but at that moment, after the watching the video I couldn't look at the people on the screen and then eat the chocolate containing their "flesh".
It is really upsetting to me that slavery is still very prevalent in society. After reading the book "Disposable People" and seeing the slaves in the Ivory Coast in the video, it really showed me the extent of the slavery. These poor people receive no money for their work, are locked in a shed like animals and are beaten when they disobey. This is inhumane and the brutality needs to end immediately. After hearing the slaves speak, I will try to think twice before I purchase or eat something made by slaves. If I thought that some of the money I spent on buying these products would go towards wages for the slaves, I would have no problem buying these things. But, since I know the vast majority of the slaves receive absolutely no payment for their hard work, I do not want to condone the harsh treatment of these people. I do not want the slaveholders to receive any money for their business, in the hopes that the crops will fail and the slaves will have to be freed.
I was happy to hear that the nineteen boys were rescued from slavery and are working to rebuild their lives post trauma. I hope that more slaves will be able to find safety and shelter too.
This lesson on slavery really made me recognize all of the things I am blessed to have and to appreciate the freedom I have in my life. While I am sitting in a classroom getting an education so I can get a good job, many people my age and younger are under the control of abusers and working 12+ hours a day with no pay or hope of better conditions.
I may not be able to combat slavery, but I will try to pay more attention to what I am buying and consider the people who worked all day and suffered poor working conditions to make the things that I enjoy.
I was actually wondering this same question, because I did not eat the second piece or chocolate. I do not like chocolate to begin with, and never eat it unless it is given to me on a special occasion like Halloween or Easter. I do not think it would be hard for me to refrain from eating chocolate, especially if I was allowed to eat the chocolate not produced by slaves. But I was definitely amazed at how many people ate the second piece of chocolate after seeing the video; I thought more of us would have refrained from eating the second piece.
You know this question really hits me a certain way and in a way that honestly pisses me off quite a bit. So let us say you do not eat the second piece of chocolate, what do you do instead, throw it out in the trash can? I guess it is better to throw it out, I mean I guess I would rather have my flesh and hard work just thrown out (sarcasm). In my opinion that is the worst thing you could possibly do. How do you think that would make the young children in that movie clip feel if they knew their hard work was thrown out, that their flesh was disregarded just like a piece of garbage. It is just like Sam said, “Unless you are going to make the commitment to never each chocolate again, eat the second piece.”
After watching that video, it definitely hit home for me. Before this class, I didn’t really think slavery was as prominent as it is. Now I realize how bad it is, but I didn’t think all the products we consume were in some way made by slaves. Chocolate is consumed by people all over the world, and to think that someone’s sweat and blood went into making it. People are beaten until they lose consciousness just for a small infraction. Also, the majority of slaves are young boys. They don’t know any better and don’t deserve to be treated that way. They are still growing and being beaten like that will stunt their growth and affect their health for the rest of their lives.
My personal opinion of eating the second chocolate chip is the same with Sam’s. I wouldn’t sit there and not eat the chocolate chip just because slaves are beaten making it because that would mean I could never again consume chocolate. I mean I love eating steak but I don’t approve of cows being slaughtered. I’m still going to do what I like. Chocolate will forever be consumed regardless of how it’s produced. I still ate my second piece of chocolate because it has already been produced. If you throw it away, all their hard work will have been for nothing. Yes, I realize that it’s messed up to eat someone’s flesh, but it really isn’t their flesh. The fact the chocolate is already made doesn’t make me stop eating it, but definitely stop to think. If I had the choice of eating chocolate in the future and stopping its production now, then it would be a different story.
If the scenario was different and the actual slave was physically sitting next to me, I would think differently. I don’t think I could stomach eating a piece of chocolate if I saw a slave next to me displaying his scars for me to see. I think it’s horrible to think that people could stomach food knowing the person next to you almost died producing it. Food should be made it good, positive work environments. But the fact is, it isn’t. People around the world are constantly being mistreated in the work place and a large amount of people consuming the goods are oblivious to it. I personally would rather not know how my food is produced if it’s not produced in a positive way. The first time I heard how hot dogs were made, I didn’t eat them for a while, but eventually I came back to them. If people love the taste of something, the production of it won’t stop them from consuming. Chocolate is favorite to everyone and always will be.
Well to start off that is a very good question. After watching that video I was sickened and could barely eat the other piece. I kept looking around watching to see what everyone else would do. I stared at the candy for a long time. The only reason I ate it was because Sam did and because he said you can’t change anything by eating it, you won’t be making a difference so why not eat it. It was a pretty tough decision and I will tell you this, the second piece did not taste nearly as good as the first piece. I can understand how you may be upset by this but I don’t think of it as I am eating someone’s flesh. If I had not watched that video I would have never known that they candy that we eat every day is picked by slaves. I didn’t even know that there was a kind of chocolate that people can by that was not made by slaves. I think it is important that we acknowledge that people and kids are beaten, tortured, and enslaved so that we can enjoy our tiny piece of chocolate. But it was a sticky situation. I thought to myself, would I really be doing something, saving someone, if I didn’t eat the second piece of candy. Would it even matter? Or is it just a matter of respect for the slaves who picked the coco. I simply look at this situation as I have always eaten chocolate and I always will. By the time the chocolate gets to me people have already suffered, profits have already been made, and the slaves are already in the fields picking more coco. Yes I can try to force people to by fair trade chocolate but will this really make a big difference. It is so frustrating to think about. I think the news needs to sneak into that country and get footage of these poor innocent slaves so the world can see what goes into our favorite candies. This situation is also frustrating because when you think about it, almost half of the items in your house, apartment, purse, car are made from slaves and most people wouldn’t even know that. Are we supposed to alter are lives because things we own are made by slaves, or is that just the way it is. Is that the way it is always going to be, there is going to be fortunate people, less fortunate people, and sadly people who are stuck in slavery. I honestly don’t know what to do about the situation. I also feel like it would be wasteful to not eat this piece of candy. It was sitting in front of my face, what was I supposed to do throw it away. Wouldn’t that be like throwing away all of the slaves hard work? Or throwing away their flesh? Also yes the man on the video said he would say not nice things to people who ate candy cause we were eating his flesh. But he doesn’t understand that the rest of the world is ignorant to where this candy comes from. He has no idea that we don’t realize the suffering he has gone through and we probably never will.
I ate the second piece of chocolate after watching the video. I picked up on the point of the chocolate early on. I knew that he was going to show us a video on slavery and then tell us to eat the second piece of chocolate. Thinking about it while watching the video I was thinking that I would not eat the second piece of chocolate. When the video was over, I thought about it. Then, Sam made a comment; something to the effect of don’t not eat the second piece of chocolate unless you are going to vow never to eat chocolate again. This is the statement that really got me thinking and made me eat the second piece of chocolate.
The video was terrible and it was very scary to watch the men in that video working as slaves. The video made me very upset that the world is the way it is. It is terrible that human beings are able to force others to work for them without any pity or regard for how they feel. I could not physically force another human being to do that, but I guess I am helping by purchasing these products.
The problem here is that there are so many products that this impacts. There is no way that I could have sat in that classroom and vowed to never eat chocolate again. In fact, I ate chocolate later that night and honestly, it did not even occur to me that I had just watched a video about slavery just a few hours before that very moment. I know that slavery was used to make my clothing and my cell phone and a million other things that I use in my everyday life. What can I do? Stop putting on clothes in the morning? Start being extra extra selective about my food intake? Stop making phone calls? I cannot even begin to imagine what my life would be like without all of these things.
I think that the first step in the process of getting rid of slavery is awareness which is certainly being attacked with classes like this and videos such as the one that we watched. I think that the next step in this process is to go after the major corporations who use these products to their advantages. I know that if I were the CEO of a major company and I found out that my products were being made by slaves I would immediately cut off all ties with that particular supplier. I think that this is where the major problems lie. Companies are concerned with lowest costs and greatest revenue as opposed to the well being of the world. These companies are very influential on our society and I think that they need to be aware and become responsible for what they produce and sell. They need to be responsible for the well being of the human race and the rest of the world.
It’s just like Sam said in class… don’t NOT eat the piece of chocolate just to prove a point or make a stand towards slavery unless you are actually not going to ever eat a piece of chocolate again. I wouldn’t even say that I felt so guilty eating it, as I just became more aware of the situation and where the chocolate came from. I know that video in class isn’t going to stop me from eating chocolate ever again, it is just not, so whether I ate the piece of chocolate in class right after the video, or if I ate it, or a different piece of chocolate the next day, what difference is that really going to make? From a different perspective, it is like someone else mentioned… now seeing that these people slaved over making this chocolate, you are putting their hard work to waste. Honestly, if you were spending days on end laboring over the process of making chocolate and getting abused and no payment or anything, wouldn’t the least you want is for people to enjoy what you are making so at least you aren’t going through this hard work for absolutely nothing? I also feel that even if this video affected one person to ACTUALLY never eat chocolate ever again, it unfortunately still will not make a difference. There are still millions of people out there buying chocolate every day. In order to make a real difference, we would need everyone to stop buying the product, or at least a significant amount of people. I think if one person would make a stand to stop eating chocolate and making other people aware would put their views and beliefs out there—hopefully to impact other people to do the same. Maybe the problem is not even in just simply stopping eating chocolate. More has got to be done if we want to see real changes. I do not know what it would take to make a true impact, but I am sure it would take a lot. There are a lot of people out there, like Kevin Bales, who are trying to make that happen. It is awful what has become of slavery today. Right now, all we can really do is make more and more people aware of the facts and that slavery really is still happening today all over the world. The more people become aware, the more people we can get to make a difference, make a change. Until that day, not eating one piece of chocolate directly after watching that video is not the kind of difference we need. At least by eating the chocolate you are recognizing the hard work and labor these slaves are going through—just be aware and make others aware.
Well duh if the person was sitting right next to the person who had ate the first piece of chocolate why would they eat the second one. that was a dumb question. Thats just how the world operates. People are more likely to help out in a situation when they are effect by the situation or someone close to them is being effected which will trickle down to effect them physically, emotionally, or mentally. If people don't have a direct idea of what, who, or where they are affecting then they a more than likely going to be blind sided to the idea whether or not they just watched the video on cocoa slavery off the ivory coast of Africa. I say whether they have seen the video or not because someone's response can be simply how do I know for a fact who and where am I being an affect on. The question is not ho can you eat that candy, its more of why are the supplies allowing for prices to decline which would then force these slave masters to hire slaves in order to pay for cheap or free labor in order to be successful more the lest survive.
I personally think that cocoa and other resources that these capitalist countries are investing in should be sold at full face value. Since the quality of how the resource was harvested in certain climate dependent regions as well as how properly stored and package the item was in order to keep the resource fresh, clean, or what ever type of measure was taken to protect the item. I know every one loves cheap or free things including myself but if chocolate was in such high demand they should be priced at what they are worth not how much you or the middle man can make off of it. I mean mattresses are really expensive but don't all of us westerners need comfortable mattresses to lay our heads down. Pricing resources or items at a value that reflects its quality is reasonable, and if you really need or just simply want it you would have access to have it all for the right price.
If this method was implemented in the globalized market then not just us westerners but every one in the world would be able to understand the meaning and the difference between a need and a want, us westerners would not be so materialistic as well. But its because things are handed to is so easily for little or none we don't see nor hear about the situation like the one in the Ivory Coast so often. Thats mine and i am pretty sure of how a lot more other people's thoughts in eating the second peace of chocolate.
I was very moved by the video we watched about the slavery behind cocoa. It was very hard for me to watch the video knowing how it was just Easter, and my mom gave me an entire basket full of chocolate and not just me but all of my 4 sisters, my brother-in-law, and my boyfriend, and this is just my family alone. Chocolate has been a major part of my childhood and I loved eating chocolate all of my life, and I never considered what it took for the chocolate to get to my mouth. Yes, as I have said a million times on these blogs, I am very naive to the outside problems, and I have never thought about any one else's strife for my pleasure. It is sad that I have been in the dark for so long about so many issues, and I seriously feel bad that I have not been educated any time before in my life about these issues.
I did not eat the second piece of chocolate after watching the video. I did not feel comfortable eating a piece of chocolate after watching a man say that it would be like me eating his flesh. I don't know if I felt pressured that if someone else in the class would see me eat the chocolate that I would be looked upon as some ignorant American, or if I just really did not want to eat it because of the video. After thinking hard about my decision to not eat the chocolate, I think it would not have made a difference if I ate the chocolate or not. Yes, it is a horrible thing to think about eating someone's flesh, but I have been eating chocolate my whole life, and like Sam said stopping your habits of eating the chocolate is not the first step. Also, I found the there is kind of a double standard going on with not eating the second chocolate. First of all, the chocolate was already produced. There is nothing I can do about the chocolate that is already on the market and already packaged for everyone to eat. The slavery has already occurred and me not eating the chocolate is going to do any good in helping what has already been done. Also, if i do not eat the chocolate, someone who is starving would appreciate the chocolate so much more than me. Therefore, by throwing out the chocolate, I was affecting starving people more than I was affecting the slaves because the disaster had already happened.
Now after thinking about my decision to not eat the chocolate, I have come to find that I did not eat the chocolate because I felt pressured by everyone else in the classroom. I knew that if someone saw me eat the second piece of chocolate I would have gotten the stare–the wow you are so inconsiderate stare. That stare would have made me feel worse than actually eating the chocolate.
Personally, I agree with the people who said that if that slave went through all of that and suffered to make the second piece of chocolate in front of us, you'd better freaking eat that chocolate and enjoy it so that he didn't go through that all to have the product end up wasted in the trash! Whether you ate it or not no longer had any effect on slavery- it was already bought so it already contributed to the slave economy. However, if you're really never going to eat chocolate again in your life after seeing that video, I guess all the more power to you, but that was a moral decision for you to make in class to not eat the second piece and there is absolutely nothing wrong with people choosing to eat their second piece and enjoy it. I also think people need to learn figurative language- no, I really doubt that there is any actual human flesh in your chocolate. It wasn't meant to be taken literally. But it definitely meant to make you "feel a certain way" as Sam always says and I think the issue did hit a lot of people about how little things we don't even think about twice like enjoying a piece of chocolate all can be contributing to slavery. So I mean, it's awesome if you're going to walk away from that class and give up chocolate forever or (probably easier) buy only fair trade chocolate or just even to just be more aware of what is going on. But you can't really criticize people for continuing to eat chocolate- it's pretty much ingrained in our culture to enjoy some hot hot chocolate on a cold winter day, or for grandma to bake you fresh chocolate chip cookies, and what would Christmas or Halloween or Easter be without those sweet chocolate candies?! So there's really no simple solution.
