Shrimp Case Study

The shrimp case study was the most eye opening exercise in the class because we were able to experience the process of creating a non-governmental organization. In an era of social movements and a push for change, the case study really made it clear that trying to make change and create a non-governmental group, whether it be a top-down approach or a bottom-up approach is difficult. Our goal as a shrimp justice NGO was to create transparency in the shrimp industry, but all the different stakeholders the methods of attaining transparency varied within interest groups. For example, the room had two opinions, the shrimp industry group wanted to really expose the harsh realities of the industry. For example, when Tris said that he wanted to expose

Starting with the last day of discussion in the closing statements someone in the Costco sustainability group questioned what we meant by social media, really changing the conversation. In my group, the environmental and labor activist Darien mentioned that we should the video with a link to allow people to click and learn more about the topic. Interactive media will allow the audience to create their own understanding of the issue and be truly involved with the information presented to them. Social media campaigns can create a push for policy change but cannot be the only way to create change which is why we mentioned policy change a lot at the beginning of the shrimp case stud. As the case study continued it came to realize that implementing policy will not do much because as a United States organization we have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Through discussion, I came to the realization that it is easy to believe a law will truly change a whole system, but as we read the people who are enslaved and caught by the government are taken to jail. The system which manipulates the consumer to believe that workers are not exploited or enslaved are arrested when they are illegal immigrants that were sold into slavery. Reading more on the topic I realized there will always be a way to exploit workers, which is why policy change or social media cannot be the only way to implement change. Multiple methods for change are needed in the system that has been incorporated in everyone’s lives even if they do not