tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post4111488698548285964..comments2024-03-06T04:31:53.093+11:00Comments on Just in CASE: The Ethics of ShoppingTrevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-14954716299852146502010-02-06T21:39:06.759+11:002010-02-06T21:39:06.759+11:00Thanks Edwin and Byron for adding your perspective...Thanks Edwin and Byron for adding your perspectives to mine. I appreciate the additional comments. TrevorTrevor Cairneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-74565187362521237932010-02-04T22:02:32.498+11:002010-02-04T22:02:32.498+11:00Indeed, this is one point at which we need a delib...Indeed, this is one point at which we need a deliberate <i>reduction</i> in choice for consumers, since products that exploit humans or the living spaces of the planet ought not to be available as a legimiate "choice".<br /><br />With Cadbury having just been bought out by Kraft, it will be interesting to see what happens to their pledges about increasing their fair trade product lines.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-57155676595765792010-02-04T12:52:44.018+11:002010-02-04T12:52:44.018+11:00Thanks for this piece.
I agree with Bryon that i...Thanks for this piece. <br /><br />I agree with Bryon that its not just <i>what</i> but also <i>how much</i> and <i>how often</i>.<br /><br />Another aspect I'd like to bring up is that "ethical shopping" so far is only available to the pretty well off upper middle class in Australia. When your paycheque is below this it difficult to afford to purchase "ethical" products, as these products are typically more expensive (due to increased labour costs and usually small production runs). "ethical" products then need to become the de facto standard for our products, rather than more expensive luxury items. <br /><br />However what can be done right now is to make to corporations reform themselves so "unethical" products don't end up on the shelf in the first place. A good example is Cadbury is cutting dramatically its slave labour usage in the Ivory Coast due to pressure place upon it by NGOs and people both in the UK and in Australia. Green and Black's has also gone fairtrade. It's not enough to act passively. The power of the wallet is vastly overrated.Edwin Crumphttp://edwincrump.infonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-10424467575475427812010-01-31T09:32:42.890+11:002010-01-31T09:32:42.890+11:00Yes, you are right that the "small" deci...Yes, you are right that the "small" decisions can be very significant, not least because they contribute to the overall direction of our lives. However, remember that <a href="http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=131890722" rel="nofollow">Jesus says</a> that we should continue to do right in the small things without neglecting the greater things. My point was not that the small questions are unimportant, but that at times they can distract us from our larger (yet more culturally accepted) failings.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-48188351031348435012010-01-31T08:38:12.646+11:002010-01-31T08:38:12.646+11:00Hi Byron,
Thanks for this comment. Yes, I agree e...Hi Byron,<br /><br />Thanks for this comment. Yes, I agree entirely. My comments were driven by the personal experience that I'd had in the market, but this view is implicit in my comments about people seeing me with a Rolex watch. It isn't just about appearances it's about making choices that reflect a desire to lead a simple lifestyle without excess and all the consequent problems this creates for you, others and the planet in general.<br /><br />I don't quite agree with your comment about agonising over the gnats (but I get the point). Part of the point I was making is that it is the small decisions of life that reflect (and indeed shape) the condition of your heart. It's easy I think to extend this to cover your legitimate point as well.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />TrevorTrevor Cairneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-91304670683087645062010-01-29T23:48:09.350+11:002010-01-29T23:48:09.350+11:00Thanks for this very thoughtful post!
Might not o...Thanks for this very thoughtful post!<br /><br />Might not one of the issues be not only <i>what</i> we purchase, but <i>how much</i> and <i>why</i>? The issue is not simply that we purchase, say, shoes from a sweat shop, or support companies with notoriously bad records in ecological and social responsibility, but that we shop as recreation or even in order to fashion an identity? In doing so, we contribute to the destruction of the living spaces of the planet through unnecessary hyper-consumption, and we poison our souls through idolatry.<br /><br />I guess I'm saying that I'd like to continue to expand the ethical questions <i>within</i> shopping (as important as they are, and this is a good summary of many of them) to the ethical issues <i>around</i> shopping as a whole. What role does shopping play in our lives and are we sometimes straining out gnats while swallowing camels? That is, by agonising over details of a single purchase, we might miss the overall picture of a bloated lifestyle.<br /><br />Christmas is indeed a good time to consider these matters. There is a movement amongst UK churches called <a href="http://www.justchristmas.org.uk/" rel="nofollow">Just Christmas</a>, which aims to worship fully, spend less, give more (away), celebrate more. They are tackling some of these issues head on and it is encouraging to see. I have heard of similar initiatives in the States and am sure they also exist in Oz.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.com