Customer Reviews

American Jobs

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This was a well-made and very precise documentary. I really liked how it showed both the blue-collar, and white-collar, worker, and how they are steadily losing their jobs to offshoring and outsourcing. What I don't get about what the corporations are doing is that don't they realize they are only hurting themselves? If they continue to lay off American labor in favor of foreign workers, then how will Americans be able to afford the products that are being sent back into this country for the consumer to buy? Do I smell eventual economic collapse? It is a sad day in America....and this documentary shows that we need to do something about NAFTA and outsourcing before it is too late for our country, and economy, to recover. This one is highly recommended.

American Jobs is an informative documentary that presents the material in a matter of fact approach. It does a good job in presenting the story, one that should be considered, in a straightforward style that is easy to understand. I think it provides numerous interesting and enlightening information about past problems and current abuses of the system. I encourage everyone to watch it and then use your own judgment, experience, and understanding to decide on this utter important matter!

Very insightful and unbiased look at what the state of the American job market is in. Many lessons to be learned here and I give kudos to the showing of senators and representatives trying to stop NAFTA. Amazing that they are the same people that media portrays in a negative light today but were abslutely correct in regards to NAFTA and its aftermath.

I took a chance on Greg Spotts because he's worked with Robert Greenwald. Absolutely outstanding, if you want to know how NAFTA really works. Get Spotts' little CAFTA book too.

I share the criticisms of this film that Thomas Fackler writes of in his customer review. I'm going to give "American Jobs" an additional star though, because it does offer an important look into the outsourcing issue, and touches on global trade policies.

There is a great deal of discussion regarding "neoconservatives" these days, and deservedly so; but we also need to inform ourselves of "neoliberal" economics, which tear down protections countries utilize to protect local economies and also privatizes public services and jobs. The Wikipedia review of "neoliberal economics" and the writings of Noam Chomsky cover some of the problems with this corporatist agenda that's harming so many people all over the world.

For a DVD that includes the concerns of people in sweatshops in Mexico and China, I'd recommend "Wal Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices." It appears that since we have multinational corporations and financial institutions, there will need to be a larger multinational labor and human rights movement. The inspirational documentary "The Fourth World War" includes amazing footage of grassroots struggles around the world. As they increasingly network and operate in solidarity, the world will become a more just place. The "World Social Forum" is one such effort.

The current Banking crisis is being made into a catch all for many problems. The average American has not had the chance to participate in REAL discussions about the economy because the "big picture" is seldom discussed by media. The truth is that the slide to second world status began with NAFTA and the out-sourcing of American jobs, first to Mexico and then to the Pacific rim. Mr Spotts film tried to wake us up to the facts years ago...but hardly any one listened. We were too comfortable with our full pocket books to care what was happening around us.

His film shows how American workers were laid off and/or forced to train replacements in other countries as we began to bleed jobs from both ends of the economy. Manufacturing was the first to go followed by jobs in engineering and computer technology. While corporations got rich reaping the profits of slave labor in Third World countries, we participated in our own demise by buying the items we once produced from global marketers like Walmart. Spotts has done an excellent job of cataloging the damage via interviews with the people most affected. A must needed education that many of you will see too late.

They are taking American jobs right next door and circumventing the US law. How would you like a person from a third world country who gets paid third world wages to take over you job, your desk and take your paycheck AND you have to train them to do it?

These cheap workers have been flooding the USA for years with a devastating effect on the economy that is hidden by the gov't statistics.

This film gives a good overview of this great American tragedy.

The recent flood of left wing docu-movies have created a bunch of Michael Moore like clones, and this film is not one of them. It is a just the facts look at what is going on with the job market. At the rate the USA is force-feeding American jobs onto the 3rd world we will have double digit unemployment and hyperinflation within a few years time.

Although there is some mention of the border problems that NAFTA has exascerbated as well as the low wages that workers in other countries receive there is no real discussion of that side of the story. This documentary shows much of the hidden rascism that exists in our country due to white privelege - especially in those interviews with white collar workers who lost their jobs and couldn't believe that someone else (of color) could do the job as well as they.

I got the sense of a lot of anger and frustration being directed - not at those who deserve it; the businesses and the government that supports them - but directed at those who also are being exploited for higher profit margins and then dumped when another set of exploitees is found.

Points such as living wage, universal health benefits, cooperative work projects (government or community run), as well as many other positive places to put that anger and frustration aren't mentioned or discussed.

Over all the documentary puts some of the blame on the international corporations, some of the blame on the government, and some of the blame on the people in other countries who are willing to work for less just to feed themselves and their families. The last of these needs to dropped from the equation so that worker anger can be directed where it will make the most effect.

Here is a whole lot of the usual anti free market, anti business, anti Wal Mart, anti anyone-who-has-capitol-investment-or-is-a-part-of-business-management and protect-American-jobs-at-any-cost-because-corporations-are-evil propaganda. How many left wing politicians can you pack in here? More appeals to government to protect American labor by strong arming corporations than you can shake a stick at! Maybe the massive expense of labor is driving manfacturing overseas? Whaddua think? Face it, people...anyone that has a job needs to thank his/her lucky stars for rich people who invest in business, and appreciate small business people who risk it all to create a few jobs. I thought it would be more informative, and way less 'Michael Moore School'. I can't believe I wasted 7 bucks on this turkey. One star for the production quality. Negative 4 stars for efforts to promote this as non-agenda and non-partisan? Yikes!!
If you like this kind of stuff...you need to move to France.