Who Wants In?
August 22nd, 2007, 3:07 pm · 6 Comments · posted by Michael Doss
I’m seriously considering two social experiments for myself - going vegan (after I finish the delicious dairy products I’ve already purchased), and trying not to buy anything from China.
I’ve done vegan before - several days on accident, and once or twice just to see if I could do it for a week or more. It’s easy enough to do, since I already cook a good deal of my own food. Going out to eat sucks, generally, though there are a few places in my rotation that work for me (plus plenty of restaurants on my review list that will be just fine). This experiment will be primarily for the sake of animal cruelty reasons, so if I can find eggs or dairy that I know come from cruelty-free sources, I’ll indulge.
As for China, it’s been a long time coming. My “Buy American” stance has nothing to do with national pride, but for reasons of worker’s rights and safety. I’m not too worried about the toy recall, but I know it’s just the tip of the iceberg - China’s safety standards are not up to par, and their civil rights abuses are widespread and well known. I’m also going to avoid products from other countries with known civil rights or safety issues (Mexico, most of Latin America, select South East Asian locations, etc), so most purchases will be American, Canadian, or European. I think I can go a year, at least, but we’re gonna try this for a few months.
What do you think? Good ideas? Dumb? Useless? Inspiring? I’m also looking for readers looking to partake similar journeys with me - I’ll even have some space for guest blogging for anyone else involved. Leave a comment, and we’ll talk.
August 23rd, 2007 at 7:23 am
I recently took a random walk through the local WallMart’s—I was hard pressed to find anything outside of the grocery section that was made in the U.S., Canada or Europe. Maybe you could pull it off if you buy everything over the internet, and know in advance where it was made.
August 23rd, 2007 at 6:53 pm
I know I’d have to stop buying just about all electronics, computers, and a good deal of clothing, the the stuff I do buy would likely be much more expensive. I’m also still looking for a resource that highlights countries that socially responsible people shouldn’t buy from…good luck to me on that…
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:43 pm
If you really want to go all-out for worker safety, you might also consider avoiding consumption of anything that must be mined, either here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/08/23…) or in China.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:41 pm
That’s interesting, but perhaps a step further than I’m willing to go right now. In the US, mining is typically regulated and the workers are generally paid very well for their dangerous work. It comes down to the fact that if I boycott EVERYTHING I have issues with, I won’t consume anything at all =)
August 24th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Unfortunately, regulated by this guy.
August 24th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
[…] much more strongly considering my recent musings on veganism and buying from China. The China side of things - not buying anything made there - has begun. That likely means no new […]