Dollars That Don't Make Sense

It's been ages since I wrote in here.

I think now it will mostly be a venue for me to 'think out loud' with development and social justice issues.

Right now I'm reading Rights Revolution. It's by Michael Ignatieff and part of the Massey Lecture series on CBC. The book is divided into five sections and so far I've only read two. One thing that struck me in particular about the first section was talking about rights in society like religious affiliation, freedom of language, etc etc. This is all in a quest for fairness.

What makes us stop at economics? Specifically I'm talking about fair trade.

In order for governments to protect our rights of religious affiliation, language, cultural ties and all that good stuff we need a sound economic base. How can governments put money into schools, health care, and social problems when they have no money? Why do we stop at money? It's not as if we are taking away tons of profits from one group, we are simply ensuring that another group has sufficient means. This isn't Sherwood Forest.

The more I read the more I feel we are all about money. People are reduced to commodities. I think Marx had it right.

So now what?

To work on something from the inside: make ethical purchases. Know where your stuff comes from and who made it. Did they have decent working conditions? If you're paying 4.99 for a shirt it seems unlikely that the person who made it got a fair wage.

One thing that amazes me is we get so many products from China and yet I'm sure some people are not concerned with human rights in China. I'm sure some people don't know what's going on at all. I know I don't know everything, but I know there are lots of human rights infringements.

On a related note, there are popular bumper stickers in Windsor that read "Out of a job yet? Keep buying foreign." I don't see why the car is the exception to the not-foreign purchases. Where do their clothes from? Do they buy local foods? These things need to be considered...

From the outside: be compassionate. See people as humans and not commodities. Recognizes the similarities between another person (regardless of where they live or what they look like) and yourself. We all have the same needs and similar wants. It's about having enough, not an excess.

The more I read I also realize how important it is to be compassionate. Recognize that we all want the same basic things. Know that some of our actions (as a country or as individuals) can be negatively affecting people in other parts of the world. Empower yourself to make some sort of change whether it be buying fair trade, talking to your MP, writing to the government, becoming an activist, or becoming part of the committees that will change Canada's economic possibilities.

We all have a potential. There are lots of injustices in the world and we all ought to give some effort to one of them. People, animals, the environment...there are lots of options. And we all have something to give.

"If you aren't outraged by what's going on in this world, you aren't paying attention." Robert Fox, Oxfam