I know I've ranted about this before, but I continue to ponder the decline of our values when I read news stories like the one I saw first thing this morning.
Every morning when I turn on the computer, I check out the Yahoo news items. This morning I opened up this story about a Chinese factory worker who wrote a letter and put it in a Halloween product that was manufactured over there, and it made me very sad.
I have had to explain to my son that the reason we can go to Walmart or Old Navy and buy shirts very cheaply is because of American companies manufacturing their products overseas, where labor is cheap.
After the civil war, here in the south, textile mill workers were treated very poorly by managers. Labor unions improved conditions and pay for workers. However, with the passage of NAFTA, companies were able to build plants overseas and reap huge profits. This article about the textile industry in North Carolina explains it very well.
When I was in Kazakhstan adopting Michael, I told my agency rep that I wanted to go to a store and buy Michael an outfit to wear to court, some new clothes. In the orphanage the kids all share clothes and Michael had no clothes of his own. In Kazakhstan you have to look nice for court and since Michael was 10 he had to appear in court and answer questions, and confirm he wanted to be adopted. We went to several stores before even finding one that sold children's clothes, and when we did, I ended up paying something like $75 for a shirt, pants, and new shoes. The clothes had been made in Czechoslovakia.
I had been spoiled by shopping at Walmart and finding really inexpensive clothes.
What actually puzzles me is why [non wealthy] people go to the mall and pay full retail for clothes. I am truly confused by that behavior. We found a Joseph A. Banks blue blazer for Michael at Goodwill for less than $5. It looks brand new. He only wears it to church so it doesn't have to be particularly sturdy, but Banks' clothing is very well made. Even on sale their blazers start at $135. We've found tons of designer clothes at Goodwill, though.
Why not make high quality goods, and recycle clothes?!
When I was going to the Episcopal Day School in Augusta, in kindergarten and first grade, a lot of the kids were from very well to do or even wealthy families. Yet, parents swapped clothes, and I wore a lot of hand-me-downs. I didn't care. What's wrong with hand-me-downs??
A 14 year old boy who went to Michael's middle school last year and was well known to Michael and Colton was found dead at his home before Christmas, and news stories indicate that he was likely robbed and killed over tennis shoes. He bought and sold pricey shoes. I am horrified to even type that, killed over tennis shoes.
What on earth?!?
What is wrong with keeping your clothes and wearing them until they are worn out?
Why does everyone have to wear the latest fashions?
Fashion used to be about pretty, elegant, well-made clothes. Now, most fashionable clothes look like they were designed by heavily medicated people. Check out the Fall 2013 line from Women's Wear Daily, available 8 months in advance. Even if I was a size 2, I wouldn't wear any outfit in that entire lineup. Ugh.
The older I get, the more I realize that comfort and practicality are so much more important than anything else. And I think any heel more than 2 inches high ought to be banned by law. I see women tottering around in 3 inch spiked heels and I just shudder. One misstep on a slick floor and they are in for a busted knee or lifetime back pain, or worse. Why on earth take the risk? I've read too many slip-and-fall lawsuits to ever wear heels like that again.
I wish I could offer pithy conclusions here but I can't, not really. I just wish parents would say to their kids, "let's NOT put ourselves into deep debt buying you expensive brands."
Let's bring back manufacturing jobs to the USA, and stop the slave labor conditions overseas.
I appreciate my friend Cindy's posting a link to 8 Things You Must Give Up to Find Peace - I like what he says about the notion that Happiness isn't about STUFF.
"We’re bombarded with images of stuff, with the implication that this stuff somehow elevates personal value and success. So I encourage you to think about how much of your self-worth is connected to owning, giving, and getting STUFF. Because truthfully, success, happiness, and peace of mind have little to do with STUFF."
We truly don't need to much stuff. One of my personal projects for 2013 will be to make a lot of trips to Goodwill, giving away stuff we don't need. I'd like to reduce possessions to the few things we really need and use.
Talk amongst yourselves...
This is a prom dress I got Alesia on eBay for $25.
