My friend in the front seat of the Subaru sighed in resignation as he muttered something about the cars being the least responsible for his insomnia. The proximity of Sunnyside Commons to the construction zone of the upcoming University Place in Sunnyside had been the prime factor to his sleepless nights.
I gazed out the car window at the construction workers, whose tools sent bright sparks dancing in the air.
Apparently, the construction workers hammered away at their task through the night, which, according to my annoyed friend, often kept him up until 4 a.m.
The Paradigm Development Group LLC has acquired the five-plus acres on which to build a new residential and retail complex, and it intends to complete its project as soon as possible.
All the sounds combined from the construction site were deafening. I could see why my friend was irked. At least the workers were being safe. They stood out among the foundations with their hard hats and reflective vests.
Meanwhile, over 7,500 miles away, the state of Qatar is building potential venues for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup with a death wish.
Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup four years ago. Since the initial construction of Qatar’s first five venues began in 2010, the Pravasi Nepali Coordination Committee states that upwards of 400 Nepalese migrant workers have lost their lives erecting these stadiums. The committee has also posited that, given current conditions, approximately 4,000 workers will have died once the jobs are completed.
Working conditions have been reported to be atrocious. Safety regulations are being broken left and right. Over 1,000 workers fell to their deaths at construction sites in 2012. Some do not wear hard hats. Migrant workers are purported to live in suffocatingly crowded establishments that often lack air-conditioning, power and running water.
We are seeing the tangible liability of negligence.
This makes me think of the construction of the Great Wall of China. It is said that 400,000 people died so that the wall could stand. Of course, the Great Wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago, so working conditions must have improved since then.
Now, it will only take 4,000 bodies to raise soccer stadiums from the earth.
This stunning anachronism in safety has generated substantial press, yet construction continues in Qatar. One of the richest countries in the world is acting in an unbecoming manner.
Perhaps, with its vast sea of oil and gas, Qatar still cannot afford common sense.
As my friend’s Subaru puttered on down the road, I saw the sparks fall and disappear at the feet of the toiling construction workers. In an instant, those flickers of light were gone. I must admit that the flashes were quite beautiful, though short-lived. My mind wandered across the Atlantic Ocean. I thought of all those workers dying over soccer stadiums in Qatar.
Is a game really worth that much loss of life?
I believe that soccer, no matter how much joy it brings to the world, simply does not deserve stadiums built by those with the fiscal means to protect human life yet neglect to do so.
Qatar has the ability to protect its workers, but it has failed to accomplish the task.
Something needs to change before more dancing lights disappear in the dark.
