When I first heard about the challenge, my initial thought
was: no biggie, I can totally do it. I do not really need anything new anyway.
I actually do not like shopping. The only reason I ever go
shopping is to get necessary items, such as food and school supplies. Even if I
do go to a shopping mall, I prefer to window shop. For me, I find it more fun
if I just look at the new items. I do not really have the urge to buy since I
know I probably will not use the items if I do buy.
So instead of spending my Veterans Day on shopping, I spent
my day off on homework and wardrobe. Since the weather is getting colder, I decided
to get my winter clothes out. As I was taking them out, I was checking the tags
on my clothes, which is something I had never done. I noticed that most of my
clothes were made outside of the United States. Most of them were made
somewhere in Asia, but there were some that were made non-Asian countries. As I
was looking through them, I was surprised because I did not know that my
wardrobe actually has clothes that were made in many different countries. I
also felt that I fell under the general consumer category that is discussed in “Santa’s
Sweatshop.” In the article, the authors talk about sweatshop workers’
struggles. They also talk about how consumers usually do not think about
where their items come from, which is problematic because it contributes to
sweatshop workers’ invisibility. Looking at myself, I realize that I also never
think about sweatshop when I go out shopping. Certainly, I am aware of these
issues, but there is a sense of detachment since I am not directly involved in
the struggle. But after reading this article, I have to reflect on my own
behavior and make sure that when I shop in the future, I have to remind myself
that items in stores are usually products of underpaid labor who have no voice
in society.
As a result, I decided to look up how to shop smartly. Most
websites have the same advices as the ones listed in “Santa’s Sweatshop,” but
there is a website that has a list of sweatshop-free places we can consider
going. This link is pretty useful since it is specifically for the holiday
season.
References:
Holstein,
Palmer, Ur-Rehman and Ito. “Santa’s Sweatshop: In a Global Economy, it’s Hard
to Know Who Made Your Gift – and Under What Conditions.”
"Sweatshop
Free Shopping Resource." Amnesty Inernational Creighton Chapter.
Creighton University, 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
Sweatshop Free. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., 31 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
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