I personally didn’t eat either piece, but I think that I would not have eaten the second, but at the same time Sam did make the point, that what is the point of not eating the second piece-unless you will never eat chocolate that is not fair trade again? I think that maybe that video made some people believe how important it is to look at what you are really buying and perhaps that it is worth the extra dollar to get the chocolate that is not made by slaves. I think people couldn’t eat it because the video was so fresh in their minds, but I bet they have had chocolate since then…
I am pretty sure at least 90 percent of the class do not previously know about the slavery involved in the harvest of cocoa for slavery. I had an idea that the production of chocolate includes forced labor, but I never knew that it was in that magnitude. Sam Richards told every body in the class to eat a piece of chocolate. I could not even eat the first piece because I had an idea that some video on the history of cocoa and chocolate production was about to come on. I knew the amount of work required to process cocoa into chocolate because of my background. I remember back in Nigeria, my grand father had little cocoa farm. Harvesting the cocoa is hard enough, but it is just the beginning of the process. After the harvest, I remember that the cocoa had to be manually cut in half with a cutlass, which is very dangerous. The cutlass can literally cut someone's hand off. After that, the seeds have to be taking out of the fruit and God knows how many other steps that are going to happen after that.
After watching that video of the Ivorians who are slaves because of the cocoa, it brought a total silence in the class. People felt something in their heart and where at first not willing to eat the second piece of chocolate. But just a few minutes after the video, the sympathy wore off people face and they return to their normal chocolate loving self. It is a shame indeed. I am not saying that everyone should quit eating chocolate, but at least people should have the self respect of for the Ivorians of not eating that second piece of chocolate. In the video, one of the slave workers on the cocoa farm said that who ever is eating chocolate is like they are eating his flesh. I might not fully understand what he meant but at least we can show respect by not eating the second piece of chocolate. These people have been shedding sweat and blood on a daily basis for harvesting cocoa and the production of chocolate. They do not get paid anything and they have not even had the opportunity to the chocolate that we consume on a daily basis.
As for those who ate that second piece, it just shows how heartless this country is. If something do not affect us directly, we do not feel obligated to do something to change the situation, as long as we are benefiting from it. Another example, is our troops in the middle East. People barely question what are troops are really doing in the middle east because we are benefiting from it. We all felt sympathy for 9/11 and even today it is still a scar in our hearts. But what about the people in the Middle East? They experience 9/11 on a daily basis but only a few people have tried something to change the situation. We do not feel for them because they are not "our people". I just want people to feel outside the box. The world might actually be a "better place".
Just by watching that video isn't going to make me stop eating chocolate. Sam even said it himself, it is just to get you to think. I certainly thought about slavery and chocolate for the rest of the day and now I am aware of what is going on in other parts of the world. Even though I now know this, I will still each chocolate. Me not eating chocolate is not going to change anything. And why should I stop eating chocolate even if I don't feel strongly about the subject. Of course that video was very sad and had an effect on me, the effect was not strong enough to change my actions. It would be amazing to see someday all American companies become "fair trade", but I do not think I would go out of my way to get a "fair trade product". If I was at a store that had both options, I think that I would choose the "fair trade" one.
I think that if you truly couldn’t eat the second piece of chocolate, that’s great! It’s awesome if it had a strong effect on you and hopefully that stays with you. It’s crazy how just a video can have such a strong effect on people. I like chocolate too much to change my mind and make a drastic change in my life. I think that this is similar to a situation about meat. If we watched a video about slaughterhouses and farm factories, I think that many people would not be able to eat meat. I don’t know if I would have that change because I love meat, but I definitely it could have an effect on me. I think that If I saw with my own eyes these slaves and talked to them, I would only eat fair trade chocolate, but I didn’t feel that strong connection by watching the video. I am not going to sit here and lie and say I’m never going to eat chocolate again, because there would be no point in that. If I’m going to eat it, I’m going to eat it.
It was very disturbing seeing the condition that the forced laborers were in. Seeing the scars on that boys back made me cringe. I cannot believe that someone could be scared that badly from abuse. Every one of the slaves said that they have never received any money for their work and they have been there for a very long time. That is awful and I wish that there was something that could be done. I have strong feelings about this and feel awful but I know that me not eating chocolate is not going to solve the problem.
First of all, it is incredibly unrealistic to think that those who ate the second piece were wrong to. Just like Sam said in class after the video, unless you are willing to give up eating chocolate that is not a special brand, then eat the chocolate or else you are basically being fake. As a matter of fact, if you are going to pretend for a class period that you will not even buy or eat anything slave made, then go about your own life after class, you really do not have a right to point the finger at anyone who did eat the second piece of chocolate. This question is so naïve considering I bet this person eats and owns tons of slave made foods and items. Also, I have a problem with this little experiment in the first place. If you are trying to prove a point, as in do not buy slave made chocolate, then why would you buy it for a seven hundred person lecture class every semester in the first place? This seems a bit too contradictory to me. You are actually fueling the companies who profit from slaves, so me eating the chocolate when you tell me to is not really vilifying me. It does not make a single difference in the world of slave made goods if I eat a piece of slave made chocolate that has already been purchased and has already done its damage. I think this could be a good idea, but when you think about the fact that the chocolate company has already got what helps fuel slavery, which is consumer money, it sort of loses its point.
This may sound like I am being kind of cynical, and I think that is probably because I am just a realist type of person. I really do wish that I could resist buying these slave made goods, but on the other hand I know how uneducated and ignorant I am to these types of products and these companies that do support slavery. It would take a lot of research and time commitment in order to fully never consume any sort of good that had any sort of slavery ties to it. I think it would be really awesome if this could be made a bit more realistic so people could recognize what they are doing when they purchase these goods. I know for me, if I knew a good was made by slaves, I would make the decision not to purchase it. This may seem contradictory to what I said earlier, but it really is not since that chocolate was already purchased and the true, realistic damage has been done.
Here’s the way I feel about it and think about it. I ate the first piece of chocolate when Sam told us to eat it. Before we saw the video, no one thought about where the chocolate came from or how it came here. So everyone ate it and then Sam played the video about coca beans. After the video, Sam said eat the second piece, everyone looked around to see if their neighbors would eat it or just throw it in their bag. Then Sam said, if you honestly will say you will NEVER eat chocolate again, then get rid of it. If you think you’ll eat it again but just feel bad because of the video, then just eat it now, what’s the difference? So I ate the chocolate and so did everyone around me.
I do feel horrible for what slaves have to do to live, but not eating the chocolate is like not wearing clothes or not eating fruit. Someway somehow, everything you eat and wear is brought here because of the labor done. Although watching the video does make you think bout how hard they work and all the torture they go thorough if something goes wrong, getting paid unfair and working unfair hours. If you played a video every time you put your shirt on, would you not wear shirts everyday? This is why everyday people should not take for granted everything they have and everything they own in the world today. Because there are people out there who work hard for what we have in America today.
Because there are people out there who work hard for what we have in America today. Once again I do understand they live horribly and have to have a horrible laboring job. But if you were to watch a video every time you wore or ate something you wouldn’t have anything. Everything we have and eat are mostly created and picked by slaves. Like I said before you just should not take for granted everything you have. Don’t waste your food and don’t buy clothes then throw them out a month later. Going back to “how do you stomach eating the chocolate?”
If you were to not eat the chocolate, you’d be throwing it away, it’d be going to waste, and that was cocoa beans that were picked and then wasted, because that one person decided just for today that they didn’t want to eat chocolate because of the video. Chocolate that someone else would have eaten. I do once again feel horrible and upset about the life style these slaves have to live, it’s sad and unfortunate. I hope there will be better days for them. Maybe it will show Americans to not take everything they for granted in life today.
Before the demonstration began, I had a feeling that eating the chocolate would make a point so I chose to not eat the first piece. After watching the video I was glad that I hadn’t eaten the chocolate chip; yet I couldn’t help but think how this one chocolate chip was meaningless in the whole big scheme of my week, year, or lifetime of chocolate consumption. As I watched the video I was pleased that I didn’t eat the first chocolate chip. The more I had the immediate consequential thoughts that I needed to completely give up chocolate, the more I second guessed myself. I realized that it was unrealistic for me to pledge I was going to change my life and stop buying and eating chocolate in order to combat the process of slavery involved in its production.
Though I think from this point on I will make a conscious decision to take advantage of the free-trade chocolate available, after thinking more about the issue I ate both of those chocolate chips. Maybe you’re shocked by this considering what I just said immediately raced through my mind in reaction to the video, however I would argue that it is worse to NOT eat the chocolate. Before you judge me completely, let me explain my reasoning. I imagine if you told that man from the video, the one that claimed eating chocolate is like eating a piece of his flesh, that you just threw the chocolate in the trash – the chocolate that he lost his funds, his family and friends, and his freedom for – it would be more disrespectful than eating a piece of his torturous, unfulfilling work.
Americans take for granted the fact that they get to experience a great number of luxuries that the rest of the world is not privy to. The man in the video admitted that he had never even tasted the product that his blood, sweat, and tears went into producing. By throwing a piece of his flesh into the trash, it’s like you are showing how ignorant you are that you could easily waste something that another human being unwillingly gave up literally everything for you to enjoy.
The treatment of the slaves involved in chocolate production is simply inhumane; the fact that chocolate manufacturers are aware of the torture and unfair treatment of these slaves yet they choose to avoid improving the conditions is – in my eyes – even worse. With the knowledge of this level of maltreatment, how can officials and individuals in power choose to close their eyes? It pains me to know that people force others to do things and treat them like material possessions against their will. With these things in mind, how could you NOT eat the second piece of chocolate?
Personally, I didn't eat either piece of chocolate, but initially it had nothing to do with the video. After I watched the video, though, I definitely didn't want to eat the second piece. The video was really upsetting, and really showed the reality of modern day slavery. Even after reading "Disposable People", I didn't have a full, or vivid, picture of what modern day slavery looked like. Honestly, I think that video was worse that I had imagined. That video showed us that modern day slavery is as horrific as former slavery, maybe worse.
So I didn't eat it because 1. I don't really like chocolate 2. I was grossed out that people had touched it 3. After the video I couldn't. But, I think it actually might be worse to not eat it. The chocolate was obviously already bought (don't know if it was fair trade chocolate?), so by not eating it, you're wasting it. At least if you ate it, you were grateful for what the slaves did. If you didn't, you threw their life away. I don't know if that makes sense, but I almost feel more guilty that I didn't eat it now. And feel guilty that I've never put any thought into buying a candy bar. I literally throw down a dollar like it's nothing, not putting the slightest thought into how that candy bar was made and what had to happen for it to get into my hands. Maybe that's the whole "ignorance is bliss" saying?
The thing that's a shame is that we can't do much about it. Literally if our entire class decided to boycott buying chocolate, it wouldn't even make a difference because there would still be millions of people buying chocolate. And even if we do boycott chocolate, where do we stop? If we start to boycott everything that has slave made products, where would we be? Could we survive? I'm not saying this to not have hope or to be condescending, but the problem is just too big that something like simply not consuming those goods isn't going to do anything.
I honestly wonder what the fix to this problem is? It seems like the sites of these slave grounds, or whatever they should be called, are so obscure that they're hardly found. Or what about in like Paris where girls are just brought into homes, how are they found? It's really quite sad when you think about it because it's definitely not an easy fix. And even once we think it's "fixed", like we did post-emancipation, it's not going to be completely gone. Hopefully I'm wrong and we can completely wipe out slavery, but I just don't know. Until then, at least we are aware and cognizant of its existence, and maybe our small measures will make a small difference in even one person's life. We may never know, but at least we can try. In fact, Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
To the question of why would you eat the second piece of chocolate I only have to say why would you eat the first piece in the first place? And if you did eat the first piece why should you stop yourself and not eat the second piece? You have been eating chocolate since you were little and you never bothered to think twice about where that chocolate comes from and how that chocolate chip is produced from a cocoa bean. I feel as in part it’s to blame the parents who lack the ability to educate their children and the second will probably have to fall on our education system. I honestly don’t understand how people can be that blind about certain things… Maybe because I was born and raised in Europe I’m more knowledgeable than the people in America, which I feel should not be even the case because Americans are exposed to far more different cultures and traditions and much better education, at least I thought so.
On the lines of how certain things are manufactured or produced and by who are simple questions that have to run through everybody’s minds at least once in awhile. I guess most of the people are too self-observed and self-concentrated that they have no time to stop and think about abstract things. Most people who live in America are used to a high passed lifestyle and they only do things that will be easier and cheaper rather than look for a quality food, jobs, vacations even if it takes a little bit more thinking and picking. The other thing that I don’t understand is the fact that we call regular chocolate bar like Hershey as chocolate even though it only has 5% to 10% of cocoa…. It is very disturbing for me to see how people are misled to think that it’s a chocolate bar… On the other hand the real chocolate bar has to be called organic chocolate bar and carry a price tag, which will probably stop the people from buying the real thing. Moreover, this problem pertains not only to chocolate but to food in general.
In Europe, we call all natural organic stuff as food… like fresh tomatoes, potatoes, other vegetables, fruits etc. On the other hand, all the processed stuff we either don’t have or we buy only in small quantities… I have been taught since childhood that all that processed stuff is artificially modified and is very bad for our system. I feel as people should be feeding off things that the nature provides and not off something created in the lab.
It is heart breaking for me to see small children eat colored cereal that not only artificially colored but also is reprocessed a few times for an easier digestion and therefore easier gain of fat contribution to children’s obesity. A human being burns more calories by chewing non processed products that have substance and are not being pureed…
Even though I got a little bit off topic, my point is if people are o’k with eating the first piece of chocolate then they should eat the other one, because they should realize that they will continue to eat chocolate chips as soon as the SOC class is over… Only the people who are serious about rejecting all chocolate and stick only to organic stuff should not eat that second piece of chocolate. In reality it will be very hard to do because if the students didn’t realize that the cocoa beans in a chocolate bar came from a slave owned plantation… they probably don’t realize that most of the stuff they eat or wear or use was produced/ manufactured by a slave in some form or another. So, people just have to accept the fact that that’s how US gets cheap manufacturing/production oversees and if someone is very against it they should start with petitioning to the government to change their rules and regulations as to products US produces/buys oversees. If all the products were produces in US, then maybe the slave labor would not be a factor in our concern for fairness and equal rights.
I honestly cannot take this question seriously. For you to ask, “how could you even stomach eating the second piece?” is such a silly question to me. Although I didn’t eat either piece of chocolate, isn’t it just a shame to see all of their hard work and flesh go to waste? I feel like you not eating the second piece is like taking all of the cocoa beans they harvest in one day and throwing them into a pit of fire. It is a waste. The slaves on the cocoa plantations work so hard because that is their lifestyle. They left their families to find work and this is what they found. They thought they would get paid to harvest, and eventually be able to leave whenever they wanted, but that’s not quite how it works. I must add however, that the video was very sad. It was a real eye opener but I still don’t think it will prevent me from being able to eat chocolate. I just think it is such a shame that Sam had to show that video in order to open everyone’s eyes about this issue. When I was in fifth grade, I did a project on cocoa farmers and their slaves, and since then, I’ve still somehow been able to eat chocolate
I think it’s mostly because, if you think about it, these slaves have sweat and worked so hard to produce such a great product that if you don’t purchase it or if you do purchase it and then waste half of it, it’s like you are putting their hard work and dedication to shame. By you not eating that second piece of chocolate shows nothing, except maybe that you are weak hearted. You are certainly not ending the slavery camps in the cocoa fields. And if you want to look into it deeper, think about everything that you wear or eat. Most of this stuff comes from sweat shops or slave camps. It is very sad, I will agree. But just by not eating one piece of chocolate isn’t going to change it. People will never change, unless they are forced to, it’s just the way of the world. The fact that Sam felt disgust over us being able to eat the chocolate also consumes me. He has spend so many more days living with people who are in poverty and seeing what it is like around the world. He can not ever hold it against us if we want to eat two pieces of chocolate that HE himself purchased for our pleasure and our pain.
