Saturday 27 April 2013

Cheap clothes help fuel social revolution

I found this a very interesting article in the Globe this morning.

My immediate reaction when I hear about things like the disaster in Bangladesh is to stop purchasing any clothing made there, or generally to reconsider what I'm buying and why.  The article points out where simply boycotting clothing made in any one particular country may not be the solution.  Here's a good quote that encapsulates what the whole article is about:

"A despairing friend who says she struggles to pay the price of Canadian-made clothes, or shop only at the Maritime second-hand chain Frenchy's, asked me this week if she had to "go naked" in order not to feel guilty.  But our cheap clothes have helped fuel a social and economic revolution in Bangladesh, and Bangladeshis do not want that to end."

Food for thought.

- Submitted by Nancy R.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you Nancy. It is difficult to know how to respond to tragedies like the one in Bangledesh. Most people want to do something, but aren't sure what to do. THis article was very helpful.
    (posted by: Amanda)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for posting this Nancy. And for the other posts on this issue as well.

    The fact that so many people died at their work place is appalling. But there are so many places on our planet that the desire for cheap labour puts people at risk every day.

    Corporations--whether from outside the country or within--do not have to comply with legislation for worker safety--whether in a garment factory or an oil rig.

    We cannot afford cheap labour at such tragically high costs. Even if every worker could have been rescued, the social fabric of their own community is weakened with the realization that Economic "realities" mean they do not have the right to refuse dangerous working conditions.

    What kind of societies are we creating by our "consumer demand"??

    On the one hand, as Christians we want to give our neighbor the shirt off our backs, but surely we do not want people to be at risk to make the shirt we give away.

    Moti

    ReplyDelete