Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 4501

http://www.nosweatshop.com/

This site contains links to stores which only employ union employees, and which sell absolutely nothing that was manufactured in a sweatshop.

I'm curious if anyone has other links, or information, about shopping choices like these.

I'm also curious about people's shopping choices. Are there things you just won't buy, display, etc? Why or why not?

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Boston
Posts: 6562

I buy everyone CDs and DVDs, basically. Other than yo-yos and comic books, what the hell else could most people ask for?

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Boston
Posts: 6562

Oh so sexy!

Attachment: picture 108.jpg
This has been downloaded 110 time(s).

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2003
Location: The Thorax
Posts: 29

My idea of socially conscious shopping is actually to buy goods from retailers or vendors who DON'T use union employees. Unions are a very good idea gone very bad. They promote poor product quality. They actually serve to pidgeon hole workers. Or else kill the company by making fiscally unreasonable demands.

Other things I won't wear or buy or whatever

• pleated pants. i don't know how, but i group this in with a crime against society.
• Stuff with logos all over. If I ever become one of those adidas jumpsuit/headband/shoes wearing guys pls put me out of your misery

__________________

[Ignore Sig]

All Roads Lead To Infinity

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Boston
Posts: 6562

GGRRRRRROOOOOOWWWWLLLLLL!!!

*humps the yo-yo*

Attachment: picture 107.jpg
This has been downloaded 107 time(s).

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Boston, MA, Center of the Universe
Posts: 4509

Yeah, what Thewang said. Supporting unions for the sake of supporting unions doesn't strike me as being particularly conscientious.

Fortunately, since I was too hung over to show up for Christmas at my father's side of the family last year and I haven't seen any of them since, I still have the stack of presents I was going to give them last year all wrapped up and tagged. I don't remember what any of them are, but if all else fails, I can just give those and hope none of them were perishable.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10413

The only "socially-conscientious" shopping I do is to buy goods/services from shops in my suburb/neighborhood if possible. Like buying a shovel at the neighborhood hardware rather than Home Depot.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2003
Location: The Thorax
Posts: 29

why is that better devilmoon?

(curious to hear your opinon, this is one of my favorite discussions)

__________________

[Ignore Sig]

All Roads Lead To Infinity

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10413

Well, I am not sure if the example that I gave was the best, but I just like supporting people that are taking some risk on investing in my community. Most of the time I will get better service and be in and out quicker as well. Also, should I have a problem I would rather talk to the guy that owns the place and not a minimum wage high school student.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2003
Location: The Thorax
Posts: 29

cool. good reasons. i was all hoping to debate the nature of capitalism and such with you.

__________________

[Ignore Sig]

All Roads Lead To Infinity

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Apr 2001
Location:
Posts: 16671

quote:

---

Originally posted by bunkum
http://www.nosweatshop.com/

This site contains links to stores which only employ union employees, and which sell absolutely nothing that was manufactured in a sweatshop.

I'm curious if anyone has other links, or information, about shopping choices like these.

I'm also curious about people's shopping choices. Are there things you just won't buy, display, etc? Why or why not?

---

__________________

[Ignore Sig]

taste the fucking rainbow

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Apr 2001
Location:
Posts: 16671

quote:

---

Originally posted by Hwarang
My idea of socially conscious shopping is actually to buy goods from retailers or vendors who DON'T use union employees. Unions are a very good idea gone very bad. They promote poor product quality. They actually serve to pidgeon hole workers. Or else kill the company by making fiscally unreasonable demands.

---

__________________

[Ignore Sig]

taste the fucking rainbow

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Apr 2001
Location:
Posts: 16671

quote:

---

Originally posted by Hwarang
All of the sudden I fell in love with the world

---

__________________

[Ignore Sig]

taste the fucking rainbow

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17889

quote:

---

originally written by Oxsan

I love grapes. Two days ago I bought a perforated plastic bag of grapes at the supermarket and carried them home and put them in the refrigerator. Today I decided that I would eat the grapes as an appetizer before my normal fish supper. As I got them out of the refrigerator I thought of the time that my daughter had refused to eat grapes at home because she was protesting against California grape growers at the request of Cesar Chavez. As I took them over to the sink to wash them I noticed that they were grown in Chile. Imagine a country of 3,675,031 square miles area, most of which would support grape growth, importing grapes from Chile. Why?

