cheap clothes = moral debate?

[ajogal]

Please read question before voting..


I was watching a program the other night about 4 spoilt 'fashion guru' kids who went over to India to encounter all the different processes for making the clothes. so they started in the cotton fields, picking the cotton, they actually did it for a week, and got paid the same wages as the cotton pickers. what money they earned is all the money they had for their food, water and lodgings. They did all the jobs right up to the machinists who work in the sweat shops, and saw kids younger than 14 working there. So this poses two issues because whilst many would argue that having these kids working there is feeding them and their families, and if UK & US companies pull out from buying the clothes would cause further problems, then secondly we have the issue that its child labour and we're supporting it!

so would you continue to buy the clothes knowing that these kids and people are working in the most horrendous conditions?  

[ajogal]

I was looking for the actual tv program link and found this newspaper report instead Bargain retailers Tescos, Asda (Wal Mart), Primark  

[Heen-san]

and there is a touchy subject because then youre getting into world politics. i understand where you're coming from because thats how it was here in the US before changes finally came about. its the people within that country that need to stand up to make the change because its the owners of the sweat shops who are making all the money by paying out as little as possible. if you need to buy clothes you need to buy clothes but are you going to check everytime to see where its being made from? would say more but i gotta get back to work. hope this helps a little bit.  

[roger3737]

OMG!!!im blown away i had no idea that was happening!!!i dont know what to say other than freakin walmart they sux!!!!!!!  

[ajogal]

Yeah it could be seen as a political argument, and fully agree that the people need to stand up for their rights, but for them, I suppose its a catch 22 situation in that they don't know any different, and if they do and then try and stand up for their rights, then they don't eat cry
I think what blew me away was just how little enforcement is carried out regarding children working in those places, considering walmart etc, etc, all claim to have ethics policies within their dealings and say they ensure that kids don't work in their supplier.. that tv report found that to be false..

Anyway, there are 2 sides to everything, and whilst I know that I personally haven't got the guts to fly over there and give their government the kick they need or go into asda etc, etc and give them what for, what I can do is change my shopping habits and of course highlighted this to my friends... We do check cloth labels now, and where possible, we buy fairtrade, which I know is a wimps way out, but I like to think I'm making a single little ripple on a big pond.... ...

Thanks for your comments Heen & Lexusmum biggrin  

[Master kaminoshi]

You can't just... not...

Buy local!
Buy second hand.
Buy on Craigslist.
Pass hand me downs on.
Donate to thrift stores.
Sell on Craigslist.

But you can't just run around nekkid!