Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Conversation Begins...

If you're just joining us, please take a look at the previous post and the excellent comments therein. I hope that you all know that your thoughts are extremely valuable, questions are welcome and participation imperative. Obviously I can't answer everything, but perhaps someone else will have the answer you need.

Debbie - you raise an interesting point. Do we sometimes need to sacrifice our rights to ensure justice for others? It seems likely that in a global environment where so many of us take more than is our fair share that sometimes we need to give up what we see as rightfully ours in order to be fair to others. Having the agency to make that decision is, of course, indicative of our position of power within the global economy, but perhaps that is all the more reason to consider our actions.

You say that you're not an activist, but might I suggest that your definition is somewhat narrow? The archetypal "activist" may be of the unwashed anarchist variety, but I suspect that this perception effectively alienates more mainstream law-abiding people, keeping them from speaking out about things that would otherwise be very important to them. By virtue of participating in these kinds of conversations and being willing to consider some of the questions that may be raised herein, you are being active. If there is one barrier that I've run into in my discussions with others about living justly, it is that people often feel overwhelmed by the problems (and associated guilt) and end up disengaging and ignoring the problem. We will all have different levels of involvement - we all have our limitations - but perhaps the point is to push ourselves where we can.

Which brings me to Kermo's point. I agree - life without chocolate, spices and (for me) coffee is positively dystopic. But then, wars have already been fought and entire nations subjugated in the quest to acquire most of the things on your list of delectables. We could spend weeks just discussing some of the complications with each of the things you mentioned (and perhaps we will), but again - that you think about the origins of these things you pick up on the shelves of your grocery store is already a colossal leap forward.

So what now?

To connect your comments about slavery and chocolate, might I direct your attention here: Tracing the bitter truth of chocolate and child labour.

2 comments:

  1. You mentioned being overwhelmed and pushing ourselves where we can.

    Given the sheer volume of choices and compromises which have some kind of social impact, what would you say are the most important ones? If you had to choose just a handful of socially responsible behaviours, would would they be?

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  2. Those are excellent questions, which, as it always does, means that I don't entirely know the answer.

    Some things are easier than others. Switching to a less harmful brand of household cleanser or recycled toilet paper doesn't cost much and at least mitigates the amount of environmental damage that we're doing on a daily basis. So does ensuring that lights are switched off when we're not using them.

    The stickier issues to me are the ones that directly impact my creature comforts. Do I give up my favourite chocolates because the manufacturer has been caught using child labour? Do I buy clothing if I am not certain of the labour standards?

    My choice - and again, let me emphasize that this is what I have chosen for myself, and not what I prescribe uniformly to others - has been to give up on luxury products that I know to be unethical and do what I can for the necessities.

    For example, Fair Trade rice only comes in tiny boxes and costs about $6. We would have to go hungry for most of the week to afford it, and it's a staple for us. In the case of chocolate, coffee and other luxuries, I choose to buy Fair Trade. Too much chocolate/coffee isn't good for us anyway, and the higher price point helps remind me that while I might like it to be, chocolate is not necessary for my survival. I don't need to use child slave labour for the sake of happy tastebuds.

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