« Remembrance Day | Main | Two pics »
November 13, 2005
Ignorant Consumer
I've been putting off writing this blog entry (or any entry in this category) because as someone who gleefully participates in the north american consumer society I'm as guilty as anyone else. By actually committing to text that I understand something of the evils which are buried in the basement of this comfortable life I live, it becomes more difficult to blithely go on as if they didn't exist.
The buried evils I'm alluding to are the mistreatment of people or the environment in which companies engage in to provide us with some object or service which, they hope, we can't live without. In their zeal to garner as large profits as they can for themselves and their shareholders or to expand as fast as they can ahead of their rivals or to offer the lowest possible prices, these businesses will stoop to anything. Hiding under these shrouds they are able to justify any atrocity.
I've been reading No Logo, the book by Naomi Klein which documents the soulless business practices of some of North America's largest companies. She names names; I won't. This book has caused me to really think about how the clothes I wear come to me, who made my shoes, where the food I eat comes from and who supplies the coffee I drink.
My dilemma now becomes: what do I do about it? I could simply boycott the companies she mentions and continue on as before but wearing a different brand of shoe or shopping in a different store; feeling all smug and self righteous that I'm saving the planet and doing my bit for human rights. By posting this I've made it impossible to do nothing, that's for sure.
The difficulty is that the proper approach is much more time consuming. It requires that I take the time to dig in the basement of my world and be sure that there aren't bodies buried there. If I choose to frequent one coffeeshop chain over another I really should make an educated choice. I shouldn't let promotions or fads make the decision for me. If I choose one brand of X over another, the ethics of the company should play as much a part in my decision as the list of features or the price.
It has taken a long time to take this step; now comes the hard part: actually doing something about it. They do say that admitting the problem exists is the first necessary step to a solution.
My name is John an I am an Ignorant Consumer.
Posted by John at November 13, 2005 04:42 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.greyfence.com/blog/mt-tb.cgi/74
Comments
Does this mean you're going to burn your shiny white running shoes?
Posted by: Kerry at November 14, 2005 10:45 AM
... and wear nothin' but unbleached hemp bags from now on?
cause i think you could pull it off.
Posted by: Elise at November 14, 2005 11:40 AM
I think so too. You'd better double up for the winter though.
Posted by: Kerry at November 14, 2005 01:32 PM
Unbleached hemp sounds itchy ... but I could become the Woody Harrelson of the North.
I am not going to give up my new (no longer shiny) Nikes! However, I am going to be more aware of the brand when I buy the next pair.
Here's a link regarding sustainable agriculture and fair trade: http://www.transfair.ca/
Posted by: John at November 14, 2005 01:53 PM
So the shoes and the hemp suit then. And you know, unbleached does not have to mean undyed... a few good colours available to you are gonna be beet purple and a rich, dark, overripe-potato beige (the latter, with your shoes... none of my business but Hello Stylish!)
Posted by: Elise at November 14, 2005 02:05 PM
You should be proud of your no-longer-white shoes. That happened on a day of adventure and mystery!
I like the idea of a hemp suit for sure. You could always line it with cotton - might be a little baggy, but at least it won't itch.
Posted by: Kerry at November 14, 2005 03:28 PM