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"Those Guys" took me to see Blood Diamond tonight. It was good.
I will never buy a diamond for anyone. That has nothing to do with my having seen Blood Diamond, but it is related to the things that inspired Blood Diamond. So if there is anyone out there thinking you might want to marry me someday or something like that, I won't buy you a diamond, OK. My conscience won't allow me, just as my conscience won't allow me to EVER shop at Wal-Mart.
Aimless
2 comments:
I'm with you on the diamonds. People should know more about the diamond trade. I just can't get with you on the evils of Wal-Mart. It's easy to stick with a decision like not purchasing diamonds when there is no really good reason to purchase a diamond. However, the choice is completely different when hard-working parents have to put food on the table. Why should parents boycott Wal-Mart when they can come home with 1/3 more groceries for their money if they make one trip to Wal-Mart or Sam's Club, than if they went to Giant Eagle, Kroger, or Trader Joe's to buy groceries, and used coupons, and bought only things on sale? It doesn't make sense to me. The bottom line is that things cost money, and Wal-Mart, as crooked as they are, have managed to lower the cost margin for the consumer. Now, if I could make the same purchase elsewhere for an equivalent cost, or if I could make a better purchase elsewhere, then I would do it. For groceries, though, I saved a lot more money shopping at Wal-Mart than I do now, shopping at Kroger's. I just don't want to use up my gas and add an extra half hour of driving time to go to the Wal-Mart nearest me. However, I might take a trip out there once a month to make certain types of non-perishables purchases.
A question I have is this: If you boycott Wal-Mart, Rainforest Cafe, Sam Adams, Anheuser-Busch, various pizza companies, Bush & the Republicans, and all of these politicians/brands/corporations that you have decided to boycott or oppose, then what about all of the other politicians, brands, & corporations that do injustices in this world? There are so many corrupt industries and corrupt governments in this world. There are so many corrupt people in this world who run or fund these corporations. Why do you focus so much on the big guys? What about the Yankees, too? They suck! I think you should go after THEM.
I'm just playing with you, in a way, because I think I understand your ideals, and I agree with you, for the most part. For a time, I tried to commit myself to similar ideals, especially in my commitment to maintaining a vegetarian and mostly vegan diet. I tried to boycott milk and milk products for awhile, because I wanted to take a stand against the hormones (RBGH, for example) and pesticides (from ag runoff) that are included in milk. I tried to boycott eggs for a while (because chickens are an oppressed people). I tried to boycott certain brands of gasoline (due to human rights violations that occur in the name of profits). I boycotted Anheuser-Busch for a long while too (due to their long-standing support of Republicans & the conservatives).
After years of commitment to these types of ideals, which I still remain somewhat committed, I lowered my own standards.
I still eat a mainly vegetarian diet, but I ate turkey for Thanksgiving, because my wife wanted turkey, and i wanted to share it with her.
I eat eggs every weekend in my waffles, and I love pasta and cannot afford "eggless" pasta.
I drink mostly Silk Soymilk in my tea, coffee, cereal, and anything else that calls for "milk", but every now and again I'll have to settle for milk. I also eat lots of cheese and yogurt, the occasional ice cream, and other milk products. If I could afford organic milk every time I used a milk product, then I would do it, but I cannot.
Now, I don't like McDonalds or Wendy's or any fast food place, other than Chipotle. I love Chipotle! But, do you know what corporation owns Chipotle? McDonalds. So, does it matter that about once every few months I buy a coffee or a dessert from McDonalds, since I consume Chipotle about 3 times more than that?! No, at least I don't think so.
I still do not eat red meat. I don't eat cow. I don't eat pig. Sometimes I eat fish, but that is on rare occasions. When I eat birds it is also on rare occasions. I don't eat chicken noodle soup or soups with chicken or beef broth in them, unless I'm given false information about the soup from a restaurant server or cook.
Anyway, my point is that ideals are good to have, but I find it hard to stay committed to a lot of consumer-based ideals. Our global market economy has made it really tough to be an idealist, and I don't think most people are cut out for that kind of inconvenience.
Maybe you are? How would I know?
Take care, man! Talk to you soon.
Jay
First of all, Wal-Mart really isn't much (or any) cheaper than their competition. Second, if Wal-Mart actually is cheaper than their competition, there are huge costs involved, for the shoppers, the employees, the communities, and the whole fucking world. Those costs come in the form of low wages, employees being forced to work off the clock (as is heavily documented with Wal-Mart), elimination of more, better jobs (when a new Wal-Mart forces numerous small businesses to close their doors), and so much more.
You, the Wal-Mart shopper, may not pay the price directly, but society as a whole does pay the price, and it most likely does come back around to you, even if you don't realize it.
Obviously I cannot boycott every dirty corporation because I need what many of them offer, but I can boycott Wal-Mart because I do not need what they offer. (I don't consider it a boycott, anyway. I consider it looking out for my own interests and the interests of my peers.) You may think my refusal to support them does not make a difference, but it does, just as my vote makes a difference. I'm not going to try to explain it, either, because this is not a crusade; it's a personal decision.
The fact is, if the people don't shop at Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart can't exploit the people.
I don't boycott anyone. Rather, I choose not to support entities that don't deserve my support. Maybe you don't get it, but I do. Maybe you think I'm just trying to make a statement, but I'm not.
Same thing with my long hair and all the lecturing you've done because you think I try to make people accept me and my long hair. Well, I don't care if people judge me for having long hair. If they do, they are the ones who surrender the opportunity to benefit from what I have to offer.
So be it.
A-fucking-men.
There is someone else out there who has the brains to see beyond artificial bullshit like long hair. And the sooner I decide not to waste my time with idiots who believe long hair means ANYTHING, the sooner I'll find the people who recognize and value what I offer them.
That's not being stubborn or obstinate; that's valuable and meaningful insight.
Jay, do you think you're free? Well, you're not. And if you're honest with yourself, you know you are not even close. Well, I am free, and I become a little more free with each passing day, mostly because I do all the things for which you criticize me.
But I don't try to change you to think how I think, do I? I don't question your life's motives, do I? I don't try to pretend my ways are right for you or anyone else, do I? I don't try to force my gift on you or anyone else, do I?
Well, maybe you should choose to accept my gift, which I share via this blog. Maybe you should accept No God in your life (supposing you don't already). Maybe you should consider the possibility that perhaps I possess a kind of rare wisdom.
I won't force it on you, but I'll gladly share it with anyone who asks.
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