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| "Red Wall" (1910) by Karolyn Ferenczy |
According to Soni, Indian workers are not allowed in the trailer of the foremen's office, which is, presumably for Americans only (105).
What reason might the company give for keeping the Americans and the Indians separate as much as possible?
Answer this question only after you've read Part Two, Chapter 10 and all the preceding chapters.
I believe that they kept the Americans and the Indians separate so that the Indians would not learn that they got the short end of the stick. The book mentions multiple times that hiring Americans is expensive and that is why they chose to bring over migrant workers instead. If they were allowed to mingle freely the Indians would most likely find out about the wages that the Americans make compared to their much smaller wages. The Indians learning about the wage gap would crumble the reason Signal brought them over in the first place.
ReplyDeleteIleen, I agree Signal feared the Indian workers discovering they were being paid less than Americans would be. Like John said in his response to Ethan, I also wonder if this segregation was to keep the foremen in the dark about how poorly the workers were being treated as well. If I remember correctly, some foremen grew to like the workers and enjoyed moments like Aby bursting into their trailer to announce the birth of his son. This makes me think Signal insisted on this separation to ensure neither party thought to join together and stand up to the company.
DeleteIndians are not permitted to access the foreman’s office. Presuming the trailer holds the true intentions of the company, Americans wish to use empty promises for cheap labor. In my opinion, this rule acts as a system to keep the Indians in the dark. The company initially provided false hope to the workers regarding green cards. These workers paid large sums of money for the opportunity to migrate to America. The carrot and stick symbolize how the company leads workers to a false belief in return for cheap labor.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have said it better myself, Ethan. Hit the nail on the head.
DeleteIt's also important to note that some of the Americans are in the dark about the practices as well. For instance, some of the employers have *no* idea about the promise of green cards until the workers start asking for them! Thus the quote "What green cards?" somewhere in the early chapters of Part 2. If the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, neither can organize against the mastermind of this whole operation!
My comment will be quite similar to the others, but I also think it is them from knowing what is actually going on behind the scenes. Without saying everything they said, my immediate thought was that if they chose to let the Americans and Indians intermingle, someone would likely slip up and reveal the truth about this unfair operation. I also agree with John and Rikki, when they said that this was also to keep certain Americans that had responsibilities out of the loop. Several of the foremen grew to like the Indian workers, and the Americans likely feared they would tell the Indians if they knew.
ReplyDeleteHi Adalyn. I completely agree with you. They don't want the Indians knowing what is really happening and seeing all of the crookedness that was going on. By keeping the Indians and Americans separate there is less of a chance that they could accidentally reveal the truth.
Delete^Randie Rogers
DeleteSignal likely separated the Americans and Indians for several reasons. On one hand, they could not exchange information such as housing conditions and individual salaries. The Indians would not know if the Americans were receiving preferential treatment, and the Americans could not complain if they found out that their Indian counterparts were living in worse, more dangerous conditions. Another reason for keeping them separate might be to discourage them from building rapport among each other. If the American employees befriended the Indian employees, they would be more likely to stand up for each other in tense situations.
ReplyDeleteReading through the comments I have a similar stance on the reasoning behind the segregation. As mentioned by others keeping the Indians and Americans separate kept both parties in the dark. The Indian workers were not aware of their mistreatment compared to the American workers. Likewise, the American workers were not aware of the mistreatment the Indian workers faced. By separating the workers Signal was able to minimize how their business practices were corrupted.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Ethan on the carrot on the stick metaphor. Signal was constantly dangling a carrot in front of the Indian workers with the promise of green cards, however with no intention of providing them. Hence "dangling" the carrot on an unreachable stick.
^ Belle H
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ReplyDeleteSignal may be attempting to separate the Indian and Americans workers because Signal understands the unrest it would cause if the Indian workers see the disparity in living conditions. I believe it is a measure of crowd control. It has a psychological effect on the Indians to be physically separated from the rest of the people. To be told “no” when they inquire about free venture causes them to only identify with themselves and their group, undocumented workers. Signal does not want the Indians to associate with being anything more than laborers who are confined to their cell-like habitats. They are treated like animals, like cattle; many of them don't believe they have rights. That is what keeps them in line. I do believe there is an underlying level of racism involved in trying to keep the Indians out of their offices and living areas as well. With everyone separated, Signal can get away with cheap labor.
ReplyDelete-Rafael Charqueno
I believe that Signal wanted to keep the Americans separate from the Indians because they wanted the Indian men to be completely under their control: physically and mentally. Keeping the Indian men out of certain areas, I believe, created a sense of inferiority and fear. The men being in this mental state made them less likely to revolt because of that fear. Which is exactly what Signal wanted. Additionally, Signal was not only emotionally manipulating these men, they were covering up their illegal actions. The men being closed off from the American workers left them in the dark about all the fraud that was going on behind the scenes. Even if the men had started to suspect that signal was up to illegal activities, the men were incapable of looking into it, because they were restricted from certain places and were heavily surveilled.
ReplyDelete