Kimi Farley - 2021

Artist's Statement

In this essay I wanted to explore the disconnect we often have with our personal impact on environmental issues and the consequences of some of our daily decisions. Damage to our earth systems, as well as wealth inequity and human suffering are some of the issues highlighted in this piece. It can be all too easy to ignore our responsibility. We must want to know.

They Didn’t Know

by Kimi Farley

“How much do you love these shoes?” Jenna bragged to her friend Chrissy one morning, just before the first bell.

“Obviously a lot,” Chrissy laughed. “I ordered the same pair a month ago from some Chinese website. I bet I paid a quarter what you did. They’re taking forever to get here, though. They’d better be worth the wait!” She didn’t want to know that in Guangzhou, China, 17-year-old Chen Xi had been pulled out of school and sent away from her family to live at a factory compound. She had worked so hard for the chance to get into a good high school, but the competition was fierce, and in the end she just didn’t make the cut. At the compound, she worked 16-hour days assembling knock-off shoes, ate at the factory cafeteria, slept in the factory dormitory, and sent nearly every bit of her money back to her family for them to live on.

“Oh, wow,” said Jenna. “We’ll have to compare when they come in. See if we can tell they’re fake.” Chrissy hesitated for a moment and almost wondered if what she had done was unethical, but the thought vanished as Jenna said, “Well, I’m off to class, Chris. Let’s get some burgers at Over and Under tonight!”

After school, Jenna’s dad, Mark, pulled his new sports car into the driveway. He was in a bad mood again. The employees at his company were threatening to strike, and as CFO he was the one with his neck in a vice until he found a way to placate their demands without pissing off the shareholders. Jackson, the spokesperson for the workers, had had the nerve to suggest that Mark and the other company officers give up some of their salary in order to raise the workers’ pay. Jackson has no idea how the world works, Mark thought. He didn’t want to know that Jackson had been struggling to keep food on the table at home, let alone pay his rent, since his wife’s job barely covered daycare for their two kids. Jackson was one of the hardest-working employees at the company, but he was still getting only the required minimum raises after 4 years, and even though there was too much work to get done in a day, he was forbidden from working extra hours because the company didn’t want to pay any overtime.

That evening, Mark and his wife, Carla, had another fight about how spoiled the kids were. Carla was always giving him a hard time about buying them too much stuff and not providing enough boundaries. Jenna knew it was a bad time, but she begged them to let her take her mom’s SUV to meet Chrissy and some friends at Over and Under. After another argument with her husband, Jenna’s mom caved and let her go. She called Chrissy to see if she could pick her up on the way.

“No thanks,” said Chrissy, “I might want to leave early, so I’ll drive myself. And Devin finally got his license, so he wants to drive separately too.” They didn’t (want to) know that carpooling saves money on gas and maintenance, reduces air pollution, and reduces CO2 emissions, which helps protect the environment.

At the drive-in, Chrissy and Devin ordered burgers, fries, and shakes. Devin ordered an extra burger in case he was hungrier than he thought. They didn’t want to know that there is meat from at least 1000 different cows in every hamburger patty; cows that are fed corn, which their bodies can’t properly process, requiring treatment from antibiotics and other medicines to deal with the resulting infections and health problems.

Jenna ordered a salad. She was watching her weight so she would look good in her prom dress the next week. The salad was pretty bland, so she asked for extra dressing. The person who took her order gave her a handful of plastic packs of dressing. She didn’t *want to* know that instead of buying fresh, nutritious, bettertasting, organic produce from the struggling local farmers, the drive-in had purchased mass-produced, pesticide-sprayed produce that was grown in nutrient-deprived soil, picked too early, artificially ripened, then shipped from hundreds of miles away.

When they finished eating, they tossed their boxes, wrappers, cups, napkins, straws, plastic forks, the extra packets of dressing, Devin’s second burger, and all the other food they didn’t eat into the garbage cans on their way out. They didn’t {want to} know that the landfills where their garbage would end up are polluting the soil and groundwater, releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and multiplying at an alarming rate.

At the factory, Chen Xi was hard at work when she accidentally cut her finger with the scissors she was using to assemble the pair of shoes that Chrissy had ordered from the States. A drop of blood fell onto the inner lining of one of the shoes before she pulled her hand back, but because the lining was red, Chen Xi didn’t notice. Besides, she was much more concerned with making sure no one saw her injury. She knew it could get her singled out and put her job in jeopardy. She pulled her dirty sleeve down over her finger and tried to keep pressure on it while she finished up her work. Over the next few days, she tried to manage the infection, but she didn’t have access to antibiotics or any other supplies, and she knew what would happen if she went to her supervisor for help. On the fifth day, the woman next to Chen Xi noticed her sweaty, flushed face, and told the manager. Chen Xi didn’t blame the woman: she was just trying to protect herself from whatever disease Chen Xi might have had. She couldn’t afford to get sick and lose her job, either. Within the hour, Chen Xi was on a bus, feverish, and heading home to face the shame of her family. If she made it that far.

Two weeks later, Chrissy opened up the package with a squeal and pulled out her new shoes. They looked exactly like Jenna’s. She checked the red lining to make sure the brand name looked legit before she slipped her foot in and pulled out her phone to call Jenna.

In the warehouse the next day, Jackson shook his head as he read over the proposal. He knew that even though the offers from the company were practically insignificant, it was as good as it was going to get, and the workers would have to accept it. He hated the thought of telling his wife the news, but he knew she would understand, and they would find a way to make it work.

After Mark dropped Jenna off at school the next week, he pulled into a vacant parking lot and turned off the radio. He had saved the company from making any more than the slightest concessions to the workers and prevented a strike. The company officers had rewarded him with a hefty bonus. He had celebrated by buying himself the boat he’d been jonesing for, a diamond necklace for his wife, and had just booked a trip to hunt rare game in Africa. He took off his glasses and rubbed his temples, staring through the windshield at nothing in particular.

***

Chen Xi finally made it home, healed from her infection over the next few weeks, and was able to get another job at a factory only a little farther away from home than the last one. She wanted to know her family was proud of her. Jackson showed up on time to work, as always, and listened to his co-workers’ angry rants with understanding and empathy. He wanted to know that he could provide for his family.

Chrissy decided she was on to something and started ordering shoes from Chinese websites and selling them to kids from school. She wanted to know Jenna made the drill team her senior year.

Mark continued to increase his yearly salary and bonuses and was able to buy a larger house in a more affluent neighborhood. He wanted to know – or did he? – why he still felt empty inside.