Let me start out by saying that I did not eat the second piece of chocolate. After watching the video I felt terrible about the pain and suffering these slaves are subject to at our benefit. Everyday they wake up with nothing to look forward to and nothing to live for. With no motivation they are forced to do what they are told or else face near-death consequences. What’s worse is they have nothing to show for the work they do. This video really did open my eyes as to how real and serious a problem slavery really is. It also made me aware as to how close to home this problem hits. We, Americans, are the direct reason as to why these people lose their freedom, along with the lives they once lived. Slavery is a terrible business and its heartbreaking to know that we support such an industry. However, while the movie did open my eyes to the truth behind the cocoa industry, it was not necessarily enough to make me disgusted by the piece of chocolate I was given. In fact, I chose to not eat the second piece of chocolate not completely because I felt guilty or remorseful, but also because I felt obliged by the pressure of being judged by my peers. First of all, I find it hard to believe that Sam Richards would actually give us chocolate made by slaves. And even though most of the class left the second piece of chocolate untouched, we were still supporting slavery by purchasing it to begin with. Is there a difference as to whether or not the chocolate ends up on the floor or in our stomachs? In my opinion, not really. If we want to end slavery in the cocoa industry then we need to stop purchasing chocolate in the first place. Not eating a piece that has already been purchased and opened really isn’t helping. This may sound insensitive but I’m just being logical. Think of all the chocolate we’ve eaten in our lifetime. If we weren’t grossed out then, then chances are we won’t be grossed out now. It’s like eating meat (I’m a vegetarian by the way). Most people know how bad and how processed it is for us, yet we consume it on a daily basis. It’s a part of our daily routines, and a part of our culture. One video will not turn the entire audience into vegetarians and one video will not make the entire class repulsed by chocolate. So what’s the big deal if people ate one piece of chocolate? They’ve probably eaten ten times that amount since then. Furthermore, if the slaves were sitting next to the people who ate the chocolate, then I’m sure they wouldn’t have eaten it. However, they weren’t. So in the end, it was just a chocolate morsel.
I think that ate the second piece of chocolate, because like Sam said it was the only reasonable thing to do. I would like that say that from now on I’m going to only buy Fair Trade chocolate and then I’m going to buy Fair Trade coffee, but the truth is, I’m not. You would have to change your entire lifestyle, no dessert at family parties, no chocolate ice cream at your favorite parlor. And maybe that is selfish to not want to change, but people do not really have that great of a choice. Almost everything contains something that is made by slaves. What do we do, stop using and consuming everything?
I am one of those people who ate the second piece of chocolate and I didn't find it difficult to stomach or any of those kinds of emotions. I found it quite easy especially with Sam's sentiments towards the subject. He said if you are never going to eat slave trade chocolate again, then don't eat the second piece. However I was realistic with myself, and I know that there is no way I'm going to not eat chocolate for the rest of my life. I did feel very very awful for the people in Africa who became enslaved, and I couldn't imagine ever going through such a horrific experience ever in my lifetime. However I don't think not eating the second piece of chocolate was going to change anything about modern slavery in this world. If you ate the first piece of chocolate and were able to stomach that then I do not understand how the second piece could go down any different. It was a miniscule piece of chocolate. Eating it was as easy as swallowing an advil. If there was anything that I found gross about eating the chocolate was that someone who was unidentified to me took these pieces of chocolate and rapped them up in tin foil. I was hesitant to eat the chocolate when i first got it, but I was kind of hungry and they were tiny pieces so I didn't see any harm. While watching video I couldn't express how bad I felt for these people. But in the end was not eating the second piece going to make these slaves any better off? I don't believe so. Also when the slave said that we were eating his flesh, I took that more as a figure of speech. Yes he put his blood sweat and tears into that cocoa however I didn't feel as if I was eating actual chunks of his flesh. Asking if I would eat the chocolate if the man was sitting next to me is a ridiculous hypothetical situation that I highly doubt will ever be a real life situation, but if the man was sitting next to me I wouldn't eat the chocolate just out of respect for him. The person asking this question is in this class so I'm just wondering if you can't stomach eating that chocolate then how can you stomach using all the other products that come from modern slavery or sweat shops. We've learned about clothing and cell phones and other things that come from slavery, and you never asked this question so I'm wondering why you're asking it now. If you have eaten chocolate all your life, and after seeing the video you do not anymore, then I give you the utmost respect and I applaud you. However if you do eat chocolate that you now has come from slavery then this is a waste of a question on your part.
Okay, yes, it was sad and an eye opener, but it is not like I’m never going to eat chocolate ever again because I saw this. Just like I’m sure down the road you will eat it too, I find it a little hypocritical that you didn’t eat the chocolate when you ate the first one. So now you are not going to eat chocolate ever again? You know that slavery goes into almost everything we use here in the United States, so does that mean you no longer are going to buy clothes, food, diamonds, and technology? I think it is great that Sam showed you something that opened your eyes. I know it opened mine. But not eating that chocolate is being a hypocrite. Last semester I watched a documentary on slaves in China making the beads we use for Mardi Gras. It was really shocking as well. To watch men and women make something that seems so pointless. They do it with such force and persistence for their survival. It was sad watching how they made the beads, and then to realize how the United States abuses the final product. Our country takes things for granted because we have the luxury to do so. I’m sure if the country revolted against slavery in every way something would be done about it, but because big corporations depend on the slavery of other countries, it will never happen. They are too powerful. We live in a corporate world no matter how much we want to believe we do not. Americans want to believe we are better than others because we come from such a “privileged” society. To solve a world problem such as slavery, we must first attack the slavery that we have in the United States. There is slavery that most people do not know of; for example sex trafficking, drug mules, and those working as maids/servants because they can’t pay off debts. To solve a problem you have to start with something small. You may feel for you, that not eating that piece of chocolate helped, it did for a moment…but you will eventually eat chocolate again. People will always have power over others. The almighty dollar will always be the driving force behind the greed that pushes so many people. It is a shame that ultimately the things we enjoy often result from someone being taken advantage of or being a victim. The working conditions that caused the recent coal miners deaths should have been addressed. Does that mean people won’t use coal anymore? That happened in West Virginia with all kinds of laws put in place to prevent it. But the owner had so much money he figured out a way around the laws. Paying fines was cheaper than fixing the problem. It appears that buying politicians and hiring expensive attorneys and lobbyists to fix laws to suit whatever corporate greed exists is all that is required. This is a three ring circus and makes what should be a very basic right – safety on the job – to be negotiable. The philosophy is to make as much money as possible and to totally disregard moral responsibility. They sleep at night and we all sleep at night. In this disposable society, we need to be more aware of our surroundings, what we purchase and learn how to have an impact by spreading the word and not purchasing products manufactured by certain corporations when possible.
As I evaluate myself and the fact that I ate the second piece of chocolate, I don’t really know what to say or think, so Im going to blog about it all. Here we go…
To start, I think that eating the second piece of chocolate is just what Sam said, logical. I feel this way for a number of reasons. One, nobody knows where the chocolate was from or which brand produced the kisses. I feel that the entire exercise was meant to make people evaluate their everyday activities and possessions. As Sam has said many many times before, he doesn’t buy that shit. He is a firm believer in slaveless products like food, clothing, and anything else you can think of. He has been saying that he will not buy meat from the grocery store because he knows the conditions of the farms and how the animals are treated. Two, what are you going to do with this uneaten piece of chocolate? Throw it away and leave it to be burned or buried in a landfill? No way. Not unless you really aren’t hungry for that extremely small piece of chocolate. How does that make people feel about what they just did? Is it more respectable to throw away the hard work that these men and women have done, or should we be able to enjoy it for a short while? I would say that if you asked the same man that said he would be angry if he met the person that eats the chocolate if he would rather that man throw it away, the man would be even more outraged. That to me would be a much bigger slap in the face. Ok, so those are my points for eating the chocolate. Lets take a look at the against eating the chocolate feelings.
Although I feel strongly about what I said about, the fact that I am ignorant enough to eat the chocolate makes me angry. I was not one of the students that ate the piece immediately, I felt extremely bad about how those people were treated and I don’t support that at all. Slavery is something that is completely despicable to me and I, although not a human rights activist, feel that all men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. To add, people should not be treated like animals. The scars that were shown on the backs and sides of those people made me sick to my stomach, literally. I don’t know how a person can put someone through that sort of punishment. Its just wrong.
In conclusion, I think that the exercise was a very well developed one and really forced people to think about the world and what happens in places that we have never been. However, not eating the already purchased piece of chocolate does not make you a saint. It is such a small piece to an extremely large puzzle that continues to grow every day. I totally understand how people question the motives of students that ate both pieces because I did at first, however what do you think about eating all the chocolate from your Easter baskets the week before? Pretty shitty huh?
The answer to why the chocolate was eaten is simple, I feel as though you are very confused though. The chocolate was already in your hands and you had already eaten one piece, what else are you supposed to do. Second piece of chocolate was eaten because it was already bought and in our hands. By purchasing the chocolate, the damage was already done. To not eat the chocolate would be a waste, and would solve very little. If we did not eat the chocolate then we would just be throwing the work away. This would not be making a difference in slavery. The video we watched in class shocked me. I think it is absolutely horrible the way chocolate is made by slaves, and how they are treated for their work. This video made me think, and made an impact on many people. Of course no one wants to eat another human's flesh, but sitting in that classroom and not eating that piece of chocolate would not have made a difference in the issue. I feel as if there is nothing we can do right away and by ourselves. The chocolate was already made, and people had already suffered. The video and asking us if we would still eat the chocolate was just to make a point. I do not think Sam actually wanted us to throw away the chocolate. I do not think the issue lies in how much chocolate we consume, but who it is bought from and how the large companies produce it. There are so many things made by slaves in this world that refusing to buy or use what is slave made would mean refusing to buy or use anything at all. The only way to solve the issue is ensuring that the workers making the products receive what they deserve. Better laws need to be implemented against slavery, and laws that monitor where and how big companies get their products. Showing videos like the one we watched in class is a good step towards making more people aware of the problem. So many people think very little slavery exists today. The more people we can make an impact on, the more will want to take action in preventing abuse of workers. The second piece of chocolate had much more knowledge attached to it than the first piece, but both pieces had an equal amount of change they could make, none. So in that sense, I do not think people should be frowned upon for eating the second piece. As long as they absorbed the message presented, then they could eat the chocolate if they wanted to. Throwing it away would have done very little.
I don't think eating the second piece of chocolate has any real reflection on what kind of person you are or anything like that. We've all been eating chocolate for years, and probably never thought about the slavery aspect of it before. I can completely understand the idea of giving us two pieces, and then showing the video just to make it seem horrible if we eat the second piece. But that's not even what Sam was going for, I don't think. He knows we aren't going to stop eating chocolate (though some of us may). Instead maybe it was a point about consumption, overall. Slavery is so pervasive in the world because we consume SO SO many goods. Perhaps if we all scaled back on our consumption habits, eventually a shift in the dynamics of the world would occur.
What many people don’t realize is that almost everything that we wear, or eat, has some percentage of coming from slaves. If a person just realized this and they want to change it, it is hard to just do it “cold turkey.” When a person is accustomed to eating chocolate all of the time it is harder for them to stop, even though they know that it comes from slaves. What we can do is try to stop the companies from continuing to use this method. If a persona totally gives up everything that has been produce by slaves, then they give up almost everything they have and do. You asked how they can stomach eating the chocolate, but how can you stomach wearing the clothes you wear or sending a text message??
I ate the second piece of chocolate. But I can be the first to tell you that it had an extremely different taste than the first piece. I ate the second piece because Sam said to, and he has a really good point as to why. We have to be realistic. Would be it realistic to say that you are never going to ever eat chocolate again? I don’t think so at all. The only person I would allow to throw stones at me would be the person who never again let chocolate touch their lips. I am going to make an honest attempt to not eat chocolate from companies that are not associated with the Fair Trade company, but at the same time even that is hard. There have been countless times where I have been at a holiday or birthday party when people are offended if I do not eat their cake. What are we going to do? Say im sorry that chocolate in your cake is harvested by slaves so I can’t eat any, but happy birthday! I mean yes we can educate people, but I am not about to hurt someone at a formal event or something of that sort. These would be great times to educate people about the real ways of the cocoa business, but maybe before the event so that we do not offend the person. This is just one example because chocolate is a huge staple in the lives of Americans. That means you would have to never eat anything chocolate at any restaurant, coffee shop or anywhere else. Again, unless we know exactly where they are getting their chocolate from, we cannot be sure that it is not made from the flesh of slaves. We can make an attempt to ask what kind of chocolate that they are using, but that is not really something most of us are going to take the time to do. That was a really a strong point that Sam made about eating the flesh of slaves. It really made the chocolate taste completely different the second time around. But coming back to the original question, I think that knowing and appreciating what we have is a step in the right direction. No, it does not make it okay that the cocoa from the chocolate we eat is most likely from the hands of slaves, but it is a small step. I think that if we make an effort to at least try to use goods produced by fair trade companies that would make a difference. It is so scary that things as common as chocolate, cotton and wheat are most likely at the hand of slaves. It kills to think how often these products are used and just increasing the demand for slave picked goods.
Yeah, I agree, I was not able to eat the piece of chocolate after watching that video. And I LOVE Chocolate. Like it’s bad, it’s my drug. I eat chocolate every day. That’s so unhealthy and a lot of chocolate. But like I said, I’m addicted. And then to hear that these slaves who are forced to get the coca beans haven’t even tasted what it’s like to eat a piece of chocolate, was really disturbing. I felt so selfish. But at the same time, I wanted to say, “I’m never eating chocolate again.” But I can’t. I mean..I could..if I really tried. But I want to be able to eat chocolate..and it sounds selfish, but it’s the truth. I think the people who were able to eat the chocolate in class where either trying to act “cool” and were trying to be funny and ate it.
Or they really didn’t care at all and ate it. I know that I am not going to stop eating chocolate. However, there was no way I was going to eat that last piece of chocolate. “Eating the Slave’s flesh.” Wow. And then being able to pop that last piece of chocolate in your mouth after he said that, and after Sam restated the quote. It just doesn’t make any sense that someone would want to still eat it. Just like it doesn’t make sense that I am sitting here typing to you that I am going to continue to eat chocolate after I know that slaves have been tortured over creating chocolate. It makes me feel like a terrible person. But then what would I tell everyone? “I stopped eating chocolate because slaves are beaten and worked to death over it every day?”
