Everybody has an agenda

I have read a few of the posts so far and frankly I am a little concerned. I am concerned about how quickly people are to take someone's word at face value just because they have a show or an article on the internet. As I was listening to Mike Daisy one fact kept screaming loudly in my mind. The guy is an entertainer! He is not a reporter or a journalist or an academic. Notice where the excerpt we listened was pulled from, i.e. the theater!
We have been talking a lot about academic genre and objectivity. I assure you that objectivity was not something that Mike Daisey was concerned about. Do you know why? Because he would be out of a job, that is why! Granted he is a masterful story teller. Absolutely flawless, I only wish I had half the storytelling capacity that he has. He had me intrigued. He had me engaged and on the edge of my seat just waiting to hear what he had to say next.
However, objectivity was not his concern. He is an entertainer. He makes his money by telling stories. He went to China in search of a story and he found one. He found a very emotionally charged and shocking story. We all have to get paid. There is no way around that. Some people are able to get paid while seemingly contributing to society in a very positive way. Bravo to Mike Daisey for having his cake and eating it too! Yet it is ignorant to pass him off as totally unbiased, objective, and altruistic. 
After the excerpt by Daisey a much more academic and objective analysis was given by Ira Glass, the host of the show This American Life. He gave a lot of credence to Daisey's viewpoint but he also considered other sides of the coin. For instance, he interviewed Nicholas Kristof, columnist for the New York Times, who argued that these manufacturing plants are actually beneficial to Chinese society. These factories are bringing wages up, creating a housing market, and creating a middle class by getting people out of the rice patties.
I am under no illusion that human rights are indeed being violated in many sweatshops in China and other Asian countries. I think it is unfortunate and I wish it weren't so. However, I think it is intellectually lazy to conveniently point the finger at the "evil" corporations like Apple or Dell or pick your flavor. We live in a time where Corporate greed and crony capitalism are constantly in the headlines. In an economy where unemployment is rampant people want blood. They want to "stick it to the man" on Wall Street. Guess what, Daisey is capitalizing on this! He is no fool. He knows what people will pay good money to hear. Ironically, he is profiting from the very system he is criticizing.
As Glass pointed out, Apple is taking measures to hold these suppliers accountable. I am sure many would make the argument that Apple and other Corporations are not doing enough. In that vein I think it would be more productive to turn our indignation towards the government of China. It is their responsibility to take care of their people. Do you know how much influence an American corporation has on the labor laws on foreign soil? The answer is slim to none with emphasis on none.
As the Industrial Revolution came on the scene the United States had to wrestle with similar issues. Our government stepped up to protect workers. It is time China and other Asian governments step up and do the same.