Running Head: ETHICAL THEORIES IN MIGRANT WORKERS
1
Ethical Theories in Migrant Workers:
How Struggles of Migrant Workers Are Justified by Ethics
Kyung Y. Chung
California Poly Pomona
Dr. Dorothy M. Farias
AG 401
Topic Paper #1
February 4, 2017
ETHICAL THEORIES IN MIGRANT WORKERS
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Introduction
Most Americans will live their lives oblivious to the hardships and arduous conditions
faced by the very people who help put food on our table at affordable prices. The three films,
The
Harvest/La Cosecha
(2011)
, Harvest of Shame
(1960)
,
and
Harvest of Dignity
(2012) dive into
the lives of the families of these workers and discusses the unethical usage of labor and
visualizes their harsh and often unsanitary living conditions from The Great Migration to
contemporary American society. While the majority of the United States encourages their
children to dream big and is supportive of the decisions of younger generations, children of
migrant workers are working hard in the fields losing sight of their dreams and hopes. By
analyzing ethical theories including Consequentialism, Ethical/Cultural Relativism, Ethical
Egoism, and Social Contract Theory, migrant worker’s lives are carefully examined and
considered in light of what is truly justifiable as morale and what is and could actually be
bearable.
Consequentialism
It is probable to assume that every parent wants the best for their children. Nevertheless,
in the case of the migrant farm workers, anyone capable of physical labor even including their
children are pushed into working due to financial dependence. Under the Ethical Theory of
Consequentialism, these children of migrant workers working on the field adds much more
financial stability in comparison to them being in a classroom. Consequentialism holds that the
consequence and outcome of one’s conduct is the sole indicator of what is morally right (Mastin,
2008). The dire need for each dollar earned overlooks prioritizing the children’s education and
can be seen as the right choice for the migrant workers. Thus, it is justifiable for parents to take
ETHICAL THEORIES IN MIGRANT WORKERS
3
their kids from the classroom to the fields because eating and having a roof over their heads is
very important.
Although Consequentialist theory justifies the need for children as field workers over
classroom achievers, there has been changes in children’s lives due when looking at
Harvest of
Shame
(1960) and
Harvest of Dignity
(2012). In
Harvest of Shame,
Edward R. Murrow mentions
that children are left to fend for themselves while the mom picks beans in the day (1960). He
