Ch 15

As I began reading chapter 15, I came across so many fascinating concepts of history. I had a lot of topics that I could blog about. Something that I did not really know a lot about before reading this chapter was the “World Hunt” for fur. The production and trade of fur played a major role in these early societies. In elementary school kids learn the basics of fur, that it was used to keep people warm in colder parts of the world. The textbook goes into a lot more detail, providing a lot more insight on the subject. For example, how the population of certain animals greatly diminished. Animals such as beaver, rabbits, sable, marten and deer were reduced in very large amounts. However, people needed these furs to stay warm and survive in what was known as the Little Ice Age. If humans were killing these poor, innocent animals for no reason what so ever then I think that would be cruel, but since in many cases fur was a necessity, it was logical to use the fur of the animals. The coldness people experiences drove prices of fur sky rocketing, which then lead to high demand in trapping these animals. This industry like many others at the time was very competitive. However, most left the trapping and hunting of the animals to the Indians. What incentive did the Native Americans have to hunting and trapping these animals of their beloved land? Well, they in return received a variety of goods, for example, guns, blankets, metal tools, rum, and brandy. Since the Indians did not ask for much, they were a cheap way of acquiring the fur. Some people may argue that the Indians may have been taken advantage of, but others argue that they were content on this way of trade. I believe that they were in fact happy to hunt and trap these animals, because this had always been their way of life, and they were getting goods out of this business also. 

As I began reading Somaly Mam's book, The Road of Lost Innocence it dawned on me how privileged American's are. We live in a society where some times people over look the security and protection that we are entitled to. In some countries, like Cambodia people do not have the same freedoms that we take advantage of everyday. After reading the first three chapters I realized that I should be more appreciative of the everyday simplicities of life. For example, the ability to go to school and having the transportation to go and learn. It is a sad thought to think that people do not have the same educational opportunities as others. If the girls were able to educate themselves, then maybe they would not be tricked into Human Trafficking. The fact that people will trap other human beings into this form of slavery is inhumane. Thoughts like that could not even cross my mind, and to think that so many people are involved in this "business" is such a sickening thought. Somaly Mam grew up in a strained environment. Being a forced servant for her grandfather, she was raised without an education, and instead lived a childhood filled with hard labor . Then after being sold into prostitution, her life changed forever. Luckily, Somaly is one of the few that made it out of the terrible industry.