you're casting a vote
for the kind of world you want.
~ Anna Lappe
agree or disagree?
why or why not?or, in what circumstances is there agreement, and when is there not?
(note: we're not all too familiar with Anna Lappe, but we found this to be a challenging and interesting statement).
That word, "Every", at the beginning leads me to disagree with the statement. The longer I've lived the more I've realized that words such as every, never, ever, always, and other absolutes are seldom accurate in describing human behavior.
ReplyDeleteI haven't reflected enough on the statement to know if I think it's true "every" time, though my gut reaction is to say that it is probably at least generally true. In terms of specifics, I immediately thought about the manufacturing industry and about how horribly workers are treated in many factories outside of the U.S. Poor working conditions and low wages are bad enough, but for some it's even worse because they are actually victims of human trafficking. CNN International has been doing a special emphasis on modern day slavery for the past year and a half, and although I've honestly seen very few of the actual special reports, the previews and commercials have given me a lot of awareness about the magnitude of the problem. Anyway, it's made me reflect a lot about my shopping habits and the shopping habits of Americans in general and about how the demand for abundant and cheap goods drives our society. Because so few companies can guarantee ethical labor practices, I know that practically every dollar I spend supports the system. I care but apparently not enough to make the sacrifices it would take to boycott. So, yeah, those dollars add up to a lot of votes for the argument that my right to inexpensive clothes, trinkets, etc. trumps someone else's right to dignified and gainful employment. Ouch.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a harsh reality. We like to say "No, not every dollar...some", but the reality, I think Abby has hit on, is that we fill the our houses with items creating a "demand" for these cheap/inexpensive products with no regard to how that demand is supplied (i.e. slavery, child labor, unfair pay etc.)
ReplyDeleteIt is very difficult to process "what can I do" because it is a widespread corporate concept that has been bought into throughout the Western world. I don't, however, think that because we can't individually change it we should just accept it.
The injustice needs to be something that causes our hearts to become restless. For us, in one voice to speak into the issues of "supply and demand" and ethical means to provide for the needs.
Read this in a book I just finished:
"Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. throught your will and passion ,you assisted in consigning that evil system (South Africant Apartheid) to history. But in this new century, millions of people in the world's poorest countries remain imprisoned, enslaved and in chains. Like slaver and apartheid, POVERTY IS NOT NATURAL. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings." -Mandela
Thanks for posting.
-A
A young pastor we (both) know said one time, "a view of someone's spiritual heart is a view of their checkbook". I've also read somewhere, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also".
ReplyDeleteI honestly believe your statement is true 99.999% of the time. There may be an exception, but I can't think of it right now. My expenditures over my life were not always made with good, sound judgement. It is hard in this society to get caught up in the commercialization of wealth and material things. That was not what Christ was about, and if we are called "Christians", we should be wary of society changing our thought patterns. That sounds easier said than done. The world has long arms that wrap us up from time to time and we don't even realize it.
My father use to use the story of how the cajuns used to cook crabs. Fresh crabs are thrown in a pan of cold water. Every so often you would turn up the heat. The crab would not realize what was changing in his life. Eventually the crab would "fall asleep". We, too, fall asleep sometimes because the world is trying to change the believers and we really don't even know it.
Thanks for reminding us.