I Buy Fair-trade to Alleviate Guilt. Doesn’t Everyone?

I am going to be posting as a direct response to another blog, which is kind of a new thing for me. The post I am referring to is called, Fairtrade Promotes Consumerism by Alleviating Guilt. It came into my radar because of my increasing awareness to all things fair-trade and my desire to be less of a consumer. It might also be pertinent to add that I have very strong, positive, feelings towards the people of Africa. I have been there, loved it, and plan to return very soon (November, actually).

Toxic Max, the author of this blog, is a very talented writer; I am certain that he could convince a fish out of water if that fish were to read his writing. There is a very large portion of his post that I found myself nodding along to and agreeing as I read. The author had this to say in regards to children in developing countries,

“As simply a passing tourist, my experience from seeing kids in the developing world (Vietnam, Mexico, Cambodia) felt quite different. I saw them laugh and run, and skip school and sell junk artefacts [sic] and postcards to tourists. I saw them play with dirt and sticks and do flips when they jumped in the water. I compared them to western kids, craving for toys and sugar and moaning in restaurants; and I knew which of those kids I’d rather be.”

I completely agree that the children in many non-westernized countries appear more happy and content than western children. And for the most part, they probably are, but to base your opinion about which is environment is superior on appearances only is short-sighted. Yes, the impoverished children are more content with what they have but the statistics on malnourishment, starvation, illness, disease, and mortality are too staggering to ignore. When was the last time you heard about a child in America who died of starvation or diarrhea?

Another portion of the post reads:

“Part of the reason we feel so guilty when thinking about the developing world is the media’s continuous banter on its tragedy: hunger, illiteracy, dictatorships, wars, famine, disease, water shortage, dysentery, destruction of the habitat, slavery, prostitution, etc, etc.”

Here, I need to agree and disagree. It is true that many people picture ONLY those negative things while thinking of a developing country but that doesn’t mean that those concerns are not valid or true. Personally, I believe that the media does not report on these topics enough. There are a lot of wonderful things you cannot get in the western world that you can in a developing country, but those are things that cannot be explained unless have been there. I also do not believe that the average person feels guilty about what is going on in those countries; if it doesn’t affect them it doesn’t matter. Cynical? Possibly.

Then the author goes into the Fair-trade issue:

“That label [referring to fair-trade], which is now being slapped on everything from high-speed trains to chocolate bars, indicates to the consumer in no ambiguous terms that buying this [INSERT STUFF] will make the world better. This is pure genius on the psychological level, but I trust consumers will wise up soon and realize that there is no zero-impact-consumerism. Capitalism and consumerism don’t stop with Fairtrade, instead that label is a vehicule [sic] for them; if you don’t want Vietnam to become a factory for cheap crap, the best is still to stop buying it.”

I know for a fact this label is being used to sell products, but I cannot agree with the idea that you should stop buying something simply because it is made unfairly by a company. The best way for me to explain my position is with this example:

Pottery is very cheap at Walmart. I could go to Walmart and get some very good looking (though maybe not quality) pottery for a good price. However, stamped on the bottom is a label: Made in China. Since I am fairly certain this was not made by a craftsman in a small village of China, I can guess it was made by people working as slave labor (essentially). Would it be better for me to not buy a vase or a platter? Not necessarily. There are companies out there who specialize in selling products that are made by craftsmen in developing countries. This allows them to earn a fair wage. For instance, I have given beautiful gifts from Lutheran World Relief. Granted, pottery (or anything else we have grown accustomed to) is not a necessity but if you are going to purchase an item why not purchase from an organization you trust that benefits the creator?

Finally, Mr. Toxic Max goes on to discuss the (RED) products:

“Every purchased item, whether it has a nice label on it or not, has a considerable impact on the world we live in. When you purchase RED or Fairtrade products, you indirectly impose your western view on how businesses should be run and you also help to finance a marketing campaign alleviating the consumers’ guilt. Instead of buying “fair junk”, shouldn’t we simply buy less junk?”

Well, I agree with much of what Mr. Max has to say here. We do impose our western views on the rest of the world. We do help alleviate our guilt by purchasing items that affect the developing world; that way we still get our STUFF while we help the world. Very similar to the tax deduction we get for donations to charity. It IS sad that there needs to be a reason for us to give but does that make the benefits bad or the person that requires them to give to the needy? Easy to say, but how often do you purchase something you don’t need and feel guilt alleviated because it is fair-trade or profits are donated to a worthy cause?

Crap.

I absolutely hate it when I am convicted of something in the middle of a righteous tirade.

Dang it.

A few years ago I purchased an iPod. Since I was purchasing it anyway I bought the (RED) version. That made it okay, right? No…I am afraid that it does not make it okay. What I should have done was forgo the iPod and sent the money to an organization that helped pay for AIDS medicine in Africa. If I really meant all that I said (and felt) about our responsibility to those that cannot help themselves I would have realized I did not need an iPod (or their successors – Yikes!).

I agree with Mr. Max; we should buy less junk. The western world has become a parasitic plague on the earth. HOWEVER, when we do purchase a material object, food, or services, we should always know the origin of that product and how it affects the people, the environment, and the general well-being of the earth.

Side note: (RED) does more than just reduce the impact on the environment (actually, I am not sure it does that…Not relevant to my argument), it pays for HIV medicine to Africa. If you are going to purchase an item that offers a (RED) version, please consider purchasing that version. Or, even better, skip the product and send the money directly to (RED).

In conclusion, I want to say Kudos to Mr. Max for attacking a very sticky subject. We LIKE our stuff and will fight to the death to keep it but how many of us believe that people are more important? If we believe that any Jane Doe is more important than our cheap Walmart pottery, isn’t it time we put our money where our heart is?

Present company included.

Dang it.