?” Which leads me to a question. I know that there has to be slaves around the world who are working for other kinds of foods like say, probably bananas. Am I going to stop eating bananas too? Or every other kind of foods that slaves are forced to work and get? And then food aside, what about all of the material things that have been made by slaves? How can you tell if it has been made from slaves? Let’s say there was a way and they put a sticker on everything that was made by a slave (which they would never do, but stick with me on this one). Do you think there would be so many stickers that people would still buy the products? And would stopping buying the products really solve the problem of slavery? Like if no one bought chocolate, and chocolate business’ all shut down, would those slaves be free? Or would they try to find something else for them to work on? It’s sad but these are questions I have in my head. I wish that slavery would go away. It’s so terrible and disturbing. And I feel really guilty about still wanting to eat chocolate.
Honestly after watching the video, I didn’t eat the second piece of chocolate. But after class I was thinking about it, and even when I ate the first piece of chocolate I knew what the video was most likely going to be about and I still ate it. Also, was I really going to quit eating chocolate forever? No. So why didn’t I eat the second piece? Just because I felt bad for the few minutes after watching the video then I would forget about it by dinnertime? That just made me feel even worse. Plus I even remember Sam saying to eat the second piece of chocolate unless you weren’t ever going to eat chocolate again unless it’s free trade. And it’s not like I would be cutting out all products made by slaves from my life considering their time and flesh have most likely gone into many of the things I use on a daily basis. So I honestly don’t know how to feel about this issue because, to a single person, it seems so impossible to fix.
I know this isn’t the same thing, but this reminds me of conversations I have had with my roommate, who is a vegetarian. She’s the first person I had ever had a real conversation about what it means to be a vegetarian, and to many other people, saying something like “I love animals but I couldn’t be a vegetarian” wouldn’t be a big deal. When I first said something along those lines to her, she said that it doesn’t work that way. When you know the origins of what you are eating, and you still eat it, then it can’t be as important to you as you think. The fact that she knows where meat comes from affects her in such a way that she can’t physically eat it. Comparing this argument to slavery is even more extreme. If people felt this way about slavery, it would drastically change everyone’s eating habits. Does the fact that I eat chocolate frequently mean that I don’t care about slavery?
For us, here at Penn State, or really many places in the United States, it is hard for us to truly feel bad about eating the chocolate because modern slavery is not something that we can relate to or something we constantly think about. Although it may touch our lives every day because of the products we come in contact with, we don’t immediately realize it. Some people never realize it. I think the exercise we did in class was effective at making students who are very disassociated with the issue of slavery think about how it can touch our lives even with something as simple as a small piece of chocolate.
After watching those videos, I was not aware of the drastic measures that went into the production of chocolate. For someone who loves chocolate and almost eats it on a daily basis, this video definitely disturbed me. I can honestly say I didn’t eat the second piece of chocolate after watching the video because I actually thought I could be eating someone else’s flesh. But I can’t say that since that class I havent eaten chocolate at all. After reading one of my peers comments about, “Why wouldn’t you eat that chocolate in a sense you are wasting that persons hardship he went through to produce it.” And I wouldn’t necessary agree with this statement, but it definitely caught my attention and I thought to myself, did I actually just waste that? But then again I guess I was wrong for not eating that chocolate because I didn’t commit never eating chocolate again, because I had some today. But I did look at things differently and modern slavery as a whole. The same question relates clothing production. The shirt I’m wearing today could be made by a slave or in a sweatshop, but one I’ll never know for sure and two what if all my clothes were made by slaves? Therefore, I have to look at this as a whole. If I don’t wear the clothes that are made by slaves is that going to eliminate modern day slavery? No. But I definitely appreciate and think a little differently about the food I eat and the clothes I wear. I’m more informed on the topic and actually have an opinion about it now. I think modern day slavery is completely wrong and so do many other people, but people didn’t eat the second piece of chocolate because the video didn’t phase them. I’m sure they ate it because they knew down the road they wouldn’t feel the exact same way as they did immediately after watching the video. They couldn’t commit to never eating chocolate again, but they would be aware of what goes into the production of chocolate. I also like the point that Sam made about cell phones, part of your cell phone is made by a slave, but I still see just about every person in class with a cell phone. It didn’t make people not use their cell phones. So why would people not eat the second piece of chocolate when they still use their cell phone? Probably the same reason I didn’t because in that moment I was disturbed. What I guess I’m saying is that Sam did make me think differently about this topic, and overall that is his goal is to make us think, and it definitely made me think about what I eat and wear differently. But it doesn’t mean I don’t eat chocolate anymore or wear clothes from Nike, but I’m more aware of it and hope that someday real soon modern day slavery will be completely eliminated.
The whole deal with this question is just being realistic with yourself. I am one of the biggest candy eaters I know, and my favorite candy just happens to be M&M's. Now I know that if I try to give it up (though I have no intentions to), it would be very difficult. Knowing that I would eat the chocolate again is why I ate the second piece. In my opinion, I did not like the way the guy answered the question in the video in regards to what he would say to people who eat chocolate. I understand his pain and heartache, but there comes a point where you are humble about things. We all know that the main people he should be angry at are the slave owners, then inadvertently, it would be the people who buy the chocolate. Even though I know it would be difficult for him to understand currently seeing the position he is in, he needs to understand the extent of chocolate in society. Chocolate is more than just a sweet tasting snack for the mouth. It has come to be a form of expression for many people. When it is a special occasion such as Valentine's Day or an anniversary, what is the gift people buy the most? Chocolate. But we are not the cause of the slaves pain. It is truly the slave owners and their greed. So people should still be able to enjoy chocolate as we always have. But I will give them the benefit of the doubt because I know I would probably feel the same way towards people who eat what I have slaved over. If he was sitting next to me, I would eat the chocolate and then have a conversation with the boy expressing how I feel about everything. I would try to let him see things from a different perspective just as we have just seen things from his. That's what relations and the point of the whole class is anyways. We see through our own pair of glasses, and then we take them off to borrow someone else's for a moment in time. I believe that if he saw things through our eyes, he would understand the extent of why many people would eat the second piece. Now I know I may sound a little harsh, but I know its the truth. The chocolate industry is so large that it would take a large movement to get people to stop. Now I am willing to try out the Fair Trade Chocolate, but the taste is what would determine whether I would stick with it. That's another thing to ponder. If people are used to a few main tastes of chocolate, then they won't be open to eating the substitute on a constant basis. I hope this helps people think of it in a somewhat different light.
I can honestly say after this class when Sam showed that video it really did something to my life because to see what those kids has went through over some chocolate like it is crazy to just see that in today’s world and really what shocked me is that these guys were treated as if they were slaves and right there just took me to a whole new level about how people can be so greedy and money hungry to not pay people for their hard work that is bringing them in more money than they can handle and they can’t even give back to their workers and then beating those guys took and taking from their family is like really look at this world its really screwed up like allot of good things goes on in the world but I am really convince more bad things happen then good by far and it’s sad to say but it’s the truth in my eyes. I just couldn’t face of eating that last piece of chocolate it made me sick to my stomach to see what those boys have put it like the blood, sweat, tears, the misery and just the pain all over it just touches a place inside me cause it hurts and I can’t do nothing about it and u couldn’t even look at that second piece of chocolate because that chocolate symbolizes pain that nobody can take back which is like how many other people in this foreign countries are really being treated like this think hundreds thousands or maybe even millions we really don’t know but as we see now they are really being treated like this and it is really getting serious and I feel like if it hasn’t stop now maybe it will never will You also have to think will this ever change just in my eyes I can’t see it happening no time soon because it’s always going to be them people to do bad things and just take advantage of those people that have no hope or that what those owners put in their head that it’s no hope which means its either working for them or death and no one should have to go through those things it just really hurt to really see that video man when is it going to stop only god knows. Now I know that wasn’t my last time eating a piece of chocolate but I know one things it will always put me in a phase to think about those boys who work day in and day out as slave over making out today’s chocolate.
To be honest, I ate both pieces of chocolate right off the bat. But I do feel guilty now when I eat and drink chocolate products, but if you didn’t eat the difference, it would have made no difference at all. So don’t be some cool person that felt too good to eat the second piece because then you threw it out, and “how did you swallow the fact that you wasted this flesh”. It sounds like a rude thing but really. The video did change what I thought about chocolate and it will affect my thoughts forever. But really, cocoa is in everything and its sad to say its hard to avoid products that slaves were used to produce.
Clearly, No I would not have eaten the chocolate right in front of a slave, and I don't know of anyone who would. Honestly, I don't even think the chocolate that we had in class was made by slaves because Sam probably wouldn't buy bags of chocolate made by slaves even for a class presentation. That's partly why I ate the second piece of chocolate. The other side is that chocolate is only a small portion of the slave made products that we come into contact with on a daily basis. Whether it's the cotton in my clothes, the electronics in my phone or anything else, there is immorality and unfair treatment involved with most producers of consumer products. I personally can't do anything about slavery and the chocolate production, but if the candy was made by slaves, it's not like there's much of a difference is a few people or even a lot of people decide to avoid the product. We have chocolate in numerous types of foods and to our generation, people's lifestyles are more important than some things they seemingly cannot control.
[Reply]
Why did I eat the second piece of chocolate? Honestly, because I already knew a bunch of the stuff that Sam showed us about how slaves make a lot of it. And I still really love chocolate. Chances are, if you put a piece of chocolate in front of me, I would eat it no matter who made it. I would like to eat Fair Trade chocolate if I could, because honestly, who wouldn’t? Same delicious flavor, and yet you avoid that guilt of knowing you’re eating something made by slaves. That sounds like a good deal. I wouldn’t even mind it if it were a little more expensive. But Fair Trade chocolate is so much harder to get than just regular chocolate, and in the quantities that I eat chocolate, that makes it impractical to try to get it. Out of all the Fair Trade brands of chocolate, I’m pretty sure the only one I’ve ever even seen in a store before is Green and Blacks, and that stuff first of all is not only significantly more expensive than regular chocolate because it’s considered artisan and organic, but also it’s hard to find and their dark chocolate has too high a percentage of cocoa for me to really enjoy.
I guess what I’m really saying is that I’m selfish, just like everyone else who enjoys chocolate regardless of whether or not they know how it’s made and who it’s made by. In the end, I care more about my own enjoyment than about the suffering of the slaves on the Ivory Coast who gather the cocoa needed to make chocolate. And I don’t really feel guilty about that either. It’s like Sam said in class. If you don’t eat the second piece of chocolate, then good for you. But if you don’t eat the second piece of chocolate, then you better prepare to commit to never eating another piece of slave-made chocolate again, or else you’re a hypocrite. I’m a realistic person. I know I can never commit to doing that. I love chocolate too much, and Fair Trade chocolate is too hard to get. And on top of that, I don’t just eat chocolate in bars. I eat it in hot chocolate, cakes, brownies, ice cream, cookies, chocolate milk and a whole host of other products, and how will I ever know if the cocoa used to make those is Fair Trade or not? I can’t, and that’s the way it is. So I don’t feel guilty about it, because what would be the point in that? I could have not eaten it after watching the video, but that would have been a spur of the moment kind of thing. But I know that this time next year, I’ll probably have forgotten about the video and I’ll be eating chocolate with absolutely no qualms again. So for those of you that didn’t eat it, will you still remember the video in a year? Will you still be eating only Fair Trade chocolate? If you eat chocolate at all, then the answer is probably not. Which means that the real reason you didn’t eat the second piece of chocolate is because you felt self-righteous in that moment after watching the video. And that isn’t good enough if you actually care about making a difference.
[Reply]
If the person was sitting next to me, I probably wouldn’t have eaten the chocolate because when the young man said that quote about eating his flesh, you could see how angry he was about what had happened to him and how people were enjoying the thing that he struggled so hard to make for us. I have a question for the people who did not eat that one tiny morsel of chocolate: Will you never eat any chocolate again that is not fair trade chocolate? Or did you go home and eat chocolate in the comfort of your own home and not even think about it, especially because others were not around to look at you weird. I did eat the chocolate and it sure didn’t taste as good after hearing the stories of all of the slaves and that’s why I am going to try my best to only eat fair trade chocolate from now on.
[Reply]
So I thought the same thing in class. How can I bear to eat the second piece of chocolate? Everyone sitting around me seemed to be eating it. Why could not I? Well I did finally eat it after about twenty minutes of tarring with the idea. But my friend who was sitting next to me said was that if you throw it out it is not going to help anyone. And that is what Sam in other words said. If you are going to give up chocolate entirely then go ahead and leave the second piece of chocolate. But do not not eat it because of Bale's video. So I ate it. It kind of made me sick but I did. And so far I actually have not touched chocolate. Even my morning Mocha Iced Coffees have gone to the waste side. Probably better for my waist anyways. And if I do want chocolate I know I will buy Fair Trade.
We were talking about it in our discussion groups. This girl who will remain anonymous said every summer she went to Hershey Park because Disney World was out of her family’s budget. But she would go on the rides and see where chocolate is made from and how it because the delicious kinds of chocolate we all have grown up on. Imagine if they put that the coco beans come from the slavery. That the delicious milky creamy chocolate that everyone consumes is off the back of slaves… That you are "eating their flesh" every time you take a bite. It might not go over as well as coming from the coco beans from candy land. She said that now that she knows where chocolate originates from all of her childhood memories of going to Hershey Park with her family have been disrupted and ruined. I felt terrible but I am so glad that now we know. Because before this I had no idea that there was even a controversy with chocolate. I had no idea that it was manufactured off the backs of slaves. To tell you the truth I had no idea where it came from. I was just oblivious and unaware to the fact. So with the awareness that Sam has provided me with I will tell other people and inform them of what is going on before your milk chocolate bar is consumed. I will hopefully make a small drop, which will hopefully ripple, throughout the entire pond. Because that is what Sam Richards and Kevin Bales have done for me. There as so much that slavery is apart of and no one has a clue. If people become aware it can hopefully make a difference and stop the persecution and slavery that is occurring today.
[Reply]
Are you seriously going to throw this question out? I'm fairly certain that almost every single thing we use throughout our day has been touched by slaves in some way. Try to tell me you can live in a world that hasn't been touched by the hands of slaves. I knew where Sam was going with the chocolate exercise the moment I realized what was inside the foil. He gave us that chocolate to make us feel guilty and then play devil's advocate by eating it himself. Seriously, it's like vegetarians who won't eat meat because it "hurts the animals." The deed is done. Someone made this chocolate and bought it (cough Sam) and presented it to me. I've been eating chocolate all my life. It's delicious. I don't mean to sound like a cruel bitch, that video really did make me stop. When he said he'd have no words for the people who have eaten the chocolate from the cocoa beans he's picked…that hit me. And I was shocked to hear that he'd never tasted chocolate in his life. But, in my own opinion, not eating that single piece of chocolate isn't going to change anything. Even if the entire class boycotted those mini hersey kisses nothing would be accomplished unless one of the students became an extreme activist and gave their life to it…along with a few other thousand people….