Now, I have lived through every war of the twentieth century fought by the U.S. except the Boxer Rebellion and the World War I. In none of those wars did I ever at any time feel threatened when in the United States. But when I looked at that bag of Chilean grapes I had a creepy feeling. I had just heard over the radio that a second case of anthrax had been reported in Florida from the same office building as the first case reported a week or so ago--and the guy who got it this time worked in the mail room. I was just about to wash the grapes when this image appears before me of Omar Ahtief (probably misspelled), who is Usama bin Laden's Operations Chief, explaining to Usama the new project he is working on. Omar says, " You see, we buy this old Greek freighter for a song and sail it over to Chile and offer cut rates to take a load of grapes to the U.S. We register the freighter in Liberia or Panama. Because of our rates we get a quick load of black Chilean grapes in those perforated plastic bags and slatted crates, and on the way to San Francisco we spray the whole lot with anthrax. The U.S. Feds will search us for drugs but they don't have dogs that can smell...". So it was going when I started to wash the grapes and saw the little spots of white powder on the grapes. I went and got my surgical gloves and my 7X loupe, but with that the white powder just looked like little spheres. It was probably just yeast, which is natural on all grapes, but after all who wants to eat yeasty grapes and have the great Cesar Chavez to have done his work in vain. So I threw them in the garbage and decided to have a glass of good Cabernet Sauvignon instead. GUESS WHAT? The wine was labeled in small print "grown and bottled in the valle centrale of Chile." Bastards couldn't even spell "central valley". But it was pretty good wine.

---

__________________

[Ignore Sig]

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Beyond Mason-Dixon Line
Posts: 16165

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mugtoe
. . . Dad also has an ongoing love-hate relationship with WalMart that lacks any real love.

---

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2001
Location: finding the new flesh after killing the old one
Posts: 1978

wow, lots of hostility to unions here .. hmn .. most union bosses tend to end up self serving assholes, something of a problem .. but the idea of unions are bad thing to a lot of people who posted here ... wtf, why such hostility?

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: A New England
Posts: 9166

Unions is the US bear no comparison to those in the UK.

In the US unions = protectionism (but to the detriment of those not union)

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Beyond Mason-Dixon Line
Posts: 16165

I cannot condemn the entire union system by my own limited experience with 'em. Nevertheless, for however little it may be worth . . .

I have belonged to two different unions over the years. Each time, I felt like I was workin' fer two bosses, instead o' one, except I got t'pay money each month t'one of m'bosses (the union). I felt like those unions operated merely to perpetuate their continued existence.

Amen.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 10121

There's also a political component to unions here, that has grown over the years. Unions support (and through dues, their members) primarily politically left candidates (Dick Gephardt, a candidate for Pres., usually gets very strong union support, though Howard Dean may be usurping him this time.)

Within the last decade, union members are now allowed to opt out of paying dues that can be used for political purposes. But there are still open vs. closed shops. In some places, you MUST join the union in order to be employed. Some states have laws forbidding this, but Gephardt is proposing eliminating these "right to work" laws in 30+ states.

Last edited by MstrG on 12-03-2003 at 11:06 PM

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 4501

I'm not a fan of most unions, to be quite honest -- however, unions which are not compulsory and which cost nothing to very little to belong don't bother me generally, because they don't tend to be the ones who demand $20 an hour for a custodian who's not allowed to change lightbulbs.

However, I am very much opposed to sweat shops, and was happy to see *some* alternative to them, even if it's not the best.

Choose yer evil, I suppose?

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: LfuckinA
Posts: 3350

i also check out http://www.globalexchange.org/ it's where i started my study of sweatshops.

glad to have you back, bunkum.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Apr 2001
Location:
Posts: 16671

somebody started a thread about sweatshops that turned out to be a rather good discussion, I think it may have been one of paints "devils advocate" threads or something.
it would be worth a "top" if I could be arsed to search it.

__________________

[Ignore Sig]

taste the fucking rainbow

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged