I heard this on NPR the other day and decided to look into it a little today. I found this article. Anyway, a Chinese guy was arrested (and sentenced to five years on prison) for getting signatures on a petition that said, "We want human rights, not the Olympics". How dare he say that he would prefer to be treated as a real human rather than have the pomp and circumstance of the Olympics to glorify his country... His country that keeps him in a cycle of oppression.
Also in the news recently was the FLDS temple that was recently taken by police because of alleged sexual and physical abuse occurring on the grounds. Most Americans seem to support the idea of taking the children out of the group so that the can live a normal life free of abuse and brainwashing. (Abuse and brainwashing has not been proven in this incidence and I may talk about it again later because I think it is an interesting topic, but I feel safe in saying that if there was abuse and brainwashing most people would approve getting the kids out of the situation.)
I think it's odd that we are against abuse and brainwashing in this country, but we go to Wal-Mart or almost any other store and pick up goods that were made in China under inhumane conditions and think nothing of it. We want to protect the children in this country, but Chinese children are of lesser value? Please don't tell me you believe that. I know why we buy the cheap products that were made in China, it's because they are less expensive. Are we really ready to sell our souls and in many ways support child abuse and inhumane conditions so that we can have cheap stuff? Drive by a Wal-Mart and check out the polling station...
Showing posts with label Walmart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Walmart. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
10 biggest corporations
Evidently my vocabulary is not as precise as I had hoped. I think I was looking for the biggest corporations which I equate with businesses. Evidently businesses are more like sectors in the true vernacular. Anyway, here are the top 10 corporations in the world.
1. Wal-Mart (retail)
2. Exxon-Mobile (petroleum)
3. Royal Dutch Shell (petroleum)
4. British Petroleum (petroleum)
5. General Motors (auto manufacturer)
6. Toyota (auto manufacturer)
7. Chevron (petroleum)
8. Daimler Chrysler (auto manufacturer)
9. Conoco Phillips (petroleum)
10. Total (petroleum)
Do you see anything these companies have in common?
I'm going to be honest, I want to blog more about simplicity and less about politics and stuff. This list really makes me mad and I see HUGE problems in the world as a result of the power that these corporations have. Proceed at your own risk.
Tomorrow I have a good post planned, but for today I want to express some views on these big businesses. I suppose I have no problem with big business, if they are responsible and contribute to a good world. When it is all about making more money for a few at the expense of the masses, it makes me mad. What really makes me mad is that they have such a stronghold so deep in our political system that I can't do much. It would take far more power than I can get together.
I saw a You tube clip the other day about big business in politics that I liked. I would link to it, but the profanity was such that I am not going to. Anyway, the guy started talking about big business and how they are powerful lobbies in Washington. I don't think there is any argument there. This guy went as far as to say that the reason our (US) education system stinks is because big business wants it that way. If the masses really understood the power of a democracy and the importance of the people having a voice rather than big business running things, there would be less money in the pockets of big business. So how does big business prevent this? They help keep people less educated by continuing with status quo education while the rest of the world moves ahead.
I want to throw in an example just for fun. The state of Utah recently refused to allow students in high school participate in the International Baccalaureate program. While scholastically this program puts students well ahead with a broad understanding of the world, my elected officials refused to allow it because understanding a world view seems to be breeding anti-American sentiments. There is a lot that I love about my country. The fact that I can write this is a big one, things could certainly be much worse. The problem is that we fear too much about what others think of us and we can't allow that into schools. Lets hide the truth from students so that they can continue as naive to the world as their parents. That way big business can continue as usual.
I also want to add that the whole democratic process is so complex that it gets out of the hands of the people. Lets take city council as an example. Attendance at those meetings is sparse at best. That should be one of the biggest meetings of the community, but that lethargy of residents overrides any importance it may hold. That's not big business' fault, but they certainly take advantage of it. The whole process also seems so complex that most people can't figure it out. Big business likes that way, they can continue on without the obnoxious uneducated towns people interfering.
