fair trade or consumer capitalism?
for my 'geography, environment and development in the third world' course, i am required to write an essay on a standardized fair trade text. i have just finished reading this fair trade text that i was laboriously taking notes on this weekend.
i have come to some conclusions that the reason why fair trade cannot exist, is because NO ONE KNOWS, in other words, there is a lack of awareness. it makes me sad to read this book and realize another reason why living in the First World makes me feel like such a loser. it's like, the actions that i take through merely buying groceries at A&P had detrimental (HUGE, for those who have small vocab) effects on the farmer whose crop i did or did not buy. and don't get me started on the clothes that i buy. all of these things are stuck in the economic market of "money-making" at the cost of other people. i finished reading all of this and i was struck by disgust and sadness. but at last, i am faced with... "what can i do?"
i talked to emily last night who made some sense of the "economics" part of things b/c i am at last economics-stupid. i know that one of the reasons i don't choose organic or fair trade products is because i'm cheap and i find them expensive. BUT this is the clincher: IF WE ALL BUY FAIR TRADE, THE DEMAND FOR FAIR TRADE INCREASES AND THE PRICE WILL DROP BUT THE PRODUCERS WILL STILL BE AT LEAST MAKING BACK THE COST OF PRODUCTION. many times, the things that we buy that are "so cheap" are cheap because poor countries want to attract our business so they drop their prices to compete. it's so sad. we basically want cheaper things so we put them at stake with their lives, health and well-being. i could go on about this (and i probably will) but i just wanted to spread AWARENESS. (leave me a post if you want to know more or have comments... i need support... sigh)
1 Comments:
I often feel really overwhelmed when I think about the deeply entrenched, difficult to fix injustices in the world -- injustices that we, usually unknowingly, have helped perpetrate by just living "normally" in this capitalist society. Trying to fight it can seem like trying to take down a skyscraper with a toothpick.
But I think it's great that you're thinking about it. Personally, it's really helped me to connect with other people concerned with the same goals of environmental and social justice. It helps to know you're not a lone voice in the desert, that others care deeply and are working toward similar things.
Our individual actions can seem so small, but I guess for me, it's helped to think that even though my fair trade coffee purchase isn't going to immediately solve the coffee crisis, my decision DOES make a difference. In a way, it can be empowering to know that with the little choices we make every day, we are slowly making a big change happen.
And we've all bought stupid things and made idiotic consumer choices in the past, either due to simple ignorance or due to other social or financial pressures and such.
Don't be so hard on yourself ;) We can only each do our best, eh? I'm sure the next time, if you can afford it, you'll go fair trade :)
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