This might end up being a very broad question, so just answer what you want and leave the rest.
I've been thinking recently about all the products out there that have cruel practices behind them- chocolate and child labor, animal products and cuelty on factory farms, all sorts of things from china and unfair work conditions, shoes, toasters, clothes, computers, animal testing... You get the point. It's everywhere.
How do you sort this all out?
Is it possible, or even helpful, to boycott all the companies that take advantage of those unfair conditions?
What else is there to do? I'm sure there are organizations that fight many of these practices. Is donating to those organizations helpful?
What other industries and companies support horribly unfair practices?
If, hypothetically, I try to boycott Nike, what if the other shoes I buy are just as bad? Or, what if the companies I find that are good on the human rights front, all use leather? These are the questions swimming around in my mind. Once I learn that Nike uses unfair labor practices, I can't just stop there and boycott Nike. But how far should I go?
Is it better to use my money to buy fair alternatives, or to donate to organizations who are trying to make a change?
There are some changes that are easy- for example, we have a brand of fair trade coffee we like, and that's all we buy. But other stuff- how do you even start, and determine what is worth the effort? It's really overwhelming sometimes, so I sort of put my head in the sand and go about my life. But that can't be the right thing to do.
I've been thinking recently about all the products out there that have cruel practices behind them- chocolate and child labor, animal products and cuelty on factory farms, all sorts of things from china and unfair work conditions, shoes, toasters, clothes, computers, animal testing... You get the point. It's everywhere.
How do you sort this all out?
Is it possible, or even helpful, to boycott all the companies that take advantage of those unfair conditions?
What else is there to do? I'm sure there are organizations that fight many of these practices. Is donating to those organizations helpful?
What other industries and companies support horribly unfair practices?
If, hypothetically, I try to boycott Nike, what if the other shoes I buy are just as bad? Or, what if the companies I find that are good on the human rights front, all use leather? These are the questions swimming around in my mind. Once I learn that Nike uses unfair labor practices, I can't just stop there and boycott Nike. But how far should I go?
Is it better to use my money to buy fair alternatives, or to donate to organizations who are trying to make a change?
There are some changes that are easy- for example, we have a brand of fair trade coffee we like, and that's all we buy. But other stuff- how do you even start, and determine what is worth the effort? It's really overwhelming sometimes, so I sort of put my head in the sand and go about my life. But that can't be the right thing to do.
