Save Money. Live Better?

The other day I came across an article in “Adbusters” that said that the average person sees about 3000 ads a day. That means that in a year we are exposed to 109,500 advertisements. These kinds of numbers terrify me and make me question the values of this society. Moreover, they make me question the value I hold as a citizen. Who am I? Am I a student? A woman? A wife? A friend? No, what these numbers suggest is that I am (predominantly) a consumer. I am not exposed to 109,500 messages a year about how to be a good person, I am exposed to the messages that tell me how to shop. Therefore, according to this logic, my true value lies in my spending power.

For the last two years (2008-2009) Walmart (the obvious villain), for example, made $806 billion dollars in sales alone (dailyfinance.com). Yet, according to Anup Shah (2010), the editor of globalissues.com, “the world’s poorest countries (roughly 60 countries classified as low-income by the World Bank) owe […] $523 billion” in 2002. (This is collective debt, as Shah makes no distinction of individual countries in his article). It seems to me that what is at stake here is not the quality of life, but the value of it. Since the people in the poorest countries do not spend as much money as people in the rich countries (or their money does not have as much value as the all mighty dollar), it makes it okay to take their resources, and enslave and kill them indiscriminately to get the materials that are needed to make the goods that we (the valued customers) buy at Walmart.

Think about it. When you buy a $9 t-shirt at Walmart, how much of that $9 goes towards paying for the people in Bangladesh that made the shirt for you? How much of this price goes towards the people that tended to the cotton from which this shirt is made? My guess is probably not very much (it also does not account for the health risks associated with working in these factories and plantations). Yet, being a student and hence perpetually poor, I understand the plight of the lower class. It is expensive to live in this world and places like Walmart offer a haven of low prices and abundance of product. However, goods that are bought at low prices (commonly knows as “cheap-crap”) do not last that long and we (the poor schmoes) are forced to go back to Walmart and purchase the same cheap-crap that has failed in the first place. Thus the cycle of crap begins! We buy and throw away – lather and repeat. Annie Leonard, the founder of “The Story of Stuff Project,” states that the life of most electronics lasts about 3 months, which is purposefully done to keep you buying. General Electric, for example, does not profit from making things that last, they profit from things that break.

So, where is the integrity? Where is the pride in what you make? Nowhere! Let’s face it, when it comes to consumerism, business ethics are dead. The integrity and responsibility falls on you, the consumer. What can you do to help? It’s simple,

- Buy local whenever possible (Farmers’ Markets should be your frequent stop).

- Take pride in your ownership and, as a result, buy things to be proud of (not cheap-crap). This help your stuff last longer, which will make you shop less.

- Think about what you buy. Do you really need five Glade products or a Swiffer product for every surface in your house? What’s wrong with a wet cloth for dusting?

In other words, be a responsible consumer. Corporations will always be corrupt – this is a burden of living in a monetary economy. You, however, can make choices that tell these companies that people matter, not stuff.

Resources:

http://transfair.ca/en/products/products-canada Excellent source of fair trade products in Canada.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/ The Story of Stuff Project

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ You don’t want to be them :)

http://wakeupwalmart.com/facts/ Facts that you should know about Walmart

http://transfair.ca/en/business-centre/registered-companies List of companies that are registered as fair trade.

Also, support your local Farmers’ Market!

Image taken from www.anunews.net