I feel like there's so much negativity in this class….like how much can we really do? How much can we do that's logical. We can buy fair trade chocolate? We're poor college students and you expect us to give up our Hersey Bars for a five dollar fair trade bar that most likely won't taste half as good…I'm tired of being made to feel guilty…don't tell me I'm as bad as the men beating these "slaves" and holding them captive just because I buy candy bars.
[Reply]
I am curious though to know how many of the students didn't eat the chocolate. I have no problem with the students that didn't eat it for moral reasons I just don't appreciate anyone that's going to call me out on my decision either. Yeah I hesitated, debating with myself for about a minute before eating the last piece. And no, after it being described as someone else's flesh, it didn't seem so appetizing. But that's not going to stop me from eating it in the future. Maybe one day when I'm a wealthy businesswoman I'll start buying fair trade items. But for now I'm shopping at Walmart.
[Reply]
Eating the second piece of chocolate or not eaten it is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. The fact is most chocolate is produced from West African slaves is the issue. Steps you can take personally go much further then not eating chocolate. Just to spread the word and be aware of what you purchase and what you are actually doing in general. It’s not good to be tuned out. If you do not know where the things you buy come from then find out. We eat and drink things that we have no idea what is put in it and no idea where it came from. The video opened my eyes to the fact that is it our responsibility to know where the things we eat comes from and even further it is our responsibility to inform those who are ignorant to care and think about where the things they use come from as well.
[Reply]
Although I did not eat the second piece of chocolate, I can understand why people did. We all eat chocolate on a normal basis so how this one piece any different from the rest? I could say I am done eating chocolate but I cannot make any guarantees. The trade free chocolate makes sense to buy though. I feel like that should be more widely advertised to people because to be honest that is now what I will be looking for. But then again what about the things that have chocolate in them, cake mixes, chocolate ice cream etc, how do we know if they were made by trade free chocolate?
[Reply]
At first I was very disturbed after viewing the video. I didn't want to eat the second piece of chocolate so I let it sit there. Then Sam said are you never going to eat chocolate again? If so, then don't eat it. I planned on eating chocolate at one point or another in my life so I ended up eating it. I do feel something now when the topic arises. When I go clothes shopping I'll remember the video. When I have a nice dinner at home I'll remember this class. When my mom is complaining about how work it tough and times are bad for us right now, I'm going to remember these experiences. The fact is that I live completely out of their world, and I have priorities in my life to the point where there is nothing I can give. My main priority in life right now is myself, as selfish as that may sound. I will try my best not to eat and use slave made goods, and help the cause as much as I can, but I can not live in guilt from day to day for using these products which are on that list of slave made goods. I wish I was very wealthy and I could make more of a difference, and I hope to one day be so I can help causes like these with more influence. For now, I can only reflect and be educated on the topics, and spread this knowledge to others. This is a major step in the right direction, especially if the entire class spread their knowledge to others and helped make a difference. Maybe then more slave made products would go off the market, once the country is informed as a whole as to how the economy is operating.
[Reply]
From the moment that I got my little foil ball and discovered that there was chocolate inside of it, I knew EXACTLY what was coming.
So when Sam was like, "Go ahead and eat the first piece of chocolate," I was already kind of hesitant to do so.
Then we watched the video and we were challenged to eat the second piece. I pondered what I'd just seen and decided to wrap it up really nicely to display on my desk as a reminder to myself that many of the products that pass through my hands every day, and even the ones that I consume on a day-to-day basis are actually produced by people under awful conditions that I myself could never survive.
I made it I think…… thirty minutes or so before I looked at my little aluminum soon-to-be desk decoration and then asked myself, "If I bled to produce something that was to be consumed and enjoyed, would I want it to sit on someone's desk?"
I figured that it was a good thing that I was going to use it as a reminder to myself that not everything in the world comes at a truly fair price. But then I thought about what would happen to that piece of chocolate. When I move out of my dormitory, I'll have to throw it away, pack it away, or take it home with me. I wouldn't want to flat out throw it away, but if I pack it, then it'll melt in the sweltering summer heat in a storage room somewhere. The chocolate would get everywhere, probably ruin some of my stuff, and then I'd, first, feel contemptuous toward that melted piece of chocolate, and, two, clean it up and throw it away. The last thing that I want to do is take the product of slave labor and waste it, least of all to feel bitter toward its existence. If I tried to take that piece of chocolate home with me, it'd probably get smashed up in the bottom of my bag while I'm going through security, or on the plane ride home, or at any point of my travels; in other words, no matter what I ended up doing, if I put that piece of chocolate on my desk, it'd ultimately end up in the trash—– and the forced labor of some poor slave on the Ivory Coast half a world away– rather, the "flesh" of some poor slave on the Ivory Coast— would be in vain!
So I ate that piece of chocolate. And I enjoyed it more than any piece of chocolate I've ever eaten in my entire life.
I made sure to savor every last bit of that piece of chocolate, and all the while, made sure to feel grateful toward the slave that shed his blood, sweat, and tears to harvest the cocoa beans for that piece of chocolate.
If someone is sacrificing their flesh for the production of something that is solely for the momentary pleasure of another, I think the least I could do is enjoy it, and enjoy it thoroughly. It's an acknowledgment of that particular slave's suffering, and an effort to insure that that suffering was not in vain.
And, for the record, even without that piece of chocolate sitting on my desk, the realization of slave-involvement in chocolate production has stuck.
I had a bowl of chocolate ice cream after dinner today, and you can be damn sure that I made sure to eat and enjoy every. last. bit.
[Reply]
This girl brought up an interesting question. I am curious as to how many people in the class ate the second piece of chocolate. I ate the first piece of chocolate without thinking. However, after watching the video in class, I was conflicted as to whether or not I should eat the chocolate. I didn't know if I should eat the candy and not waste what was already purchased or not eat the chocolate out of respect for the people in the video. In the end, I couldn't eat the second piece of chocolate. I felt sad for the slaves in the video and I couldn't get past the idea that the poor people in Africa endured torture and hardships just so I could enjoy one little chocolate chip. Dr. Richards made a good point though. After we watched the video and he told us to eat the second piece of chocolate, he said unless we are planning to never eat chocolate again, eating the second piece won't make a difference. Honestly, I know I won't follow through with never eating chocolate again. I actually have eaten chocolate since class, but at that moment, after the watching the video I couldn't look at the people on the screen and then eat the chocolate containing their "flesh".
It is really upsetting to me that slavery is still very prevalent in society. After reading the book "Disposable People" and seeing the slaves in the Ivory Coast in the video, it really showed me the extent of the slavery. These poor people receive no money for their work, are locked in a shed like animals and are beaten when they disobey. This is inhumane and the brutality needs to end immediately. After hearing the slaves speak, I will try to think twice before I purchase or eat something made by slaves. If I thought that some of the money I spent on buying these products would go towards wages for the slaves, I would have no problem buying these things. But, since I know the vast majority of the slaves receive absolutely no payment for their hard work, I do not want to condone the harsh treatment of these people. I do not want the slaveholders to receive any money for their business, in the hopes that the crops will fail and the slaves will have to be freed.
I was happy to hear that the nineteen boys were rescued from slavery and are working to rebuild their lives post trauma. I hope that more slaves will be able to find safety and shelter too.
This lesson on slavery really made me recognize all of the things I am blessed to have and to appreciate the freedom I have in my life. While I am sitting in a classroom getting an education so I can get a good job, many people my age and younger are under the control of abusers and working 12+ hours a day with no pay or hope of better conditions.
I may not be able to combat slavery, but I will try to pay more attention to what I am buying and consider the people who worked all day and suffered poor working conditions to make the things that I enjoy.
[Reply]
I was actually wondering this same question, because I did not eat the second piece or chocolate. I do not like chocolate to begin with, and never eat it unless it is given to me on a special occasion like Halloween or Easter. I do not think it would be hard for me to refrain from eating chocolate, especially if I was allowed to eat the chocolate not produced by slaves. But I was definitely amazed at how many people ate the second piece of chocolate after seeing the video; I thought more of us would have refrained from eating the second piece.
[Reply]
You know this question really hits me a certain way and in a way that honestly pisses me off quite a bit. So let us say you do not eat the second piece of chocolate, what do you do instead, throw it out in the trash can? I guess it is better to throw it out, I mean I guess I would rather have my flesh and hard work just thrown out (sarcasm). In my opinion that is the worst thing you could possibly do. How do you think that would make the young children in that movie clip feel if they knew their hard work was thrown out, that their flesh was disregarded just like a piece of garbage. It is just like Sam said, “Unless you are going to make the commitment to never each chocolate again, eat the second piece.”
[Reply]
After watching that video, it definitely hit home for me. Before this class, I didn’t really think slavery was as prominent as it is. Now I realize how bad it is, but I didn’t think all the products we consume were in some way made by slaves. Chocolate is consumed by people all over the world, and to think that someone’s sweat and blood went into making it. People are beaten until they lose consciousness just for a small infraction. Also, the majority of slaves are young boys. They don’t know any better and don’t deserve to be treated that way. They are still growing and being beaten like that will stunt their growth and affect their health for the rest of their lives.
My personal opinion of eating the second chocolate chip is the same with Sam’s. I wouldn’t sit there and not eat the chocolate chip just because slaves are beaten making it because that would mean I could never again consume chocolate. I mean I love eating steak but I don’t approve of cows being slaughtered. I’m still going to do what I like. Chocolate will forever be consumed regardless of how it’s produced. I still ate my second piece of chocolate because it has already been produced. If you throw it away, all their hard work will have been for nothing. Yes, I realize that it’s messed up to eat someone’s flesh, but it really isn’t their flesh. The fact the chocolate is already made doesn’t make me stop eating it, but definitely stop to think. If I had the choice of eating chocolate in the future and stopping its production now, then it would be a different story.
If the scenario was different and the actual slave was physically sitting next to me, I would think differently. I don’t think I could stomach eating a piece of chocolate if I saw a slave next to me displaying his scars for me to see. I think it’s horrible to think that people could stomach food knowing the person next to you almost died producing it. Food should be made it good, positive work environments. But the fact is, it isn’t. People around the world are constantly being mistreated in the work place and a large amount of people consuming the goods are oblivious to it. I personally would rather not know how my food is produced if it’s not produced in a positive way. The first time I heard how hot dogs were made, I didn’t eat them for a while, but eventually I came back to them. If people love the taste of something, the production of it won’t stop them from consuming. Chocolate is favorite to everyone and always will be.
[Reply]
Well to start off that is a very good question. After watching that video I was sickened and could barely eat the other piece. I kept looking around watching to see what everyone else would do. I stared at the candy for a long time. The only reason I ate it was because Sam did and because he said you can’t change anything by eating it, you won’t be making a difference so why not eat it. It was a pretty tough decision and I will tell you this, the second piece did not taste nearly as good as the first piece. I can understand how you may be upset by this but I don’t think of it as I am eating someone’s flesh. If I had not watched that video I would have never known that they candy that we eat every day is picked by slaves. I didn’t even know that there was a kind of chocolate that people can by that was not made by slaves. I think it is important that we acknowledge that people and kids are beaten, tortured, and enslaved so that we can enjoy our tiny piece of chocolate. But it was a sticky situation. I thought to myself, would I really be doing something, saving someone, if I didn’t eat the second piece of candy. Would it even matter? Or is it just a matter of respect for the slaves who picked the coco. I simply look at this situation as I have always eaten chocolate and I always will. By the time the chocolate gets to me people have already suffered, profits have already been made, and the slaves are already in the fields picking more coco. Yes I can try to force people to by fair trade chocolate but will this really make a big difference. It is so frustrating to think about. I think the news needs to sneak into that country and get footage of these poor innocent slaves so the world can see what goes into our favorite candies. This situation is also frustrating because when you think about it, almost half of the items in your house, apartment, purse, car are made from slaves and most people wouldn’t even know that. Are we supposed to alter are lives because things we own are made by slaves, or is that just the way it is. Is that the way it is always going to be, there is going to be fortunate people, less fortunate people, and sadly people who are stuck in slavery. I honestly don’t know what to do about the situation. I also feel like it would be wasteful to not eat this piece of candy. It was sitting in front of my face, what was I supposed to do throw it away. Wouldn’t that be like throwing away all of the slaves hard work? Or throwing away their flesh? Also yes the man on the video said he would say not nice things to people who ate candy cause we were eating his flesh. But he doesn’t understand that the rest of the world is ignorant to where this candy comes from. He has no idea that we don’t realize the suffering he has gone through and we probably never will.
[Reply]
I ate the second piece of chocolate after watching the video. I picked up on the point of the chocolate early on. I knew that he was going to show us a video on slavery and then tell us to eat the second piece of chocolate. Thinking about it while watching the video I was thinking that I would not eat the second piece of chocolate. When the video was over, I thought about it. Then, Sam made a comment; something to the effect of don’t not eat the second piece of chocolate unless you are going to vow never to eat chocolate again. This is the statement that really got me thinking and made me eat the second piece of chocolate.
The video was terrible and it was very scary to watch the men in that video working as slaves. The video made me very upset that the world is the way it is. It is terrible that human beings are able to force others to work for them without any pity or regard for how they feel. I could not physically force another human being to do that, but I guess I am helping by purchasing these products.
The problem here is that there are so many products that this impacts. There is no way that I could have sat in that classroom and vowed to never eat chocolate again. In fact, I ate chocolate later that night and honestly, it did not even occur to me that I had just watched a video about slavery just a few hours before that very moment. I know that slavery was used to make my clothing and my cell phone and a million other things that I use in my everyday life. What can I do? Stop putting on clothes in the morning? Start being extra extra selective about my food intake? Stop making phone calls? I cannot even begin to imagine what my life would be like without all of these things.
I think that the first step in the process of getting rid of slavery is awareness which is certainly being attacked with classes like this and videos such as the one that we watched. I think that the next step in this process is to go after the major corporations who use these products to their advantages. I know that if I were the CEO of a major company and I found out that my products were being made by slaves I would immediately cut off all ties with that particular supplier. I think that this is where the major problems lie. Companies are concerned with lowest costs and greatest revenue as opposed to the well being of the world. These companies are very influential on our society and I think that they need to be aware and become responsible for what they produce and sell. They need to be responsible for the well being of the human race and the rest of the world.