I know what we could do, we could have our government subsidize the production of oil to make it so the big businesses can make more money. Oh, we already do that.
Hey Vertigo, can I come live with you in Canada? I think communal living sounds like it could be fun.
Tomorrow will be better, I promise, but I feel better getting that off my chest.
1. Wal-Mart (retail)
2. Exxon-Mobile (petroleum)
3. Royal Dutch Shell (petroleum)
4. British Petroleum (petroleum)
5. General Motors (auto manufacturer)
6. Toyota (auto manufacturer)
7. Chevron (petroleum)
8. Daimler Chrysler (auto manufacturer)
9. Conoco Phillips (petroleum)
10. Total (petroleum)
Do you see anything these companies have in common?
I'm going to be honest, I want to blog more about simplicity and less about politics and stuff. This list really makes me mad and I see HUGE problems in the world as a result of the power that these corporations have. Proceed at your own risk.
Tomorrow I have a good post planned, but for today I want to express some views on these big businesses. I suppose I have no problem with big business, if they are responsible and contribute to a good world. When it is all about making more money for a few at the expense of the masses, it makes me mad. What really makes me mad is that they have such a stronghold so deep in our political system that I can't do much. It would take far more power than I can get together.
I saw a You tube clip the other day about big business in politics that I liked. I would link to it, but the profanity was such that I am not going to. Anyway, the guy started talking about big business and how they are powerful lobbies in Washington. I don't think there is any argument there. This guy went as far as to say that the reason our (US) education system stinks is because big business wants it that way. If the masses really understood the power of a democracy and the importance of the people having a voice rather than big business running things, there would be less money in the pockets of big business. So how does big business prevent this? They help keep people less educated by continuing with status quo education while the rest of the world moves ahead.
I want to throw in an example just for fun. The state of Utah recently refused to allow students in high school participate in the International Baccalaureate program. While scholastically this program puts students well ahead with a broad understanding of the world, my elected officials refused to allow it because understanding a world view seems to be breeding anti-American sentiments. There is a lot that I love about my country. The fact that I can write this is a big one, things could certainly be much worse. The problem is that we fear too much about what others think of us and we can't allow that into schools. Lets hide the truth from students so that they can continue as naive to the world as their parents. That way big business can continue as usual.
I also want to add that the whole democratic process is so complex that it gets out of the hands of the people. Lets take city council as an example. Attendance at those meetings is sparse at best. That should be one of the biggest meetings of the community, but that lethargy of residents overrides any importance it may hold. That's not big business' fault, but they certainly take advantage of it. The whole process also seems so complex that most people can't figure it out. Big business likes that way, they can continue on without the obnoxious uneducated towns people interfering.
I know what we could do, we could have our government subsidize the production of oil to make it so the big businesses can make more money. Oh, we already do that.
Hey Vertigo, can I come live with you in Canada? I think communal living sounds like it could be fun.
Tomorrow will be better, I promise, but I feel better getting that off my chest.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Plastic bags
By popular demand, I'm going to write about plastic bags today. OK, one person made the recommendation and that is as popular as I have ever been. Anyway, you can go back and read the comment on yesterday's post, or you can believe what I say here as a sort of preface.
The commenter told of a recent PTA meeting wherein Wal-Mart would be sponsoring a competition to collect plastic bags for recycling. The competition, if I understand correctly, was to see which school can collect the most plastic bags for recycling, and the winning school won some money. One competitive PTA member suggested going through the self check out line and putting each item purchased into an individual bag to increase recycling potential... I believe it was the principle that suggested that strategy.
I would have to say that this is one of the purest works of genius I've ever heard and I could only recommend minor improvements on the principle's strategy. I would suggest that instead of buying things at Wal-Mart and going through the self check out, instead you go to Wal-Mart, you don't buy anything and then you steal a bunch of plastic bags on the way out. Now we are taking plastic bags from the store which surely cost the store something in an effort to win money provided by the store. I wonder if you could steal enough plastic bags to bankrupt Wal-Mart...
