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Socioeconomic Issues in "Hansel and Gretel" |
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by wayward
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21 Feb 2006
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Another piece for my LIS409LEB class. |
Socioeconomic
Issues in "Hansel and Gretel"
Jack Ryan, Senior Policy
Analyst, World Trade Organization
Introduction
"Hansel and Gretel" is a classic tale of two children lost in the woods
who ultimately commit a horrific act of violence. Although their family
was clearly dysfunctional, this narrative raises some compelling
questions. Is it possible to reduce the risk of children getting lost
in a forest? How do we deal with the problem of children who are
abandoned because their families cannot afford to feed them? How can we
construct bread houses more efficiently? This paper discusses these
questions and offers innovative solutions.
The Problem of Forests
Early in the narrative, Hansel and Gretel are lost in the woods after
their trail of breadcrumbs is eaten. How can we prevent similar
scenarios and make breadcrumb trails a more reliable method of
navigation? We offer a bold and elegantly simple solution:
deforestation.
In a 1999 report, we noted, "Trade barriers generally make for poor
environmental policy." However, the globalization that we've
consistently supported has increased the rate of deforestation. This in
turn reduces the risk of children being lost in a woods. Our support of
globalization is just one example of our strong commitment to family
values.
Children and Poverty
Hansel and Gretel are abandoned because their family cannot afford to
feed them. Social scientists pontificate on a variety of issues, e.g.,
poverty, racism, and illiteracy. However, we argue that the problem
lies in shortsighted policy. Specifically, the laws in many countries
create arbitrary barriers to child employment.
What if these barriers were removed? Hansel and Gretel could have
gotten an early start on their careers, perhaps in a Nike shoe factory.
Rather than being unwanted children, they could have become the primary
breadwinners in their family. This probably would have greatly improved
their self-esteem.
Superior Construction
Materials: GMOs
Later in the story, one character builds a house from a flour-based
mixture, which is subsequently eaten by children. Many of our corporate
citizens are actively developing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs),
like seeds for stronger and more resilient crops.
Some shortsighted activists and scientists oppose GMO, spouting
rhetoric about health risks. However, we believe that this falls
solidly under Dow's definition of "Acceptable Risk." Therefore, we've
strongly backed the corporations' right to market new innovations to
the public. As the Monsanto slogan says, "Imagine." We've followed
Monsanto's lead, and what we've imagined is sturdy homes built from GMO
bread that are impervious to hungry children and animals.
Conclusion
In this paper, we've discussed the issues of children lost in forests,
starvation and abandonment, and finally, innovative building materials
for homes. This has highlighted the need for widespread changes in
public policy, specifically in laws related to environment, child
labor, and agriculture. We've also shown that the stances espoused by
the WTO would support many productive alternatives to the scenarios
described in "Hansel and Gretel." One of the most interesting lessons
from this research has been the surprising ways in which WTO policies
can be informed by fairy tales.
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This work is in the public domain |
