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Montanaro among winners of essay contest
Oct 8, 2012 9:33 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Sophomore Elisa Montanaro was named Darlington's winner of the Rome News-Tribune's annual One Book, Many Voices writing contest. This year, more than 200 area students submitted entries about Kelsey Timmerman's "Where Am I Wearing?"
Winners were selected from each area high school. All winners will get to meet the author at a private reception before his talk Oct. 9 at Pepperell High School. Tickets for this event are still available are $5 each and are still available at the Rome-Floyd County Library and Kroger. His talk will begin at 7 p.m.
Read the full text of Montanaro's essay below:
Know Thy Neighbor
Many Americans were dismayed to discover that the Ralph Lauren uniforms worn by the American athletes in the 2012 Summer Olympics were, in actuality, made in China. People were angry that American workers did not get the benefit of that order. It is a valid point, as I have been studying in history regarding the importance of balancing trade. I hear people endlessly talking about how important it is to buy American. At first glance, it appears to be the patriotic and, thus, the right thing to do.
Because my dad works in Latin America, I now have a different perspective after listening to some of the stories he tells of the workers in those countries. Earlier this year, dad worked as the president/CEO of a fabric company in Guatemala. The company made fabric to dye and use in order to make sportswear apparel. After his first week, dad told me stories of how much the people value their work. In Guatemala, an average production job pays $300 a month. In America, this amount of money seems insignificant, but it would provide enough to provide marginal support for the average Guatemalan family.
The workers were very afraid to lose their jobs because the Guatemalan economy is struggling, and work is difficult to find. Working in a textile plant is considered quite desirable because it is steady work in a safe industrial environment. The alternative would be unsteady day labor work or possibly agri-business work, which would pay less with no benefits. The plant where my dad worked provided the equivalent of Social Security on behalf of the employees, which enabled them to obtain health insurance from the government. Without this job, they would have to try to obtain enough money to buy the insurance from the government.
Dad recalled working with Marco, the manager of dyeing, who was extremely proficient at his job duties. He thanked my dad every day for working to bring more business to the factory. Marco realized the importance of the textile plant on the 400 workers employed there. If the plant closed, the poverty which would overtake the region is more devastating than anything we see in America. In America, we see a shadow of the poverty which exists in third-world countries. We may get a glimpse on a commercial about the starving people of Africa. However, until we come face to face with the people trying to overcome those obstacles and provide for their families in the midst of adverse conditions, it is difficult to understand what their lives are like.
It is important to support our own economy, and buying American may be ideal. However, buying products from other countries that are made by hardworking, honest people does not mean we are buying from the enemy. We need to continue to seek solutions which provide for full employment for Americans and our neighbors in Latin America. The poverty our neighbors face all comes back to us in this global economy.
Montanaro is the daughter of Melanie and Richard Montanaro of Calhoun, Ga.
Winners were selected from each area high school. All winners will get to meet the author at a private reception before his talk Oct. 9 at Pepperell High School. Tickets for this event are still available are $5 each and are still available at the Rome-Floyd County Library and Kroger. His talk will begin at 7 p.m.
Read the full text of Montanaro's essay below:
Know Thy Neighbor
Many Americans were dismayed to discover that the Ralph Lauren uniforms worn by the American athletes in the 2012 Summer Olympics were, in actuality, made in China. People were angry that American workers did not get the benefit of that order. It is a valid point, as I have been studying in history regarding the importance of balancing trade. I hear people endlessly talking about how important it is to buy American. At first glance, it appears to be the patriotic and, thus, the right thing to do.
Because my dad works in Latin America, I now have a different perspective after listening to some of the stories he tells of the workers in those countries. Earlier this year, dad worked as the president/CEO of a fabric company in Guatemala. The company made fabric to dye and use in order to make sportswear apparel. After his first week, dad told me stories of how much the people value their work. In Guatemala, an average production job pays $300 a month. In America, this amount of money seems insignificant, but it would provide enough to provide marginal support for the average Guatemalan family.
The workers were very afraid to lose their jobs because the Guatemalan economy is struggling, and work is difficult to find. Working in a textile plant is considered quite desirable because it is steady work in a safe industrial environment. The alternative would be unsteady day labor work or possibly agri-business work, which would pay less with no benefits. The plant where my dad worked provided the equivalent of Social Security on behalf of the employees, which enabled them to obtain health insurance from the government. Without this job, they would have to try to obtain enough money to buy the insurance from the government.
Dad recalled working with Marco, the manager of dyeing, who was extremely proficient at his job duties. He thanked my dad every day for working to bring more business to the factory. Marco realized the importance of the textile plant on the 400 workers employed there. If the plant closed, the poverty which would overtake the region is more devastating than anything we see in America. In America, we see a shadow of the poverty which exists in third-world countries. We may get a glimpse on a commercial about the starving people of Africa. However, until we come face to face with the people trying to overcome those obstacles and provide for their families in the midst of adverse conditions, it is difficult to understand what their lives are like.
It is important to support our own economy, and buying American may be ideal. However, buying products from other countries that are made by hardworking, honest people does not mean we are buying from the enemy. We need to continue to seek solutions which provide for full employment for Americans and our neighbors in Latin America. The poverty our neighbors face all comes back to us in this global economy.
Montanaro is the daughter of Melanie and Richard Montanaro of Calhoun, Ga.
