5 ms·
Very much possible yes. The banana trade in particular has a sordid history. Here is one about striking workers masacred: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banan
by krisoft 4y ago
Very much possible yes. The banana trade in particular has a sordid history.
Here is one about striking workers masacred: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_Massacre https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_Massacre
Or there is this Guatemalan coup d’état which was lobbied for by United Fruit Company: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Guatemalan_coup_d%27état https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Guatemalan_coup_d%27éta...
So, yes. I think it might just happen that buying banana from somewhere keeps them poor. These are so well known cases that I somewhat suspect you asked the question as a softball.
- cturner 4y ago> I think it might just happen that buying banana from somewhere keeps them poor. What would happen if there was no market for those bananas?
- krisoft 4y agoThen they don’t get masacred to force others to labour on the banana plantations, and their democraticaly elected leaders don’t get overthrown by the CIA. Maybe they find other ways to thrive, maybe not. Banan is not the only thing they could grow, and growing things is not the only way to make an economy work. This is not an abstract economy problem from a econ 101 textbook. History cannot be rolled like that back and “what-if” is not a question we can answer. What we know is that violence has been commited with the direct goal of securing said banana supply.
- bennysonething 4y agoWould boycotting bananas help or make it worse for people in those countries?