Blog 3

Natsumi Moudry

Blog 3

Inside Source: Miguel Korzeniewicz. “Global Commodity Networks and the Leather Footwear Industry: Emerging Forms of Economic Organization in a Postmodern World.” Reader.

Outside Source: Czaja, Jeanine. "Suite 101." Wal-Mart Has Hurt America. N.p., 05 2010. Web. 18 Nov 2012. 

Global commodity network is a process that explains how commodities are produced through transporting and transforming raw material usually with cheaper labor to sell at a cheaper price. It involves global trade and production (Korzeniewicz).

Argentina (during the 1970s) and Italy (during the 1980s) were known for their high quality tanned leather which has been exported to Brazilian shoe manufacturers. Brazilian manufacturers, after finishing the making of the product, ship it to the United States for consumers there (Korzniewicz).

Consumers in the US depend on so many products that involve a global commodity network, and this dependency has really put us in jeopardy. Another example is the way Americans have bought many items through shopping at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart only sells items that are cheap in price. This means Wal-Mart sells products that have been made in sweat shops like those in China. Relying on cheap items made in a different country has driven American manufacturers out of business. Not only is this true, Chinese workers are living in factories to make the cheap goods we buy (Czaja). Even though we may think we are buying cheaper items to better our living conditions, in the long run we are hurting very many people around the world. Buying items outside of America hurts America’s financial status and lowers the dollar even more.

Update:

This week I was not tempted to buy any material items. I believe in Davis we have an advantage because there aren’t many material items we can buy here. I personally do not like Forever 21 clothes, and I have enough clothes to keep me warm for the cold weather that recently snuck up on us.

Before the challenge I was trying to buy material things that weren’t made in places like China and many other countries. I tried to buy items made in US because our economy depends on it. If we continue to buy items made in sweatshops from different parts of the world, we are just going to make the value of our dollar even lower. 

This picture reflects US consumerism.