silly humans
I’ve heard quite a few good “sound bites” lately and read some really interesting articles and the one thing I think we’d hear the earth saying to us is this:
“Just stop buying so much stuff silly humans!”
I think it’s great to buy “earth friendly” products and fair trade items - our family does this as often as possible. But what many human rights advocates and eco friends are now saying is that the main solution lies in reducing consumption altogether. Recycling is great, reducing packaging and consumption of materials is even better. Buying fair trade is great but recent research has shown that buying from “sweat shop workers” is better for their quality of life than buying fair trade and not doing anything to improve working conditions in those countries that use slave labor and sweat shops. Buying 5 pairs of “fair trade jeans” is ok but buying 1 pair of standard jeans is better.
In a blog on consumerism awhile back, I was challenged that if we remove ourselves from the consuming cycle, we can’t effect positive change, if we take our money out of the cycle, we’re actually not helping anyway. I understand the point but I think that reducing our consumption helps the earth AND it creates in us an intentionality that generates a deeper awareness and better choices. It’s falacy to say “well, if I stop buying stuff, people will lose their jobs so I need to keep buying stuff to help those people”. For one thing, what will generally happen if demand goes up is that the companies will simply hire more people at even lower wages and worse working conditions. In other words, if you buy 10 cell phones from a factory worker who can only make 5, no one is going to pay him higher wages and overtime to make 10, they’ll just hire another factory worker to make the other 5. So doesn’t that mean that another unemployed person will now have a job? That would be like saying we should support slave labor because at least the person has a “job”.
So here are my conclusions:
Buy less.
Use the saved money to support organizations working to improve working conditions around the globe and donate to micro finance organizations like Kiva to support self sufficiency in local areas.
When I DO buy something, research and “consume well”
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You might really like, “Nation of Rebels” by Heath and Potter. Read the chapter, “I hate myself and want to buy.” They provide an extremely insightful understanding of the fallacy of anti-consumerism. The lack of buying does not change the economy because it is always the total sum of supply and demand. We can spend it which provides demand. We can save it, which gives it to someone else and thus still stimulates the demand. Or, we can bury it, which is the only way to render it useless.
The question then becomes, what do we spend on which I like your comment, “research and consume well.”
Mak, totally agree. Check out Rick McKinley of Imageo Dei who’s been advocating the “Advent Conspiracy” approach to Christmas. Yes, it’s more about a lifestyle change than just as a one-off but as a one-off it’s a great idea. There’s a book in the UK called “not buying it” by someone who went a year without shopping. So it can be done!
but Jonathan, “not buying” changes us. And by changing us, we in turn can make a positive change in our economy.
I understand the need to consume less for personal reasons. but when it comes to the fair trade stuff, the laws of supply and demand are what are trying to gain momentum. Yes each individual purchase doesn’t make such a difference on a grand scale, but it is part of creating ethical demand. To raise awareness of issues and to support certain behaviors with our money. The more demand for such, then perhaps the sweat shop worker will eventually get a much better deal as well.
I agree Julie, which is part of “buying well”. It’s not always as simple as “buy fair trade” - while that often might be the better choice, it is not always by default.
Mak,
I completely agree. I just didn’t say that in the post.
wise thoughts Mak, ty!
This is a tough one but you put forth some good ideas. Me, I’m just working on the “buy less” part right now. Trying to disentangle myself from my consumeristic tendencies, which have basically amounted to just laziness and selfishness. The “what to buy, where to buy” presents a whole ‘nuther challenge!