To start off my blog post I would like to commend Bucknell for the great job they did on their play. I think they did an amazing job combining Mike Daisey’s initial work with well planned interruptions to provide outside opinions on the matter. I think this made the entire play more informational and educational in general. After watching it and enjoying the differences that Bucknell added in, I asked myself if the more historical references to Apple and Steve Jobs made the play more educational? I also wondered if this took away from the dramatic effect of simply playing with the audiences emotions the way Daisey did? To answer my own questions here, I think that the increased historical references made the piece even better. I believe that they were still able to get the point across of how terrible the working conditions were, while still educating the audience in an accurate manner, which is one thing Daisey failed at. However, I think that the media attention Daisey got for his inaccurate representation of Apple and Foxconn is one of the aspects that truly made the Bucknell piece work well. Without the ability to cut into the play and offer changes to Daisey’s thoughts, and information from outside professors, the audience would not have learned as much as they did.
Another question that came to mind after watching the end of the Bucknell version was are we (Bucknell) the right audience? Jordi’s blog also prompted my thoughts about the audience and who would be the most meaningful target audience for a play like Bucknell’s which mixed educational facts with Daisey’s theatrical performance. As great as the play was, I couldn’t help myself but to ask if someone else could better react and make an impact. At the end when every audience member was encouraged to email the new CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, and demand a change in working conditions, I automatically wondered whether or not it would be worth it. I contemplated doing so, and in the end thought, will he even read it, he probably gets millions of emails like mine? Right after the explosion incident occurred in 2012, Cook emailed his employees reminding them of Apple’s values, which I expected would be a similar response to an email he were to receive on the same topic. Keeping this in mind, I would like to extend a question to the class: As we enjoyed Bucknell’s play from an educational perspective, is there a better audience to target who could have a greater impact on the working conditions at Apple if we are able to provide them with this play as an inspiration?
I think your question of if we are really the right audience is an interesting one. In a broad sense, I don’t think there is a “wrong” audience for this performance. Whether or not the any audience member takes explicit action or is driven to organize collective action, knowledge of Apple’s operations is just an important thing to be aware of in the interest of understanding business, ethics, and consumerism. Aside from that, I think the fact that we are the emerging workforce is significant. Graduating from an esteemed liberal arts college will probably put us in positions of power in the organizations we’re a part of in our futures, meaning that it is likely we will be making decisions like these, at least in part. At the very least, this story can be a “cautionary tale” about the risks of sacrificing human rights for production efficiency, and will ingrain in our minds that we must seek more ethical and successful solutions when we are managers. In addition, as generally wealthy and technologically-savvy millennials, we are members of Apple’s main target market. We can, if we are so empowered and organized, leverage our power as their major consumers to demand a higher standard of ethics from Apple. Therefore, I think our roles as future managers, millennials, and consumers make us particularly good candidates for an audience, but that the message is important for anyone to hear regardless.
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Do you think wealth is part of the generational profile of millenials? What about those in poverty or from 20-50% of the income distribution? Bearing in mind that phone or tech use is probably still high.
According to Pew, one of my favorite research think tanks, 91% of US adults have a cell phone of some kind.
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I don’t think it necessarily is- I intended to profile Bucknell students in particular as both generally wealthy and belonging to the millennial generation. However, I still do think that the millennial generation as a whole, regardless of actual wealth, seems to be pretty willing to pay a premium price for an iPhone. Judging by the graph you referenced, they are at the very least quite likely to have some sort of cell phone. Since it seems that Apple is not alone, and is possibly on the better end of the spectrum, in its labor conditions in the tech industry, I think it’s relevant either way.
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You can actually really do a poll. I think. Look in the dashboard and see if you can make a poll. If not, email me and I will make it for you. They are simple to insert into your post.
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Not sure if this comment was for me or those above me but I do not know how to do a poll. Sorry the new format is really confusing me!
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Comment is for author…you.
New look is purely visual. Functions no different.
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According to NBC news Cook was replying to emails in 2011. Not sure how he would respond to criticism.
His twitter feed.
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You need a featured image if post will look nice…
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In response to Maddie’s comment, I completely agree and think that we are a great audience. I guess how I meant to phrase my initial question was; is there an even better audience out there in addition to ourselves as Bucknell students? I was thinking more along the lines of powerful leaders in the world today. How would President Obama act if he were asked to address the situation? How would someone like the CEO of Foxconn react? I completely agree that there is no “wrong” audience, and I think that the more people watch it, the more educated Mike Daisey is making the public on a matter that some fail to realize exists. This is the victory that I think Daisey was hoping for all along.
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