Schmatta: From Rags to Richest to Rags

Along with Michael Moore’s Capitalism, and the George Clooney film Up in the Air, the zeitgeist seems to be films about about jobs—-or, more specifically job loss, and how it affects people. Financial ruin. Loss of self esteem. And as the economy evolves, this process will continue for people working in certain areas. Schmatta looks at the garment industry, once the largest employer in New York City, and a force in labour (and politics) in the U.S. But while in 1965, 95% of clothing bought in the U.S. was made in the U.S., now it’s only 5%. The jobs, from sewers to designers, sales staff to delivery men, have gone. Only marketers remain, encouraging people to buy more—-high priced designer goods or low cost foreign-made goods. The result is either people spending themselves into debt or losing their jobs to sweatshops. Neither are productive to the economy or to the country built upon the dream of middle class job security. This movie to air on HBO. (7/10)