One thing she was really passionate about was ethical shopping. As first-world citizens, we often have NO idea what other places in the world are like - and that includes working conditions, forced labour, and child labour. When we see things like "made in China" or "made in Bangladesh" on our clothing tags, we don't think twice about it because we don't know what those places are like. However, being ignorant about those things is NOT okay, and as Christians we can't turn a blind eye to world issues that we are actually supporting just because it's convenient or easy.
Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 25:31-40:
“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
SO MUCH of what we consume here in Canada is produced by oppressing other people, which means we get a great price for it. However, when we choose to purchase items based on sale price alone and don't consider how that impacts our brothers and sisters around the globe, we may be doing some serious damage. Tolu challenged our students to start finding out where our consumer goods are made and whether or not we are aiding in oppressive working conditions simply because we don't care to find out.
Here is a video we didn't have time to show on Friday:
This past week I was doing some research about what it means to be good stewards of what God has given us, and it really hit me that we can be pretty lousy stewards of our money when we don't consider who we could be harming just because we want to save some money. I looked at my own closet this weekend and I couldn't find a SINGLE clothing tag that didn't list a second or third world country. That doesn't always mean people are working in oppressive conditions, but it can be an indicator. From now on, I'm going to start researching which brands use forced labour and which countries are notorious for it. And you know what? That probably means I'll be buying WAYYYYY less clothes and other items than I used to. But honestly, do I really need MORE stuff? Probably not. Can I really afford the extra cost for ethical groceries and other items? I like to think I can't, but that's ridiculous. I live in one of the best and most wealthy countries in the world, so to say I can't afford higher prices if it means protecting others is just plain old not true! I probably wont be able to afford everything I want, but there's a pretty big difference between what I want or think I need, and what I actually do need.
Here are two links Tolu passed on to me that can help you learn more about bad brands, poor working conditions, and what you can do about it!
http://www.free2work.org/trends/apparel/
http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/
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