Sure there is a little problem in the fact that it is a lot like cheating that we are being a little dishonest in our accumulation of plastic bags. And there may also be some question of the message being sent to the children. OK, no real question, the message is "win at all costs". There are also some overtones of "recycling will save the world!!! Use more so that you can recycle it!!"
I've got some stats that I read somewhere (I don't recall whether or not it was a reliable source) and may have even partially forgotten. Anyway, I heard once that there is only about a 5% reduction in energy when comparing recycling plastic to making it new (aluminum cans, on the other hand, are quite energy efficient to recycle). Then there is the question of what Wal-Mart will do with the plastic bags. There are recycling programs that do their best to take used plastic bags, melt them down and make new plastic products out of them. Like I said earlier, it isn't very efficient and it's a polluting process, but it may be better than simply putting them in the trash. Other plastic bag collection places end up selling the used bags to other groups and they end up in China as an inexpensive fuel to burn. Of course the gases released when plastic bags are burned are quite toxic. And they do circle the globe to cause health problems not only to the Chinese, but to the people and animals of the rest of the world.
Of course I missed the HUGE point on this topic. The idea should be to teach children to be environmentally friendly. If I were on a PTA, this is the point that I would make. Environmentally friendliness is three-fold and in order of importance: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. If you don't use the bags, you don't have to spend the energy to recycle them. A cloth bag really works just as well and you can use it for hundreds of shopping trips. Hypothetically you could reuse bags, although I know that our local grocer will not allow us to because if meat was packed in the bag before, it could cross contaminate and cause health problems. We never buy meat, but we still can't reuse plastic bags. I do, however, use plastic bags on cold, wet days between two layers of socks to keep my feet warm and dry. Recycling isn't a bad thing, but it's a last resort. I will recycle my plastic bags after they develop holes from being worn as foot warmers.
I think in a PTA meeting the point needs to be made that we are trying to teach kids about being environmentally conscious, we're not trying to win a competition. Maybe all the facts should be presented to the children and then ask them what is the best for the earth. If they tell you that the competition isn't the best thing for the planet, you could ask what could be done to help the planet. Hopefully they get to the points of reduce and reuse, but you may even want to suggest that a letter to Wal-Mart articulating the problems with the competition could be a benefit to the earth because it could prevent future competitions that promote people wasting bags. How cool would that be to get an entire elementary school to write letters to Wal-Mart as a sort of protest for a poorly designed competition.
The commenter told of a recent PTA meeting wherein Wal-Mart would be sponsoring a competition to collect plastic bags for recycling. The competition, if I understand correctly, was to see which school can collect the most plastic bags for recycling, and the winning school won some money. One competitive PTA member suggested going through the self check out line and putting each item purchased into an individual bag to increase recycling potential... I believe it was the principle that suggested that strategy.
I would have to say that this is one of the purest works of genius I've ever heard and I could only recommend minor improvements on the principle's strategy. I would suggest that instead of buying things at Wal-Mart and going through the self check out, instead you go to Wal-Mart, you don't buy anything and then you steal a bunch of plastic bags on the way out. Now we are taking plastic bags from the store which surely cost the store something in an effort to win money provided by the store. I wonder if you could steal enough plastic bags to bankrupt Wal-Mart...
Sure there is a little problem in the fact that it is a lot like cheating that we are being a little dishonest in our accumulation of plastic bags. And there may also be some question of the message being sent to the children. OK, no real question, the message is "win at all costs". There are also some overtones of "recycling will save the world!!! Use more so that you can recycle it!!"
