Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1973 short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” may be fiction. However, its rough premise is not absent from the world we inhabit. In particular, the example of child sweatshop labor—which fuels much of the clothing and other consumer goods we purchase—comes to mind as a situation that matches many of the characteristics of Omelas. Unfortunately, I am one of the countless people disgusted yet complicit in this suffering.
The two situations are easily comparable. Both focus on benefits for some derived from the exploitation and pain of others. Both feature an innocent child or innocent children as the primary victims. Both make individuals feel powerless to stop the suffering.
Even more tragically, the child labor narrative is far less justifiable than the story of “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” under utilitarian logic. Omelas conforms well with the principle of utility, as an entire city enjoys unadulterated joy at the expense of a single child. The pleasure generated far exceeds the pain. The problem of forced child labor presents a far less favorable calculation. The wealthy (by global standards) enjoy ample cheap consumer goods, while innocent children toil away in factories. Not only is this a worse figure than Omelas, it likely generates negative utility. While there may be more consumers of fast fashion than child laborers, the slight happiness gained by purchasing a marginally cheaper product is far outweighed by the unrelenting pain faced by those in the industry.
For my tacit support for this sickening industry, I give two explanations: one reprehensible, the other potentially justifiable.
First, I have operated in a state of willful ignorance for too long. I have primarily opted to focus on other factors (convenience, cost, style, etc.) when I considered where to spend my money, endangering child workers in the process. This order of priorities explains why most Americans prop up fast fashion and similar industries, even as they exploit child labor. We are not intentionally and proudly supporting human rights violations in the name of discounts, but we are content to operate in a state of lazy, unaware complicity.
Secondly, I analogize boycotting problematic companies in this practice to the eponymous citizens who depart Omelas after learning of the tortured child. Much as someone leaving Omelas behind grants no relief to the miserable child, one person’s abstinence from the industry would not reduce the suffering in the slightest.
To respond to this problem, I suggest a tool that the citizens of Omelas did not have access to: collective action. Aside from significant multilateral cooperation, a global grassroots movement, likely using the power of social media, seems like the best way to erode the prevalence of forced child labor. Highlighting people posting their ethically-sourced outfits and relentlessly amplifying information on companies to avoid, such a movement could make individuals feel knowledgeable and important in building a better world.
Works Cited
Le Guin, Ursula K. “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.” New Dimensions 3, Nelson Doubleday, 1973, pp. 314–319.