[Reply]
It’s just like Sam said in class… don’t NOT eat the piece of chocolate just to prove a point or make a stand towards slavery unless you are actually not going to ever eat a piece of chocolate again. I wouldn’t even say that I felt so guilty eating it, as I just became more aware of the situation and where the chocolate came from. I know that video in class isn’t going to stop me from eating chocolate ever again, it is just not, so whether I ate the piece of chocolate in class right after the video, or if I ate it, or a different piece of chocolate the next day, what difference is that really going to make? From a different perspective, it is like someone else mentioned… now seeing that these people slaved over making this chocolate, you are putting their hard work to waste. Honestly, if you were spending days on end laboring over the process of making chocolate and getting abused and no payment or anything, wouldn’t the least you want is for people to enjoy what you are making so at least you aren’t going through this hard work for absolutely nothing? I also feel that even if this video affected one person to ACTUALLY never eat chocolate ever again, it unfortunately still will not make a difference. There are still millions of people out there buying chocolate every day. In order to make a real difference, we would need everyone to stop buying the product, or at least a significant amount of people. I think if one person would make a stand to stop eating chocolate and making other people aware would put their views and beliefs out there—hopefully to impact other people to do the same. Maybe the problem is not even in just simply stopping eating chocolate. More has got to be done if we want to see real changes. I do not know what it would take to make a true impact, but I am sure it would take a lot. There are a lot of people out there, like Kevin Bales, who are trying to make that happen. It is awful what has become of slavery today. Right now, all we can really do is make more and more people aware of the facts and that slavery really is still happening today all over the world. The more people become aware, the more people we can get to make a difference, make a change. Until that day, not eating one piece of chocolate directly after watching that video is not the kind of difference we need. At least by eating the chocolate you are recognizing the hard work and labor these slaves are going through—just be aware and make others aware.
[Reply]
Well duh if the person was sitting right next to the person who had ate the first piece of chocolate why would they eat the second one. that was a dumb question. Thats just how the world operates. People are more likely to help out in a situation when they are effect by the situation or someone close to them is being effected which will trickle down to effect them physically, emotionally, or mentally. If people don't have a direct idea of what, who, or where they are affecting then they a more than likely going to be blind sided to the idea whether or not they just watched the video on cocoa slavery off the ivory coast of Africa. I say whether they have seen the video or not because someone's response can be simply how do I know for a fact who and where am I being an affect on. The question is not ho can you eat that candy, its more of why are the supplies allowing for prices to decline which would then force these slave masters to hire slaves in order to pay for cheap or free labor in order to be successful more the lest survive.
I personally think that cocoa and other resources that these capitalist countries are investing in should be sold at full face value. Since the quality of how the resource was harvested in certain climate dependent regions as well as how properly stored and package the item was in order to keep the resource fresh, clean, or what ever type of measure was taken to protect the item. I know every one loves cheap or free things including myself but if chocolate was in such high demand they should be priced at what they are worth not how much you or the middle man can make off of it. I mean mattresses are really expensive but don't all of us westerners need comfortable mattresses to lay our heads down. Pricing resources or items at a value that reflects its quality is reasonable, and if you really need or just simply want it you would have access to have it all for the right price.
If this method was implemented in the globalized market then not just us westerners but every one in the world would be able to understand the meaning and the difference between a need and a want, us westerners would not be so materialistic as well. But its because things are handed to is so easily for little or none we don't see nor hear about the situation like the one in the Ivory Coast so often. Thats mine and i am pretty sure of how a lot more other people's thoughts in eating the second peace of chocolate.
[Reply]
I was very moved by the video we watched about the slavery behind cocoa. It was very hard for me to watch the video knowing how it was just Easter, and my mom gave me an entire basket full of chocolate and not just me but all of my 4 sisters, my brother-in-law, and my boyfriend, and this is just my family alone. Chocolate has been a major part of my childhood and I loved eating chocolate all of my life, and I never considered what it took for the chocolate to get to my mouth. Yes, as I have said a million times on these blogs, I am very naive to the outside problems, and I have never thought about any one else's strife for my pleasure. It is sad that I have been in the dark for so long about so many issues, and I seriously feel bad that I have not been educated any time before in my life about these issues.
I did not eat the second piece of chocolate after watching the video. I did not feel comfortable eating a piece of chocolate after watching a man say that it would be like me eating his flesh. I don't know if I felt pressured that if someone else in the class would see me eat the chocolate that I would be looked upon as some ignorant American, or if I just really did not want to eat it because of the video. After thinking hard about my decision to not eat the chocolate, I think it would not have made a difference if I ate the chocolate or not. Yes, it is a horrible thing to think about eating someone's flesh, but I have been eating chocolate my whole life, and like Sam said stopping your habits of eating the chocolate is not the first step. Also, I found the there is kind of a double standard going on with not eating the second chocolate. First of all, the chocolate was already produced. There is nothing I can do about the chocolate that is already on the market and already packaged for everyone to eat. The slavery has already occurred and me not eating the chocolate is going to do any good in helping what has already been done. Also, if i do not eat the chocolate, someone who is starving would appreciate the chocolate so much more than me. Therefore, by throwing out the chocolate, I was affecting starving people more than I was affecting the slaves because the disaster had already happened.
Now after thinking about my decision to not eat the chocolate, I have come to find that I did not eat the chocolate because I felt pressured by everyone else in the classroom. I knew that if someone saw me eat the second piece of chocolate I would have gotten the stare–the wow you are so inconsiderate stare. That stare would have made me feel worse than actually eating the chocolate.
[Reply]
Personally, I agree with the people who said that if that slave went through all of that and suffered to make the second piece of chocolate in front of us, you'd better freaking eat that chocolate and enjoy it so that he didn't go through that all to have the product end up wasted in the trash! Whether you ate it or not no longer had any effect on slavery- it was already bought so it already contributed to the slave economy. However, if you're really never going to eat chocolate again in your life after seeing that video, I guess all the more power to you, but that was a moral decision for you to make in class to not eat the second piece and there is absolutely nothing wrong with people choosing to eat their second piece and enjoy it. I also think people need to learn figurative language- no, I really doubt that there is any actual human flesh in your chocolate. It wasn't meant to be taken literally. But it definitely meant to make you "feel a certain way" as Sam always says and I think the issue did hit a lot of people about how little things we don't even think about twice like enjoying a piece of chocolate all can be contributing to slavery. So I mean, it's awesome if you're going to walk away from that class and give up chocolate forever or (probably easier) buy only fair trade chocolate or just even to just be more aware of what is going on. But you can't really criticize people for continuing to eat chocolate- it's pretty much ingrained in our culture to enjoy some hot hot chocolate on a cold winter day, or for grandma to bake you fresh chocolate chip cookies, and what would Christmas or Halloween or Easter be without those sweet chocolate candies?! So there's really no simple solution.
[Reply]
I personally didn’t eat either piece, but I think that I would not have eaten the second, but at the same time Sam did make the point, that what is the point of not eating the second piece-unless you will never eat chocolate that is not fair trade again? I think that maybe that video made some people believe how important it is to look at what you are really buying and perhaps that it is worth the extra dollar to get the chocolate that is not made by slaves. I think people couldn’t eat it because the video was so fresh in their minds, but I bet they have had chocolate since then…
[Reply]
I am pretty sure at least 90 percent of the class do not previously know about the slavery involved in the harvest of cocoa for slavery. I had an idea that the production of chocolate includes forced labor, but I never knew that it was in that magnitude. Sam Richards told every body in the class to eat a piece of chocolate. I could not even eat the first piece because I had an idea that some video on the history of cocoa and chocolate production was about to come on. I knew the amount of work required to process cocoa into chocolate because of my background. I remember back in Nigeria, my grand father had little cocoa farm. Harvesting the cocoa is hard enough, but it is just the beginning of the process. After the harvest, I remember that the cocoa had to be manually cut in half with a cutlass, which is very dangerous. The cutlass can literally cut someone's hand off. After that, the seeds have to be taking out of the fruit and God knows how many other steps that are going to happen after that.
After watching that video of the Ivorians who are slaves because of the cocoa, it brought a total silence in the class. People felt something in their heart and where at first not willing to eat the second piece of chocolate. But just a few minutes after the video, the sympathy wore off people face and they return to their normal chocolate loving self. It is a shame indeed. I am not saying that everyone should quit eating chocolate, but at least people should have the self respect of for the Ivorians of not eating that second piece of chocolate. In the video, one of the slave workers on the cocoa farm said that who ever is eating chocolate is like they are eating his flesh. I might not fully understand what he meant but at least we can show respect by not eating the second piece of chocolate. These people have been shedding sweat and blood on a daily basis for harvesting cocoa and the production of chocolate. They do not get paid anything and they have not even had the opportunity to the chocolate that we consume on a daily basis.
As for those who ate that second piece, it just shows how heartless this country is. If something do not affect us directly, we do not feel obligated to do something to change the situation, as long as we are benefiting from it. Another example, is our troops in the middle East. People barely question what are troops are really doing in the middle east because we are benefiting from it. We all felt sympathy for 9/11 and even today it is still a scar in our hearts. But what about the people in the Middle East? They experience 9/11 on a daily basis but only a few people have tried something to change the situation. We do not feel for them because they are not "our people". I just want people to feel outside the box. The world might actually be a "better place".
[Reply]
Just by watching that video isn't going to make me stop eating chocolate. Sam even said it himself, it is just to get you to think. I certainly thought about slavery and chocolate for the rest of the day and now I am aware of what is going on in other parts of the world. Even though I now know this, I will still each chocolate. Me not eating chocolate is not going to change anything. And why should I stop eating chocolate even if I don't feel strongly about the subject. Of course that video was very sad and had an effect on me, the effect was not strong enough to change my actions. It would be amazing to see someday all American companies become "fair trade", but I do not think I would go out of my way to get a "fair trade product". If I was at a store that had both options, I think that I would choose the "fair trade" one.
I think that if you truly couldn’t eat the second piece of chocolate, that’s great! It’s awesome if it had a strong effect on you and hopefully that stays with you. It’s crazy how just a video can have such a strong effect on people. I like chocolate too much to change my mind and make a drastic change in my life. I think that this is similar to a situation about meat. If we watched a video about slaughterhouses and farm factories, I think that many people would not be able to eat meat. I don’t know if I would have that change because I love meat, but I definitely it could have an effect on me. I think that If I saw with my own eyes these slaves and talked to them, I would only eat fair trade chocolate, but I didn’t feel that strong connection by watching the video. I am not going to sit here and lie and say I’m never going to eat chocolate again, because there would be no point in that. If I’m going to eat it, I’m going to eat it.
It was very disturbing seeing the condition that the forced laborers were in. Seeing the scars on that boys back made me cringe. I cannot believe that someone could be scared that badly from abuse. Every one of the slaves said that they have never received any money for their work and they have been there for a very long time. That is awful and I wish that there was something that could be done. I have strong feelings about this and feel awful but I know that me not eating chocolate is not going to solve the problem.
[Reply]
First of all, it is incredibly unrealistic to think that those who ate the second piece were wrong to. Just like Sam said in class after the video, unless you are willing to give up eating chocolate that is not a special brand, then eat the chocolate or else you are basically being fake. As a matter of fact, if you are going to pretend for a class period that you will not even buy or eat anything slave made, then go about your own life after class, you really do not have a right to point the finger at anyone who did eat the second piece of chocolate. This question is so naïve considering I bet this person eats and owns tons of slave made foods and items. Also, I have a problem with this little experiment in the first place. If you are trying to prove a point, as in do not buy slave made chocolate, then why would you buy it for a seven hundred person lecture class every semester in the first place? This seems a bit too contradictory to me. You are actually fueling the companies who profit from slaves, so me eating the chocolate when you tell me to is not really vilifying me. It does not make a single difference in the world of slave made goods if I eat a piece of slave made chocolate that has already been purchased and has already done its damage. I think this could be a good idea, but when you think about the fact that the chocolate company has already got what helps fuel slavery, which is consumer money, it sort of loses its point.
This may sound like I am being kind of cynical, and I think that is probably because I am just a realist type of person. I really do wish that I could resist buying these slave made goods, but on the other hand I know how uneducated and ignorant I am to these types of products and these companies that do support slavery. It would take a lot of research and time commitment in order to fully never consume any sort of good that had any sort of slavery ties to it. I think it would be really awesome if this could be made a bit more realistic so people could recognize what they are doing when they purchase these goods. I know for me, if I knew a good was made by slaves, I would make the decision not to purchase it. This may seem contradictory to what I said earlier, but it really is not since that chocolate was already purchased and the true, realistic damage has been done.
[Reply]
Here’s the way I feel about it and think about it. I ate the first piece of chocolate when Sam told us to eat it. Before we saw the video, no one thought about where the chocolate came from or how it came here. So everyone ate it and then Sam played the video about coca beans. After the video, Sam said eat the second piece, everyone looked around to see if their neighbors would eat it or just throw it in their bag. Then Sam said, if you honestly will say you will NEVER eat chocolate again, then get rid of it. If you think you’ll eat it again but just feel bad because of the video, then just eat it now, what’s the difference? So I ate the chocolate and so did everyone around me.
[Reply]
I do feel horrible for what slaves have to do to live, but not eating the chocolate is like not wearing clothes or not eating fruit. Someway somehow, everything you eat and wear is brought here because of the labor done. Although watching the video does make you think bout how hard they work and all the torture they go thorough if something goes wrong, getting paid unfair and working unfair hours. If you played a video every time you put your shirt on, would you not wear shirts everyday? This is why everyday people should not take for granted everything they have and everything they own in the world today. Because there are people out there who work hard for what we have in America today.
[Reply]
Because there are people out there who work hard for what we have in America today. Once again I do understand they live horribly and have to have a horrible laboring job. But if you were to watch a video every time you wore or ate something you wouldn’t have anything. Everything we have and eat are mostly created and picked by slaves. Like I said before you just should not take for granted everything you have. Don’t waste your food and don’t buy clothes then throw them out a month later. Going back to “how do you stomach eating the chocolate?”
[Reply]
If you were to not eat the chocolate, you’d be throwing it away, it’d be going to waste, and that was cocoa beans that were picked and then wasted, because that one person decided just for today that they didn’t want to eat chocolate because of the video. Chocolate that someone else would have eaten. I do once again feel horrible and upset about the life style these slaves have to live, it’s sad and unfortunate. I hope there will be better days for them. Maybe it will show Americans to not take everything they for granted in life today.
[Reply]
Before the demonstration began, I had a feeling that eating the chocolate would make a point so I chose to not eat the first piece. After watching the video I was glad that I hadn’t eaten the chocolate chip; yet I couldn’t help but think how this one chocolate chip was meaningless in the whole big scheme of my week, year, or lifetime of chocolate consumption. As I watched the video I was pleased that I didn’t eat the first chocolate chip. The more I had the immediate consequential thoughts that I needed to completely give up chocolate, the more I second guessed myself. I realized that it was unrealistic for me to pledge I was going to change my life and stop buying and eating chocolate in order to combat the process of slavery involved in its production.
Though I think from this point on I will make a conscious decision to take advantage of the free-trade chocolate available, after thinking more about the issue I ate both of those chocolate chips. Maybe you’re shocked by this considering what I just said immediately raced through my mind in reaction to the video, however I would argue that it is worse to NOT eat the chocolate. Before you judge me completely, let me explain my reasoning. I imagine if you told that man from the video, the one that claimed eating chocolate is like eating a piece of his flesh, that you just threw the chocolate in the trash – the chocolate that he lost his funds, his family and friends, and his freedom for – it would be more disrespectful than eating a piece of his torturous, unfulfilling work.
Americans take for granted the fact that they get to experience a great number of luxuries that the rest of the world is not privy to. The man in the video admitted that he had never even tasted the product that his blood, sweat, and tears went into producing. By throwing a piece of his flesh into the trash, it’s like you are showing how ignorant you are that you could easily waste something that another human being unwillingly gave up literally everything for you to enjoy.