I've got some stats that I read somewhere (I don't recall whether or not it was a reliable source) and may have even partially forgotten. Anyway, I heard once that there is only about a 5% reduction in energy when comparing recycling plastic to making it new (aluminum cans, on the other hand, are quite energy efficient to recycle). Then there is the question of what Wal-Mart will do with the plastic bags. There are recycling programs that do their best to take used plastic bags, melt them down and make new plastic products out of them. Like I said earlier, it isn't very efficient and it's a polluting process, but it may be better than simply putting them in the trash. Other plastic bag collection places end up selling the used bags to other groups and they end up in China as an inexpensive fuel to burn. Of course the gases released when plastic bags are burned are quite toxic. And they do circle the globe to cause health problems not only to the Chinese, but to the people and animals of the rest of the world.
Of course I missed the HUGE point on this topic. The idea should be to teach children to be environmentally friendly. If I were on a PTA, this is the point that I would make. Environmentally friendliness is three-fold and in order of importance: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. If you don't use the bags, you don't have to spend the energy to recycle them. A cloth bag really works just as well and you can use it for hundreds of shopping trips. Hypothetically you could reuse bags, although I know that our local grocer will not allow us to because if meat was packed in the bag before, it could cross contaminate and cause health problems. We never buy meat, but we still can't reuse plastic bags. I do, however, use plastic bags on cold, wet days between two layers of socks to keep my feet warm and dry. Recycling isn't a bad thing, but it's a last resort. I will recycle my plastic bags after they develop holes from being worn as foot warmers.
I think in a PTA meeting the point needs to be made that we are trying to teach kids about being environmentally conscious, we're not trying to win a competition. Maybe all the facts should be presented to the children and then ask them what is the best for the earth. If they tell you that the competition isn't the best thing for the planet, you could ask what could be done to help the planet. Hopefully they get to the points of reduce and reuse, but you may even want to suggest that a letter to Wal-Mart articulating the problems with the competition could be a benefit to the earth because it could prevent future competitions that promote people wasting bags. How cool would that be to get an entire elementary school to write letters to Wal-Mart as a sort of protest for a poorly designed competition.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
I've been contemplating this post for awhile. Last week I expressed my distaste for the 4th of July. I have wanted to move on, but I have some thoughts that I just can't get out of my mind. I can't get any other ideas, so I'm going to share more thoughts on independence day.
First off, I want to make it known that I love the country that I live in and the freedoms we have. I am posting on the lack of independence not to bash the US, but to call attention to our hypocrisies in an attempt to encourage people to participate in increasing the liberties in our country and others.
When I think of independence I think of freedom, and the opportunity to act freely without oversight of others. The United States have NEVER been independent. Sure, we celebrate our independence from the King of England on the 4th of July. That is the day that American leaders declared that they wanted autonomy from British rule. True, our government is independent, but the people never have been.
At the time we declared independence from Great Britain, the economy of the Southern states were supported significantly by slavery. That is the antithesis of freedom. Sure the whites where independent from the rule of others, but were they really "free" if they depended on slavery to support their financial success? I would consider our early American ancestors enslaved to cheap labor at the expense of other humans. They weren't free, they depended on the slavery of others and were thus themselves enslaved.
Likewise, we are today enslaved by cheap goods that come to us at the expense of others' liberties. I think of the fourth of July when we are supposed to be celebrating our independence and freedom. We light of Chinese made fireworks. I actually stopped by a fireworks stand and asked if they had anything made in the US. They didn't know and had no idea why I would ask something so silly. They have cheap fireworks, what more could I want? I want to be free from the oppression of Chinese workers that made those fireworks so inexpensive.
