Triangle Fire Reading Response

[bcharles]

Of all the materials on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, I found the PBS documentary to be the most interesting. I’ve seen documentaries about the fire before, but they just gave an overview of the general atmosphere in the workforce, and the tensions accompanying the labor union movement. Then, of course, they discussed the devasting details of the fire. However, this was the first that I’ve seen to really highlight the different events and circumstances that were taking place in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory itself preceding the fire.
The background information allowed me to spot certain underlying social influences that I never noticed before. The fashion of the city was changing and the shirtwaist was going out of style. This social factor combined with the economics of competition, led to less profits and thus probably contributed to the affliction of the workers. In light of what we discussed yesterday, I would think that the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory would be a good candidate for the flexible specialization model that many other New York City companies employed. Why wouldn’t the founders adjust to the changing social trends affecting their industry and help their workers adapt their skills to make more current products? Wouldn’t that bring in more revenue and profits that could in part be used to improve worker conditions? Maybe it was just easier for them to let workers suffer daily and eventually perish in the fire.
Nevertheless, the Von Drehle reading pointed out that even substantial tragedies alone are not enough to affect change. He cites several deadly, yet preventable, events that just faded into memory, causing no lasting reform. Yardley’s article about the Rana Plaza Factory fire in Bangladesh is just a modern-day confirmation of Von Drehle’s point. It takes a combination of all the powers we discussed in class to secure change: structural, political, symbolic, community power, and probably most importantly the association of people. However, I still wonder: Why must catastrophes be the most powerful driving force of change?

[Author]

Posts