Well, I did, I suppose. That's what makes it mine.
Maybe it was a present. That's right. Got this shirt at Christmas. So, yeah, the person who gave it to me paid for it.
How much did it cost? Five bucks.
Now, as a person who makes clothing from time to time, you could never pay me five bucks to make a shirt. Heck, that's basically what the materials cost plus twenty three cents. Go try it yourself. You'll get poked, frustrated, and screw up enough times to make it way more than five dollars worth of effort (way more than twenty three cents worth, especially!). Even if you learn a few tricks to streamline the process, you usually end up under some kind of time crunch that guarantees the stress level of the project.
So, how did I get it for five bucks, anyway?
Easy. Someone got paid twenty three cents to make it. Chances are the company that pays its workers in such a way isn't going to splurge on AC or heath care. If it's cheaper than you would have been willing to do it for... it was either 1.) made by a machine, 2.) made by a person who loves what they do, or 3.) made by someone who is forced into a lawful slavery by situations being exploited by companies striving to lower production spending by externalizing costs.
So, who really paid for my shirt? It may have cost me $5, but it, along with its brethren, cost someone their health, rights, and human dignity.
I'm hesitant to even call it mine.
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2 comments:
So am I not supposed to buy/wear clothes? Am I supposed to not buy clothes on sale? Is it better to pay high-end for something that still probably was made for $.23 in bad conditions?
As someone who crafts, I can backup 100% that it's usually more expensive to make things yourself.
But I'm not sure what you're suggesting I can do to make it better. Buy made in the USA? While my budget is nowhere near as poor as theirs, I'm still a diehard sale/cheap shopper.
My suggestions:
1.) Be aware of the situation. Understand how blessed you are, and have humility about how many people have helped build the world you call yours.
2.) Support fair trade when possible and other economic movements that fight for worker's rights.
3.) Buy used clothing, trade with your friends, make your own, and avoid brands known for their use of sweatshops and unfair labor practices.
I'm certainly not against frugality. I think it is generally a virtue, demonstrating mindfulness, self restraint, clever investigation, and an acetic leaning.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where the desire to use less sometimes comes into conflict with other virtues. Moral dilemma!
In that case? Do your best to find a non-conflicted action. If there is still no other way, choose, but do your best to make reparations to the virtue you violated. (And remember, it is our lack of insight, flexibility, and power within a broken world that creates moral dilemmas. The greatest good is good for all.)
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