The treatment of the slaves involved in chocolate production is simply inhumane; the fact that chocolate manufacturers are aware of the torture and unfair treatment of these slaves yet they choose to avoid improving the conditions is – in my eyes – even worse. With the knowledge of this level of maltreatment, how can officials and individuals in power choose to close their eyes? It pains me to know that people force others to do things and treat them like material possessions against their will. With these things in mind, how could you NOT eat the second piece of chocolate?
[Reply]
Personally, I didn't eat either piece of chocolate, but initially it had nothing to do with the video. After I watched the video, though, I definitely didn't want to eat the second piece. The video was really upsetting, and really showed the reality of modern day slavery. Even after reading "Disposable People", I didn't have a full, or vivid, picture of what modern day slavery looked like. Honestly, I think that video was worse that I had imagined. That video showed us that modern day slavery is as horrific as former slavery, maybe worse.
So I didn't eat it because 1. I don't really like chocolate 2. I was grossed out that people had touched it 3. After the video I couldn't. But, I think it actually might be worse to not eat it. The chocolate was obviously already bought (don't know if it was fair trade chocolate?), so by not eating it, you're wasting it. At least if you ate it, you were grateful for what the slaves did. If you didn't, you threw their life away. I don't know if that makes sense, but I almost feel more guilty that I didn't eat it now. And feel guilty that I've never put any thought into buying a candy bar. I literally throw down a dollar like it's nothing, not putting the slightest thought into how that candy bar was made and what had to happen for it to get into my hands. Maybe that's the whole "ignorance is bliss" saying?
The thing that's a shame is that we can't do much about it. Literally if our entire class decided to boycott buying chocolate, it wouldn't even make a difference because there would still be millions of people buying chocolate. And even if we do boycott chocolate, where do we stop? If we start to boycott everything that has slave made products, where would we be? Could we survive? I'm not saying this to not have hope or to be condescending, but the problem is just too big that something like simply not consuming those goods isn't going to do anything.
I honestly wonder what the fix to this problem is? It seems like the sites of these slave grounds, or whatever they should be called, are so obscure that they're hardly found. Or what about in like Paris where girls are just brought into homes, how are they found? It's really quite sad when you think about it because it's definitely not an easy fix. And even once we think it's "fixed", like we did post-emancipation, it's not going to be completely gone. Hopefully I'm wrong and we can completely wipe out slavery, but I just don't know. Until then, at least we are aware and cognizant of its existence, and maybe our small measures will make a small difference in even one person's life. We may never know, but at least we can try. In fact, Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
[Reply]
To the question of why would you eat the second piece of chocolate I only have to say why would you eat the first piece in the first place? And if you did eat the first piece why should you stop yourself and not eat the second piece? You have been eating chocolate since you were little and you never bothered to think twice about where that chocolate comes from and how that chocolate chip is produced from a cocoa bean. I feel as in part it’s to blame the parents who lack the ability to educate their children and the second will probably have to fall on our education system. I honestly don’t understand how people can be that blind about certain things… Maybe because I was born and raised in Europe I’m more knowledgeable than the people in America, which I feel should not be even the case because Americans are exposed to far more different cultures and traditions and much better education, at least I thought so.
On the lines of how certain things are manufactured or produced and by who are simple questions that have to run through everybody’s minds at least once in awhile. I guess most of the people are too self-observed and self-concentrated that they have no time to stop and think about abstract things. Most people who live in America are used to a high passed lifestyle and they only do things that will be easier and cheaper rather than look for a quality food, jobs, vacations even if it takes a little bit more thinking and picking. The other thing that I don’t understand is the fact that we call regular chocolate bar like Hershey as chocolate even though it only has 5% to 10% of cocoa…. It is very disturbing for me to see how people are misled to think that it’s a chocolate bar… On the other hand the real chocolate bar has to be called organic chocolate bar and carry a price tag, which will probably stop the people from buying the real thing. Moreover, this problem pertains not only to chocolate but to food in general.
In Europe, we call all natural organic stuff as food… like fresh tomatoes, potatoes, other vegetables, fruits etc. On the other hand, all the processed stuff we either don’t have or we buy only in small quantities… I have been taught since childhood that all that processed stuff is artificially modified and is very bad for our system. I feel as people should be feeding off things that the nature provides and not off something created in the lab.
It is heart breaking for me to see small children eat colored cereal that not only artificially colored but also is reprocessed a few times for an easier digestion and therefore easier gain of fat contribution to children’s obesity. A human being burns more calories by chewing non processed products that have substance and are not being pureed…
Even though I got a little bit off topic, my point is if people are o’k with eating the first piece of chocolate then they should eat the other one, because they should realize that they will continue to eat chocolate chips as soon as the SOC class is over… Only the people who are serious about rejecting all chocolate and stick only to organic stuff should not eat that second piece of chocolate. In reality it will be very hard to do because if the students didn’t realize that the cocoa beans in a chocolate bar came from a slave owned plantation… they probably don’t realize that most of the stuff they eat or wear or use was produced/ manufactured by a slave in some form or another. So, people just have to accept the fact that that’s how US gets cheap manufacturing/production oversees and if someone is very against it they should start with petitioning to the government to change their rules and regulations as to products US produces/buys oversees. If all the products were produces in US, then maybe the slave labor would not be a factor in our concern for fairness and equal rights.
[Reply]
I honestly cannot take this question seriously. For you to ask, “how could you even stomach eating the second piece?” is such a silly question to me. Although I didn’t eat either piece of chocolate, isn’t it just a shame to see all of their hard work and flesh go to waste? I feel like you not eating the second piece is like taking all of the cocoa beans they harvest in one day and throwing them into a pit of fire. It is a waste. The slaves on the cocoa plantations work so hard because that is their lifestyle. They left their families to find work and this is what they found. They thought they would get paid to harvest, and eventually be able to leave whenever they wanted, but that’s not quite how it works. I must add however, that the video was very sad. It was a real eye opener but I still don’t think it will prevent me from being able to eat chocolate. I just think it is such a shame that Sam had to show that video in order to open everyone’s eyes about this issue. When I was in fifth grade, I did a project on cocoa farmers and their slaves, and since then, I’ve still somehow been able to eat chocolate
[Reply]
I think it’s mostly because, if you think about it, these slaves have sweat and worked so hard to produce such a great product that if you don’t purchase it or if you do purchase it and then waste half of it, it’s like you are putting their hard work and dedication to shame. By you not eating that second piece of chocolate shows nothing, except maybe that you are weak hearted. You are certainly not ending the slavery camps in the cocoa fields. And if you want to look into it deeper, think about everything that you wear or eat. Most of this stuff comes from sweat shops or slave camps. It is very sad, I will agree. But just by not eating one piece of chocolate isn’t going to change it. People will never change, unless they are forced to, it’s just the way of the world. The fact that Sam felt disgust over us being able to eat the chocolate also consumes me. He has spend so many more days living with people who are in poverty and seeing what it is like around the world. He can not ever hold it against us if we want to eat two pieces of chocolate that HE himself purchased for our pleasure and our pain.
[Reply]
Let me start out by saying that I did not eat the second piece of chocolate. After watching the video I felt terrible about the pain and suffering these slaves are subject to at our benefit. Everyday they wake up with nothing to look forward to and nothing to live for. With no motivation they are forced to do what they are told or else face near-death consequences. What’s worse is they have nothing to show for the work they do. This video really did open my eyes as to how real and serious a problem slavery really is. It also made me aware as to how close to home this problem hits. We, Americans, are the direct reason as to why these people lose their freedom, along with the lives they once lived. Slavery is a terrible business and its heartbreaking to know that we support such an industry. However, while the movie did open my eyes to the truth behind the cocoa industry, it was not necessarily enough to make me disgusted by the piece of chocolate I was given. In fact, I chose to not eat the second piece of chocolate not completely because I felt guilty or remorseful, but also because I felt obliged by the pressure of being judged by my peers. First of all, I find it hard to believe that Sam Richards would actually give us chocolate made by slaves. And even though most of the class left the second piece of chocolate untouched, we were still supporting slavery by purchasing it to begin with. Is there a difference as to whether or not the chocolate ends up on the floor or in our stomachs? In my opinion, not really. If we want to end slavery in the cocoa industry then we need to stop purchasing chocolate in the first place. Not eating a piece that has already been purchased and opened really isn’t helping. This may sound insensitive but I’m just being logical. Think of all the chocolate we’ve eaten in our lifetime. If we weren’t grossed out then, then chances are we won’t be grossed out now. It’s like eating meat (I’m a vegetarian by the way). Most people know how bad and how processed it is for us, yet we consume it on a daily basis. It’s a part of our daily routines, and a part of our culture. One video will not turn the entire audience into vegetarians and one video will not make the entire class repulsed by chocolate. So what’s the big deal if people ate one piece of chocolate? They’ve probably eaten ten times that amount since then. Furthermore, if the slaves were sitting next to the people who ate the chocolate, then I’m sure they wouldn’t have eaten it. However, they weren’t. So in the end, it was just a chocolate morsel.
[Reply]
I think that ate the second piece of chocolate, because like Sam said it was the only reasonable thing to do. I would like that say that from now on I’m going to only buy Fair Trade chocolate and then I’m going to buy Fair Trade coffee, but the truth is, I’m not. You would have to change your entire lifestyle, no dessert at family parties, no chocolate ice cream at your favorite parlor. And maybe that is selfish to not want to change, but people do not really have that great of a choice. Almost everything contains something that is made by slaves. What do we do, stop using and consuming everything?
[Reply]
I am one of those people who ate the second piece of chocolate and I didn't find it difficult to stomach or any of those kinds of emotions. I found it quite easy especially with Sam's sentiments towards the subject. He said if you are never going to eat slave trade chocolate again, then don't eat the second piece. However I was realistic with myself, and I know that there is no way I'm going to not eat chocolate for the rest of my life. I did feel very very awful for the people in Africa who became enslaved, and I couldn't imagine ever going through such a horrific experience ever in my lifetime. However I don't think not eating the second piece of chocolate was going to change anything about modern slavery in this world. If you ate the first piece of chocolate and were able to stomach that then I do not understand how the second piece could go down any different. It was a miniscule piece of chocolate. Eating it was as easy as swallowing an advil. If there was anything that I found gross about eating the chocolate was that someone who was unidentified to me took these pieces of chocolate and rapped them up in tin foil. I was hesitant to eat the chocolate when i first got it, but I was kind of hungry and they were tiny pieces so I didn't see any harm. While watching video I couldn't express how bad I felt for these people. But in the end was not eating the second piece going to make these slaves any better off? I don't believe so. Also when the slave said that we were eating his flesh, I took that more as a figure of speech. Yes he put his blood sweat and tears into that cocoa however I didn't feel as if I was eating actual chunks of his flesh. Asking if I would eat the chocolate if the man was sitting next to me is a ridiculous hypothetical situation that I highly doubt will ever be a real life situation, but if the man was sitting next to me I wouldn't eat the chocolate just out of respect for him. The person asking this question is in this class so I'm just wondering if you can't stomach eating that chocolate then how can you stomach using all the other products that come from modern slavery or sweat shops. We've learned about clothing and cell phones and other things that come from slavery, and you never asked this question so I'm wondering why you're asking it now. If you have eaten chocolate all your life, and after seeing the video you do not anymore, then I give you the utmost respect and I applaud you. However if you do eat chocolate that you now has come from slavery then this is a waste of a question on your part.
[Reply]
Okay, yes, it was sad and an eye opener, but it is not like I’m never going to eat chocolate ever again because I saw this. Just like I’m sure down the road you will eat it too, I find it a little hypocritical that you didn’t eat the chocolate when you ate the first one. So now you are not going to eat chocolate ever again? You know that slavery goes into almost everything we use here in the United States, so does that mean you no longer are going to buy clothes, food, diamonds, and technology? I think it is great that Sam showed you something that opened your eyes. I know it opened mine. But not eating that chocolate is being a hypocrite. Last semester I watched a documentary on slaves in China making the beads we use for Mardi Gras. It was really shocking as well. To watch men and women make something that seems so pointless. They do it with such force and persistence for their survival. It was sad watching how they made the beads, and then to realize how the United States abuses the final product. Our country takes things for granted because we have the luxury to do so. I’m sure if the country revolted against slavery in every way something would be done about it, but because big corporations depend on the slavery of other countries, it will never happen. They are too powerful. We live in a corporate world no matter how much we want to believe we do not. Americans want to believe we are better than others because we come from such a “privileged” society. To solve a world problem such as slavery, we must first attack the slavery that we have in the United States. There is slavery that most people do not know of; for example sex trafficking, drug mules, and those working as maids/servants because they can’t pay off debts. To solve a problem you have to start with something small. You may feel for you, that not eating that piece of chocolate helped, it did for a moment…but you will eventually eat chocolate again. People will always have power over others. The almighty dollar will always be the driving force behind the greed that pushes so many people. It is a shame that ultimately the things we enjoy often result from someone being taken advantage of or being a victim. The working conditions that caused the recent coal miners deaths should have been addressed. Does that mean people won’t use coal anymore? That happened in West Virginia with all kinds of laws put in place to prevent it. But the owner had so much money he figured out a way around the laws. Paying fines was cheaper than fixing the problem. It appears that buying politicians and hiring expensive attorneys and lobbyists to fix laws to suit whatever corporate greed exists is all that is required. This is a three ring circus and makes what should be a very basic right – safety on the job – to be negotiable. The philosophy is to make as much money as possible and to totally disregard moral responsibility. They sleep at night and we all sleep at night. In this disposable society, we need to be more aware of our surroundings, what we purchase and learn how to have an impact by spreading the word and not purchasing products manufactured by certain corporations when possible.
[Reply]
As I evaluate myself and the fact that I ate the second piece of chocolate, I don’t really know what to say or think, so Im going to blog about it all. Here we go…
To start, I think that eating the second piece of chocolate is just what Sam said, logical. I feel this way for a number of reasons. One, nobody knows where the chocolate was from or which brand produced the kisses. I feel that the entire exercise was meant to make people evaluate their everyday activities and possessions. As Sam has said many many times before, he doesn’t buy that shit. He is a firm believer in slaveless products like food, clothing, and anything else you can think of. He has been saying that he will not buy meat from the grocery store because he knows the conditions of the farms and how the animals are treated. Two, what are you going to do with this uneaten piece of chocolate? Throw it away and leave it to be burned or buried in a landfill? No way. Not unless you really aren’t hungry for that extremely small piece of chocolate. How does that make people feel about what they just did? Is it more respectable to throw away the hard work that these men and women have done, or should we be able to enjoy it for a short while? I would say that if you asked the same man that said he would be angry if he met the person that eats the chocolate if he would rather that man throw it away, the man would be even more outraged. That to me would be a much bigger slap in the face. Ok, so those are my points for eating the chocolate. Lets take a look at the against eating the chocolate feelings.
