Fair Trade Culture

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Trade Winds: Nobody’s Fault

September 10th, 2007 by Amanda

It seems so difficult these days to take time out of our busy schedules to research and focus our efforts toward a more sustainable world for everyone. With corporate businesses and the media providing us more convenient ways to accumulate everything we need to live comfortably, and with lower priced goods and uncountable options, many people find it difficult to make every purchase support the good for all involved in making and selling that product. If asked why, many probably feel it’s just easier not to worry about it. Maybe they feel that small purchases, compared to the millions spent by everyone around them, is just not that substantial.

The corporate world has come up with a way to create jobs in foreign countries while producing the amount of goods demanded in our growing economy for much less than it would cost to create in a country where people are given worker rights, fair wages, and labor laws to protect their rights. So the question here is ‘is it the fault of the rich corporations, such as Walmart and General Motors, that people in their own countries are being laid off so that a person willing to work for much less, in grave conditions and in another country get those jobs?’ Personally, as a social and conscious consumer, I say ‘not really’.

Although I feel that these corporations often have bad business practices when it comes to workers rights and working toward a more sustainable economy, I feel that the majority of the fault lies in the hands of those consumers that choose not to research what they are buying when making purchases. With every dollar that someone spends, whether they be a responsible world caring person or someone who could care either way where their money is going, that dollar is a vote. People are looking for what’s most convenient and cheap these days, and it’s just that lazy need-to have-more-now mentality that is fueling many of the problems that plague the people of our world today. Instead of spending a little more in one place, knowing the money is going to a reputable business that supports fair labor practices, a large majority of consumers just want to not have to worry about who’s hands the money they spend falls into. Who has time to worry about that when we all have problems of our own?

I see more and more, as this world progresses or regresses, that people are getting more and more while others are getting less and less. Yet, these people usually never even see or meet each other while we’re all having impacts on each other’s lives without even fully realizing it. Why should we care about people in foreign lands we’ll never even meet them? The answer is simple. By opening your mind and heart to people and places we’ve never been, we’re building a global consciousness that will affect more and more people, of which would result in a more peaceful existence with each other. In a world being taken over by war, money, and murder, it’s the global consciousness that will birth an unspoken understanding of everyone involved.

When we decide to save a few bucks and head to some super mega store where everything is made in a factory in China or some other impoverished country, we’re also putting our money towards these businesses that profit hugely while the people making the products are simply finding a job, usually in degrading conditions, just so they can feed their families. The problem is, they very often don’t even make that much, and the jobs given to them are in no way supporting a better lifestyle. Sure, they have a job, but no one is making out better for it except the money hungry corporations that lead the factories. These people working in factories under inhumane conditions are like you and I in many ways. They want to spend their time with their families or loved ones, live comfortably, and have food in their bellies when they get hungry. Their thoughts, however, are not so much on what car they want or where they would like to go on their next vacation,or what other things they would like to spend their money on, but instead, is on how can they possibly make enough to eat and feed their families. Often times, there’s simply not enough paid to them, and they succumb to starving while still overworking themselves because there seems to be no other solution. It’s easy to see then, how they might feel the need to turn to prostitution, the child sex trade, or drug smuggling to find another way to eat. No human being deserves to be left with these choices.

How can we change this and make better choices for all involved? Start researching and asking questions. Get involved! Know that even if you’re only one person, you’re still one person with a voice and a vote. Make as many responsible decisions as possible when it comes to spending money. In a world where no one thinks that one individual has a big impact, is a world that will continue to drain the life of those that only wish they could have that opportunity to speak for themselves. You CAN make a difference. It’s time to start speaking up against the injustices of the world, and it can all start with your wallet.

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