Let's continue with the 4th of July, it's not all about fireworks, we also have picnics and bar-b-ques. Let's take a look at a fresh ear of corn that we bought at the store. It came from the US, surely it demonstrates our independence. Not exactly. The only reason that we can afford US produced corn is because it is heavily subsidized by the US government. So the corn seems inexpensive at the store because you pay for it on April 15th of every year. You remember the taxes Uncle Sam took from your paycheck, part of that money went to make corn affordable. What, you don't eat corn? If you pay taxes in the US, you still pay for it... That doesn't sound like independence to me. Additionally, the US subsidies of corn and other crops pushes down the cost on the world market, making it nearly impossible for other countries to sell their goods at a price competitive with the subsidized US prices. This keeps the poor countries impoverished and dependent on the mighty US dollar.
We also eat beef and chicken on the Fourth of July. They're generally fed corn that was subsidized to make it less expensive.
The "freedoms" and affluence of American society that much of the world looks up to is dependent on the oppression of countries around the world. Every time you purchase "inexpensive" goods at Wal-Mart or other large chain stores that import the vast majority of their goods from overseas, you are paying to oppress and enslave a fellow human being. The goods that clutter our houses are signs of our dependence on cheap foreign goods... our dependence on slavery (now we've shipped that overseas, along with many American jobs, but it's still slavery). From it's inception, our country and it's "prosperity" has been dependent on slavery. We are a sovereign country that is free from outside rule, but we are enslaved to the oppression of our fellow human beings.
There are certainly exceptions to this in the history of the United States. The Amish and the Puritans established communities that were independent and able to subside on their own goods. The Mormons, when they first migrated to Utah were independent. The Amish are the only group that I can think of that are still independent (if this is only a case of my ignorance, please enlighten me to other groups). But the average American makes fun of the Amish and their impoverished lifestyle exemplified by their horse and buggy. Americans are above that... No, I think that Americans are far below that.
Emily brought up the point of family and the Fourth of July. Independence day is a wonderful time to get together with family and spend time together. I love any time that I have to spend with my family and the 4th of July is no exception (except they were away this year). My disappointment is that my reliance on cheap goods makes it so children in other countries have to go work in sweat shops, breaking apart families and enslaving children. Forcing young and old alike to work long hours with little pay to support my need for cheap goods. I love my family, but it is time that we take a look outside of the United States... It's a big world out there that we are influencing.
How about that for a rant. I got it off my chest, now hopefully I will return to simple living and cycling as subjects rather than posts like this.
First off, I want to make it known that I love the country that I live in and the freedoms we have. I am posting on the lack of independence not to bash the US, but to call attention to our hypocrisies in an attempt to encourage people to participate in increasing the liberties in our country and others.
When I think of independence I think of freedom, and the opportunity to act freely without oversight of others. The United States have NEVER been independent. Sure, we celebrate our independence from the King of England on the 4th of July. That is the day that American leaders declared that they wanted autonomy from British rule. True, our government is independent, but the people never have been.
At the time we declared independence from Great Britain, the economy of the Southern states were supported significantly by slavery. That is the antithesis of freedom. Sure the whites where independent from the rule of others, but were they really "free" if they depended on slavery to support their financial success? I would consider our early American ancestors enslaved to cheap labor at the expense of other humans. They weren't free, they depended on the slavery of others and were thus themselves enslaved.
Likewise, we are today enslaved by cheap goods that come to us at the expense of others' liberties. I think of the fourth of July when we are supposed to be celebrating our independence and freedom. We light of Chinese made fireworks. I actually stopped by a fireworks stand and asked if they had anything made in the US. They didn't know and had no idea why I would ask something so silly. They have cheap fireworks, what more could I want? I want to be free from the oppression of Chinese workers that made those fireworks so inexpensive.
Let's continue with the 4th of July, it's not all about fireworks, we also have picnics and bar-b-ques. Let's take a look at a fresh ear of corn that we bought at the store. It came from the US, surely it demonstrates our independence. Not exactly. The only reason that we can afford US produced corn is because it is heavily subsidized by the US government. So the corn seems inexpensive at the store because you pay for it on April 15th of every year. You remember the taxes Uncle Sam took from your paycheck, part of that money went to make corn affordable. What, you don't eat corn? If you pay taxes in the US, you still pay for it... That doesn't sound like independence to me. Additionally, the US subsidies of corn and other crops pushes down the cost on the world market, making it nearly impossible for other countries to sell their goods at a price competitive with the subsidized US prices. This keeps the poor countries impoverished and dependent on the mighty US dollar.