Although I feel strongly about what I said about, the fact that I am ignorant enough to eat the chocolate makes me angry. I was not one of the students that ate the piece immediately, I felt extremely bad about how those people were treated and I don’t support that at all. Slavery is something that is completely despicable to me and I, although not a human rights activist, feel that all men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. To add, people should not be treated like animals. The scars that were shown on the backs and sides of those people made me sick to my stomach, literally. I don’t know how a person can put someone through that sort of punishment. Its just wrong.
In conclusion, I think that the exercise was a very well developed one and really forced people to think about the world and what happens in places that we have never been. However, not eating the already purchased piece of chocolate does not make you a saint. It is such a small piece to an extremely large puzzle that continues to grow every day. I totally understand how people question the motives of students that ate both pieces because I did at first, however what do you think about eating all the chocolate from your Easter baskets the week before? Pretty shitty huh?
[Reply]
The answer to why the chocolate was eaten is simple, I feel as though you are very confused though. The chocolate was already in your hands and you had already eaten one piece, what else are you supposed to do. Second piece of chocolate was eaten because it was already bought and in our hands. By purchasing the chocolate, the damage was already done. To not eat the chocolate would be a waste, and would solve very little. If we did not eat the chocolate then we would just be throwing the work away. This would not be making a difference in slavery. The video we watched in class shocked me. I think it is absolutely horrible the way chocolate is made by slaves, and how they are treated for their work. This video made me think, and made an impact on many people. Of course no one wants to eat another human's flesh, but sitting in that classroom and not eating that piece of chocolate would not have made a difference in the issue. I feel as if there is nothing we can do right away and by ourselves. The chocolate was already made, and people had already suffered. The video and asking us if we would still eat the chocolate was just to make a point. I do not think Sam actually wanted us to throw away the chocolate. I do not think the issue lies in how much chocolate we consume, but who it is bought from and how the large companies produce it. There are so many things made by slaves in this world that refusing to buy or use what is slave made would mean refusing to buy or use anything at all. The only way to solve the issue is ensuring that the workers making the products receive what they deserve. Better laws need to be implemented against slavery, and laws that monitor where and how big companies get their products. Showing videos like the one we watched in class is a good step towards making more people aware of the problem. So many people think very little slavery exists today. The more people we can make an impact on, the more will want to take action in preventing abuse of workers. The second piece of chocolate had much more knowledge attached to it than the first piece, but both pieces had an equal amount of change they could make, none. So in that sense, I do not think people should be frowned upon for eating the second piece. As long as they absorbed the message presented, then they could eat the chocolate if they wanted to. Throwing it away would have done very little.
[Reply]
I don't think eating the second piece of chocolate has any real reflection on what kind of person you are or anything like that. We've all been eating chocolate for years, and probably never thought about the slavery aspect of it before. I can completely understand the idea of giving us two pieces, and then showing the video just to make it seem horrible if we eat the second piece. But that's not even what Sam was going for, I don't think. He knows we aren't going to stop eating chocolate (though some of us may). Instead maybe it was a point about consumption, overall. Slavery is so pervasive in the world because we consume SO SO many goods. Perhaps if we all scaled back on our consumption habits, eventually a shift in the dynamics of the world would occur.
[Reply]
What many people don’t realize is that almost everything that we wear, or eat, has some percentage of coming from slaves. If a person just realized this and they want to change it, it is hard to just do it “cold turkey.” When a person is accustomed to eating chocolate all of the time it is harder for them to stop, even though they know that it comes from slaves. What we can do is try to stop the companies from continuing to use this method. If a persona totally gives up everything that has been produce by slaves, then they give up almost everything they have and do. You asked how they can stomach eating the chocolate, but how can you stomach wearing the clothes you wear or sending a text message??
[Reply]
I ate the second piece of chocolate. But I can be the first to tell you that it had an extremely different taste than the first piece. I ate the second piece because Sam said to, and he has a really good point as to why. We have to be realistic. Would be it realistic to say that you are never going to ever eat chocolate again? I don’t think so at all. The only person I would allow to throw stones at me would be the person who never again let chocolate touch their lips. I am going to make an honest attempt to not eat chocolate from companies that are not associated with the Fair Trade company, but at the same time even that is hard. There have been countless times where I have been at a holiday or birthday party when people are offended if I do not eat their cake. What are we going to do? Say im sorry that chocolate in your cake is harvested by slaves so I can’t eat any, but happy birthday! I mean yes we can educate people, but I am not about to hurt someone at a formal event or something of that sort. These would be great times to educate people about the real ways of the cocoa business, but maybe before the event so that we do not offend the person. This is just one example because chocolate is a huge staple in the lives of Americans. That means you would have to never eat anything chocolate at any restaurant, coffee shop or anywhere else. Again, unless we know exactly where they are getting their chocolate from, we cannot be sure that it is not made from the flesh of slaves. We can make an attempt to ask what kind of chocolate that they are using, but that is not really something most of us are going to take the time to do. That was a really a strong point that Sam made about eating the flesh of slaves. It really made the chocolate taste completely different the second time around. But coming back to the original question, I think that knowing and appreciating what we have is a step in the right direction. No, it does not make it okay that the cocoa from the chocolate we eat is most likely from the hands of slaves, but it is a small step. I think that if we make an effort to at least try to use goods produced by fair trade companies that would make a difference. It is so scary that things as common as chocolate, cotton and wheat are most likely at the hand of slaves. It kills to think how often these products are used and just increasing the demand for slave picked goods.
[Reply]
Yeah, I agree, I was not able to eat the piece of chocolate after watching that video. And I LOVE Chocolate. Like it’s bad, it’s my drug. I eat chocolate every day. That’s so unhealthy and a lot of chocolate. But like I said, I’m addicted. And then to hear that these slaves who are forced to get the coca beans haven’t even tasted what it’s like to eat a piece of chocolate, was really disturbing. I felt so selfish. But at the same time, I wanted to say, “I’m never eating chocolate again.” But I can’t. I mean..I could..if I really tried. But I want to be able to eat chocolate..and it sounds selfish, but it’s the truth. I think the people who were able to eat the chocolate in class where either trying to act “cool” and were trying to be funny and ate it.
[Reply]
Or they really didn’t care at all and ate it. I know that I am not going to stop eating chocolate. However, there was no way I was going to eat that last piece of chocolate. “Eating the Slave’s flesh.” Wow. And then being able to pop that last piece of chocolate in your mouth after he said that, and after Sam restated the quote. It just doesn’t make any sense that someone would want to still eat it. Just like it doesn’t make sense that I am sitting here typing to you that I am going to continue to eat chocolate after I know that slaves have been tortured over creating chocolate. It makes me feel like a terrible person. But then what would I tell everyone? “I stopped eating chocolate because slaves are beaten and worked to death over it every day?”
[Reply]
?” Which leads me to a question. I know that there has to be slaves around the world who are working for other kinds of foods like say, probably bananas. Am I going to stop eating bananas too? Or every other kind of foods that slaves are forced to work and get? And then food aside, what about all of the material things that have been made by slaves? How can you tell if it has been made from slaves? Let’s say there was a way and they put a sticker on everything that was made by a slave (which they would never do, but stick with me on this one). Do you think there would be so many stickers that people would still buy the products? And would stopping buying the products really solve the problem of slavery? Like if no one bought chocolate, and chocolate business’ all shut down, would those slaves be free? Or would they try to find something else for them to work on? It’s sad but these are questions I have in my head. I wish that slavery would go away. It’s so terrible and disturbing. And I feel really guilty about still wanting to eat chocolate.
[Reply]
Honestly after watching the video, I didn’t eat the second piece of chocolate. But after class I was thinking about it, and even when I ate the first piece of chocolate I knew what the video was most likely going to be about and I still ate it. Also, was I really going to quit eating chocolate forever? No. So why didn’t I eat the second piece? Just because I felt bad for the few minutes after watching the video then I would forget about it by dinnertime? That just made me feel even worse. Plus I even remember Sam saying to eat the second piece of chocolate unless you weren’t ever going to eat chocolate again unless it’s free trade. And it’s not like I would be cutting out all products made by slaves from my life considering their time and flesh have most likely gone into many of the things I use on a daily basis. So I honestly don’t know how to feel about this issue because, to a single person, it seems so impossible to fix.
I know this isn’t the same thing, but this reminds me of conversations I have had with my roommate, who is a vegetarian. She’s the first person I had ever had a real conversation about what it means to be a vegetarian, and to many other people, saying something like “I love animals but I couldn’t be a vegetarian” wouldn’t be a big deal. When I first said something along those lines to her, she said that it doesn’t work that way. When you know the origins of what you are eating, and you still eat it, then it can’t be as important to you as you think. The fact that she knows where meat comes from affects her in such a way that she can’t physically eat it. Comparing this argument to slavery is even more extreme. If people felt this way about slavery, it would drastically change everyone’s eating habits. Does the fact that I eat chocolate frequently mean that I don’t care about slavery?
For us, here at Penn State, or really many places in the United States, it is hard for us to truly feel bad about eating the chocolate because modern slavery is not something that we can relate to or something we constantly think about. Although it may touch our lives every day because of the products we come in contact with, we don’t immediately realize it. Some people never realize it. I think the exercise we did in class was effective at making students who are very disassociated with the issue of slavery think about how it can touch our lives even with something as simple as a small piece of chocolate.
[Reply]
After watching those videos, I was not aware of the drastic measures that went into the production of chocolate. For someone who loves chocolate and almost eats it on a daily basis, this video definitely disturbed me. I can honestly say I didn’t eat the second piece of chocolate after watching the video because I actually thought I could be eating someone else’s flesh. But I can’t say that since that class I havent eaten chocolate at all. After reading one of my peers comments about, “Why wouldn’t you eat that chocolate in a sense you are wasting that persons hardship he went through to produce it.” And I wouldn’t necessary agree with this statement, but it definitely caught my attention and I thought to myself, did I actually just waste that? But then again I guess I was wrong for not eating that chocolate because I didn’t commit never eating chocolate again, because I had some today. But I did look at things differently and modern slavery as a whole. The same question relates clothing production. The shirt I’m wearing today could be made by a slave or in a sweatshop, but one I’ll never know for sure and two what if all my clothes were made by slaves? Therefore, I have to look at this as a whole. If I don’t wear the clothes that are made by slaves is that going to eliminate modern day slavery? No. But I definitely appreciate and think a little differently about the food I eat and the clothes I wear. I’m more informed on the topic and actually have an opinion about it now. I think modern day slavery is completely wrong and so do many other people, but people didn’t eat the second piece of chocolate because the video didn’t phase them. I’m sure they ate it because they knew down the road they wouldn’t feel the exact same way as they did immediately after watching the video. They couldn’t commit to never eating chocolate again, but they would be aware of what goes into the production of chocolate. I also like the point that Sam made about cell phones, part of your cell phone is made by a slave, but I still see just about every person in class with a cell phone. It didn’t make people not use their cell phones. So why would people not eat the second piece of chocolate when they still use their cell phone? Probably the same reason I didn’t because in that moment I was disturbed. What I guess I’m saying is that Sam did make me think differently about this topic, and overall that is his goal is to make us think, and it definitely made me think about what I eat and wear differently. But it doesn’t mean I don’t eat chocolate anymore or wear clothes from Nike, but I’m more aware of it and hope that someday real soon modern day slavery will be completely eliminated.
[Reply]
The whole deal with this question is just being realistic with yourself. I am one of the biggest candy eaters I know, and my favorite candy just happens to be M&M's. Now I know that if I try to give it up (though I have no intentions to), it would be very difficult. Knowing that I would eat the chocolate again is why I ate the second piece. In my opinion, I did not like the way the guy answered the question in the video in regards to what he would say to people who eat chocolate. I understand his pain and heartache, but there comes a point where you are humble about things. We all know that the main people he should be angry at are the slave owners, then inadvertently, it would be the people who buy the chocolate. Even though I know it would be difficult for him to understand currently seeing the position he is in, he needs to understand the extent of chocolate in society. Chocolate is more than just a sweet tasting snack for the mouth. It has come to be a form of expression for many people. When it is a special occasion such as Valentine's Day or an anniversary, what is the gift people buy the most? Chocolate. But we are not the cause of the slaves pain. It is truly the slave owners and their greed. So people should still be able to enjoy chocolate as we always have. But I will give them the benefit of the doubt because I know I would probably feel the same way towards people who eat what I have slaved over. If he was sitting next to me, I would eat the chocolate and then have a conversation with the boy expressing how I feel about everything. I would try to let him see things from a different perspective just as we have just seen things from his. That's what relations and the point of the whole class is anyways. We see through our own pair of glasses, and then we take them off to borrow someone else's for a moment in time. I believe that if he saw things through our eyes, he would understand the extent of why many people would eat the second piece. Now I know I may sound a little harsh, but I know its the truth. The chocolate industry is so large that it would take a large movement to get people to stop. Now I am willing to try out the Fair Trade Chocolate, but the taste is what would determine whether I would stick with it. That's another thing to ponder. If people are used to a few main tastes of chocolate, then they won't be open to eating the substitute on a constant basis. I hope this helps people think of it in a somewhat different light.
[Reply]
I can honestly say after this class when Sam showed that video it really did something to my life because to see what those kids has went through over some chocolate like it is crazy to just see that in today’s world and really what shocked me is that these guys were treated as if they were slaves and right there just took me to a whole new level about how people can be so greedy and money hungry to not pay people for their hard work that is bringing them in more money than they can handle and they can’t even give back to their workers and then beating those guys took and taking from their family is like really look at this world its really screwed up like allot of good things goes on in the world but I am really convince more bad things happen then good by far and it’s sad to say but it’s the truth in my eyes. I just couldn’t face of eating that last piece of chocolate it made me sick to my stomach to see what those boys have put it like the blood, sweat, tears, the misery and just the pain all over it just touches a place inside me cause it hurts and I can’t do nothing about it and u couldn’t even look at that second piece of chocolate because that chocolate symbolizes pain that nobody can take back which is like how many other people in this foreign countries are really being treated like this think hundreds thousands or maybe even millions we really don’t know but as we see now they are really being treated like this and it is really getting serious and I feel like if it hasn’t stop now maybe it will never will You also have to think will this ever change just in my eyes I can’t see it happening no time soon because it’s always going to be them people to do bad things and just take advantage of those people that have no hope or that what those owners put in their head that it’s no hope which means its either working for them or death and no one should have to go through those things it just really hurt to really see that video man when is it going to stop only god knows. Now I know that wasn’t my last time eating a piece of chocolate but I know one things it will always put me in a phase to think about those boys who work day in and day out as slave over making out today’s chocolate.
[Reply]
To be honest, I ate both pieces of chocolate right off the bat. But I do feel guilty now when I eat and drink chocolate products, but if you didn’t eat the difference, it would have made no difference at all. So don’t be some cool person that felt too good to eat the second piece because then you threw it out, and “how did you swallow the fact that you wasted this flesh”. It sounds like a rude thing but really. The video did change what I thought about chocolate and it will affect my thoughts forever. But really, cocoa is in everything and its sad to say its hard to avoid products that slaves were used to produce.
[Reply]