Gestures

There was a fire in Bangladesh, in the slums of Dhaka.  Ten thousand people lost their homes.  Made from wood, cloth and plastic, the homes burned and melted easily and fast.  Only the tin roofs remained, scattered over the dark smoldering embers.  Most of the residents were celebrating a religious holiday.  By the time the celebration ended, their homes were gone.  They came back to nothing, clasping their religion.  Most of the residents were garment factory workers, so they didn’t have much to begin with.

The government is going to take care of them.

“We are fortunate that there have been no reports of deaths or injuries," the well-dressed spokesperson said to the tv cameras and members of the media who were staring him in the face.  “We are working hard to ensure that people will have shelter and food during this difficult time.”

“Where will they stay?” a reporter asked.  “The homes of neighbours and family have been burned down too.  How will they eat?  They didn't have enough food before the fire.  How will they find food now?”

“We are fortunate," the spokesperson continued, "that we have systems in place that we can lean on in challenging times such as these.  Progress is being made as we speak.”  He wore a very nice dark suit, complimented with a bright patterned tie.

“What kind of progress?” a second reporter asked.

“Excellent progress,” the government spokesperson replied.  “Progress to start to attempt to track down potential sources of food and shelter so that everyone can get back on their feet in the most efficient way possible to ensure a return to normal life that all our great citizens deserve.”  He smiled. 

“What normal life?” a third reporter asked.  “Slum life?”  But the government spokesman didn’t hear that question, or at least didn’t acknowledge that question.  He had already turned towards his waiting black car and its open back door.  He climbed in and it shut behind him.  He was surrounded by armed security staff and bulletproof steel.

The reporters began to disperse.  Some got into cars too but their cars weren’t as nice.  Others shuffled away.

Five days later, there was a second fire in a different part of the city in a different slum.  Since the religious holiday was over, a lot of people were home this time.  The fire was much smaller than the first, only a few hundred people made homeless.  Only six people burned to death.  Some adults and some kids.  In the government’s view, it wasn’t worth a news conference so they left it alone.  A few writers for left-wing liberal papers and blogs tried their best.  One wrote:

“Once again, the most desperate suffer in Dhaka, as another fire has ripped through the slums.  But because the fire wasn’t big, it wasn't deemed worthy of attention.  It was viewed by the officials as an unimportant minimal occurrence.  The slums are growing at an alarming rate.  At the same time, the wealth of the extreme minority continues to climb.  The garment factory owners, the CEO’s, the exporters, among other elitists, make unbelievable money on the backs of a mass of people who earn two dollars a day.  Luxury car dealers have representation in Dhaka.  Luxury fashion dealers have representation in Dhaka.  Ridiculously expensive restaurants are in Dhaka.  Yet upwards of thirty percent of Dhaka’s population live in squalor with no chance of ever getting out.”

Charity workers and poverty activists, liberals, saw the article.  It was nothing new to them.

The garment factories stayed open and not a minute of productivity was missed.  Fast fashion did not slow down, and the women and children continued to sew and cut.  The factory doors and windows were locked like always and the temperature inside sweltered like always.  Dye leaked into gutters.  No one risked complaining because some work was better than no work and complaining meant no work.  

The news cycle lost interest until there was a strange rash of fires a few weeks later, all occurring on the same day.  At 11:10am, an employee at a fast fashion retailer in London smelled a strange smell and followed it to a changeroom where, inside, several pairs of pants and a couple shirts were smoldering in a pile.  The fire was quickly extinguished without incident.

Forty minutes later, fires broke out in two stores in Munich.  An hour later, another on the Champs-Elysees. Then one in Tokyo, and one in Manhattan.  The stores all belonged to the same company.

At the press conference, the company spokesperson, young and confident, expressed official concern.  “Today,” she began, “several of our locations were victimized.  Although it is very early in the investigation – and rest assured, the authorities in all locations are investigating diligently – our guess is that this is a coordinated effort by a group of undesirables who, apparently, have some kind of grudge against us.  There is no reason to be alarmed.  We encourage our customers to continue shopping and to continue enjoying the experience that we're so proud to offer.  We appreciate your continued support and, as a show of good faith, for the remainder of the week, we are discounting a selection of our products by ten percent.”

By the close of the week, profits were up.  Executive bonuses increased.

When video from the numerous security cameras was analyzed, there were commonalities.  At the London location, a small thin man with dark hair carrying a backpack had entered the store just before 11am.  He grabbed pants off a rack and shirts from a shelf.  He didn't check the sizes.  From there, he walked directly towards and into a changeroom and shut the door.  Several minutes later, he exited without the clothes and left the store.

In the Munich locations, the pattern was the same.  Both times, there was a small thin man with dark hair and a backpack who entered the store, selected clothes without checking sizes, walked quickly to a changeroom, and then left without the clothes.  Same again in Paris, Tokyo and New York.

The authorities were pleased with the quick progress in their investigation.

“We are more confident than ever that these are coordinated efforts by a group that wants to send us a message,” the company spokesperson stated repetitiously.  “Rest assured there is no danger to the public.  We are in regular contact with the police in London, Paris, Munich, Tokyo and New York during this difficult time.”

A press release several days later announced a breakthrough.  Because the fires were minimal and extinguished fairly quickly, the evidence was in good shape and the garment tags were still intact.  In all cases, the clothes selected by the suspects were made in Bangladesh. 

“Our Bangladeshi factories - the most employee-friendly factories in the industry - have been notified and security has been increased,” the company spokesperson stated.  “We have instructed management to analyze employee attendance records.  If workers were absent when the fires occurred, we will know.  If any factory employees travelled to these locations, or have relatives where the fires occurred, we will find out.  We want to know of anyone who could either be an accomplice or, at the least, have information that could be helpful.  We have asked the authorities to check cell phone records and bank transactions.  Perhaps the suspects were funded by outside sources.  We are confident that the investigation will provide clarity.  In the meantime, we will continue to strive every day to be a socially-conscious and forward-thinking people-friendly company.”

Comments appeared on social media in response, the most common being that it was ludicrous to think a garment worker in Bangladesh making two dollars a day would be able to pay thousands to travel around the world and set a fire in a changeroom.

Right-wing conservative blogs also commented.  They were pleased.  One wrote:

In the past, Third World terrorists hijacked airplanes and flew them into buildings.  Or targeted shopping complexes and concert halls and newspaper offices and sprayed innocent civilians with machine-gun fire, attacking our freedoms and our way of life.  But thanks to incredible work by the Western powers, the terrorists’ capabilities have been dramatically neutralized.  Now, instead of attacking airports or luxury hotels that represent what they hate and what we love, they have been reduced to setting a few miniscule fires in clothes stores.  These tiny desperate acts are laughable.  They clearly show that our “shock and awe” tactics and our military campaigns, so criticized by liberals and bleeding-hearts, have worked.  History will show that we did what we needed to do.  Only by not being afraid to confront the evil foreign enemy have we been able to succeed and maintain our freedom.

The left-wing response was quick and largely unnoticed:

The people who set the fires are not terrorists.  They act on behalf of desperate people, powerless to do anything except make tiny desperate gestures, hoping desperately for a less miserable life that is not controlled by a corporation.  They are human and they deserve a less miserable life.

Later, one of the largest garment factories in Dhaka had to shut down.  There was a chemical leak and the smell caused workers to pass out.  The factory closed for a week until temporary fixes were in place and employees were ordered back.  Workers weren’t paid during the lull.  When they returned, they were instructed to gather and pack all ready-to-sell garments so they could be shipped quickly to stores in the West.  Advertising for the latest sales had already begun.