We also eat beef and chicken on the Fourth of July. They're generally fed corn that was subsidized to make it less expensive.
The "freedoms" and affluence of American society that much of the world looks up to is dependent on the oppression of countries around the world. Every time you purchase "inexpensive" goods at Wal-Mart or other large chain stores that import the vast majority of their goods from overseas, you are paying to oppress and enslave a fellow human being. The goods that clutter our houses are signs of our dependence on cheap foreign goods... our dependence on slavery (now we've shipped that overseas, along with many American jobs, but it's still slavery). From it's inception, our country and it's "prosperity" has been dependent on slavery. We are a sovereign country that is free from outside rule, but we are enslaved to the oppression of our fellow human beings.
There are certainly exceptions to this in the history of the United States. The Amish and the Puritans established communities that were independent and able to subside on their own goods. The Mormons, when they first migrated to Utah were independent. The Amish are the only group that I can think of that are still independent (if this is only a case of my ignorance, please enlighten me to other groups). But the average American makes fun of the Amish and their impoverished lifestyle exemplified by their horse and buggy. Americans are above that... No, I think that Americans are far below that.
Emily brought up the point of family and the Fourth of July. Independence day is a wonderful time to get together with family and spend time together. I love any time that I have to spend with my family and the 4th of July is no exception (except they were away this year). My disappointment is that my reliance on cheap goods makes it so children in other countries have to go work in sweat shops, breaking apart families and enslaving children. Forcing young and old alike to work long hours with little pay to support my need for cheap goods. I love my family, but it is time that we take a look outside of the United States... It's a big world out there that we are influencing.
How about that for a rant. I got it off my chest, now hopefully I will return to simple living and cycling as subjects rather than posts like this.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
I hate the 4th of July
To begin I just want it to be known that I love this country and I love Independence day. It is the 4th of July that I dislike... a lot. I'll explain as the post proceeds.
I got a lot of good comments on my last post and I just want to clarify, because last post was a sort of precursor to today's topic. First off, I think it is OK to have "special" occasions, and I think it's great to celebrate a good cause. I just question why people go against their fundamental principles when they "celebrate". If the event is so "special" why don't we use it as an excuse to progress in our goal to live the life we want to live? Phil mentioned that he eats meat on weekends and that is how he separates things and remains a vegetarian the rest of the week. I like that. My wife and I only eat sweets on holidays... It started out that we only ate sweets on weekends, but then that was all we ate on weekends and it wasn't serving its purpose. I know that sweets aren't good for me and I know that I feel like crud when I eat too many sweets. Why to I sabotage my holidays by making those the occasions when I partake?
Anyway, I was going to talk about the Fourth of July. It's a day for BBQ, family get togethers and fireworks. I'm all for family get togethers, and I"m not completely against BBQ. Why do we celebrate the Fourth by blowing stuff up? It's probably a symbol of war and the fights we made for our independence. How many students today know what we celebrate on the Fourth of July? Surely some do. How many know how long we have been independent and the history behind our independence? I'm guessing that fewer students know things like this. If you ask someone what they are doing for the Fourth, how often will they say, "celebrating my independence"? How often will they say, "BBQ and fireworks". I'm guessing the latter is far more common.
