Where does our stuff come from?
Not a light question, and also not one that we constantly walk around asking ourselves. However, maybe we should. Maybe we ought to be a little more aware of where our coffee comes from, where our clothes are made, the nature of oil production and distribution, what raw materials drive the semiconductors and micro chips in our electronics, etc. I would argue that our consumption has an effect on the world that isn’t readily obvious, and that we are almost always completely unaware of. A lot of strife in the world is a result of our consumer culture, and that is where a lot change needs to come from.
Go into any mall in any American city and you will be hard-pressed to find much clothing that was made outside of the developing world. China, Bangladesh,
India, Haiti, Mexico, Taiwan – but it doesn’t stop there. In the 21st-century world, everything bears at least a hint of the developing world, if it is not produced there entirely. Raw materials in our electronics, the diamonds on our fingers, the carpets in our homes, the plastics on our shelves, and the list continues. Where does our stuff come from?
At the risk of being completely written off, and sounding more antagonistic than I already do, I must quote Joseph Stalin. He said, “A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.” So then what is one wage slave, or child worker? What are a million? A single life of toil is, in many ways, a greater tragedy than death. However, the Western world is blind because our capacity to comprehend and cope with the experience of others is shallow – especially when they are a world away. Geography, in part, facilitates this. Out of sight, out of mind.
The real question is, what do we do? The world is jacked up. This is nothing new to any semi-conscientious person at this school or in this town. Do we check out, get off the grid? Stop wearing clothes (might be fun for a while)? Stop buying fuel for our cars? These seem like the only pure alternatives to making sufficient impact on oppressive corporate producers. However, while I think less consumption is definitely part of the answer (and certainly less consumption of money borrowed from multinational banks), and is an important part of being a healthy individual, the answer is not for us to give up on the world and culture. The key is engaging it.
Our collective voice would be heard by corporations around the world if there was a five or 10 percent drop in consumption. It might even be enough to put some of the leading multinationals out of business. However, I don’t foresee that happening, and I think we have a lot more to offer the world, in any case. The power of the individual is almost endless. As humans we are creative, passionate and driven to pull off just about whatever we believe in and want enough. So why limit ourselves? A smart consumer is still a consumer. But that is not all we are, not even close.
Drink fair trade coffee and eat fair trade chocolate. Buy your clothes second-hand. Ride your bike. Do all of these things because they matter and because they are healthy for us. But do not limit yourself. In the grand scheme of things, you are so much more than a consumer, and you have so much more potential than just being a smart one. If you truly believe in a better world for everyone (including you), engage the world and use all the God-given means you have to change it.
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