In addition to the fact that many in the younger generations don't understand what we celebrate on the fourth, fireworks (to me) are a poor way of celebrating. First off, most of the fireworks that we buy come from China... So really we're celebrating our dependence on cheap Chinese goods. I suppose that's OK, but don't we do that with our weekly trip to Wal-Mart? Second off, we buy these firecrackers and proceed to blow them up. Not that I would expect you to do anything else with firecrackers, but why do we have to contribute to air pollution, noise pollution, and litter in celebrating the independence of our beautiful nation. When I lived at the beach we would do a beach clean up to celebrate the weekend after the 4th... It was disgusting and a total disgrace to find the litter all over the beach. Doesn't it seem more appropriate to celebrate the 4th by helping preserve this land that our fathers fought for?
Now I recognize the irony in my writing. I'm saying that you shouldn't let off fireworks for the 4th, yet you have every right to do that... This is a free country. I love that about this country. I am exercising my freedoms this year by writing a blog that expresses my distaste for the fourth of July. I will not be purchasing any fireworks this year (or ever). I will not be attending or watching on television any fireworks shows (although a better option, the fireworks still come from China and if nobody watches them, maybe we'll stop blowing stuff up for the Fourth). I will also be reading the Declaration of Independence on the morning of the Fourth before I tackle the chores of the day.
I hope that others will follow suit. Our independence isn't just another day off work. It is not something to be taken for granted. This is a day in history where some very courageous men sent a letter to the King saying that they wanted to be free from his rule. These men knew the consequences, and they were willing to fight and even die to have the freedoms that we now take for granted. I look around me at the apathy of my generation. Some may recognize that business now seems to have a bigger say in politics than a vote, but they are unwilling to make a fuss over it. The Fourth is a day to celebrate making a fuss in politics. That is what we celebrate on the Fourth and that is what will make our country strong.
I got a lot of good comments on my last post and I just want to clarify, because last post was a sort of precursor to today's topic. First off, I think it is OK to have "special" occasions, and I think it's great to celebrate a good cause. I just question why people go against their fundamental principles when they "celebrate". If the event is so "special" why don't we use it as an excuse to progress in our goal to live the life we want to live? Phil mentioned that he eats meat on weekends and that is how he separates things and remains a vegetarian the rest of the week. I like that. My wife and I only eat sweets on holidays... It started out that we only ate sweets on weekends, but then that was all we ate on weekends and it wasn't serving its purpose. I know that sweets aren't good for me and I know that I feel like crud when I eat too many sweets. Why to I sabotage my holidays by making those the occasions when I partake?
Anyway, I was going to talk about the Fourth of July. It's a day for BBQ, family get togethers and fireworks. I'm all for family get togethers, and I"m not completely against BBQ. Why do we celebrate the Fourth by blowing stuff up? It's probably a symbol of war and the fights we made for our independence. How many students today know what we celebrate on the Fourth of July? Surely some do. How many know how long we have been independent and the history behind our independence? I'm guessing that fewer students know things like this. If you ask someone what they are doing for the Fourth, how often will they say, "celebrating my independence"? How often will they say, "BBQ and fireworks". I'm guessing the latter is far more common.
In addition to the fact that many in the younger generations don't understand what we celebrate on the fourth, fireworks (to me) are a poor way of celebrating. First off, most of the fireworks that we buy come from China... So really we're celebrating our dependence on cheap Chinese goods. I suppose that's OK, but don't we do that with our weekly trip to Wal-Mart? Second off, we buy these firecrackers and proceed to blow them up. Not that I would expect you to do anything else with firecrackers, but why do we have to contribute to air pollution, noise pollution, and litter in celebrating the independence of our beautiful nation. When I lived at the beach we would do a beach clean up to celebrate the weekend after the 4th... It was disgusting and a total disgrace to find the litter all over the beach. Doesn't it seem more appropriate to celebrate the 4th by helping preserve this land that our fathers fought for?
Now I recognize the irony in my writing. I'm saying that you shouldn't let off fireworks for the 4th, yet you have every right to do that... This is a free country. I love that about this country. I am exercising my freedoms this year by writing a blog that expresses my distaste for the fourth of July. I will not be purchasing any fireworks this year (or ever). I will not be attending or watching on television any fireworks shows (although a better option, the fireworks still come from China and if nobody watches them, maybe we'll stop blowing stuff up for the Fourth). I will also be reading the Declaration of Independence on the morning of the Fourth before I tackle the chores of the day.
I hope that others will follow suit. Our independence isn't just another day off work. It is not something to be taken for granted. This is a day in history where some very courageous men sent a letter to the King saying that they wanted to be free from his rule. These men knew the consequences, and they were willing to fight and even die to have the freedoms that we now take for granted. I look around me at the apathy of my generation. Some may recognize that business now seems to have a bigger say in politics than a vote, but they are unwilling to make a fuss over it. The Fourth is a day to celebrate making a fuss in politics. That is what we celebrate on the Fourth and that is what will make our country strong.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The problem with the world (second try)
A few weeks ago I did a post about the problem with the world and I got one of my best comments ever. It was from Norm and he said that my post lacked substance. He was right. I had some ideas, I threw them together and I posted a sub-par rant that never successfully made a point. Thank you Norm for holding me to a higher standard than that. I'm taking a break from nutrition. I may return at some point.
As I look around me I see a lot of things wrong with the world as a result of the people who live in it. I also see a lot that is right in the world around me, but I chose not to write about that today, I'm in one of those moods. I think that the big point that I'm trying to make today is that many of the world's ills come from one or a small handful of human characteristics that are becoming more predominate. If I could put a word to that characteristic, this blog would be short, but I can't so I'm going to write a little about it. First I liked this comic that is sort of on topic. If you haven't yet, check out the website.
In my previous attempt at this post I wrote about people who will participate in research studies, say they will do something and then not follow through with their commitment. Yes, this is a huge inconvenience for me as a researcher, but I think it extends well beyond that. One of the major problems the world faces is the lack of integrity that is developing. If you give someone your word, it should mean something, in fact, it should mean a lot. I recognize that stuff arises and you have to alter previously made plans and that's fine, but 99.9% of the time if you make a commitment to do something you either need to do it, or not agree to do it in the first place. There's a word that we can put to this problem, lack of integrity.
It goes well beyond that though. Previously, I posted about social capital and how people tend to be isolating themselves. Dr. Putnam wrote a book entitled "Bowling Alone" (I hope to read it someday), that talks about the movement from bowling leagues to a culture where we are bowling alone. There seems to be a movement away from groups and toward individual interest. Of course bowling leagues are only one example. As I walk around campus I see this everywhere. When I attended this University as an undergraduate I could leave a class, find myself walking next to a stranger and start a conversation. I could gain some social capital and meet a new person. Today on my walk to stats class I could probably count one hand the number of people who weren't talking on a cell phone, listening to an i-pod or talking with friends they already had. Cell phones, i-pods and friends aren't bad things, but they prevent me from talking with new people because people tend to stick with the familiar or isolate themselves. OK, I'll stick another word onto what I think is contributing to the ills of the world...isolation.
One of the huge ills of the world is the Jones family. Everyone is trying to keep up with them and we have to have more. The country seems to be moving toward recycling, which is a good thing... sort of. I think the recycling program had three parts (you know the symbol with the three arrows going in a triangle): reduce, reuse recycle. Recycling is good, but reducing (not buying the junk in the first place) and reusing (opposed to replacing) are far better. Wal-mart is trying hard to make a "green" impression (and I am impressed with some of their efforts), but they really wouldn't like it if people really started following the other two parts of the recycling program. Our country is driven by consumption and I think it's leading us in the wrong way. Consumerism, that's another word that explains the ills of the country.
I have a lot more ideas, but I'm afraid that only two people are still reading at this point, so I'm going to conclude. I think the common denominator of all those things is selfishness to some degree. I don't keep my word because I can do better things with my time. I don't talk with new people because I like my friends. I don't share rides or tools because I need my own for my convenience. I don't think that we should go back to the dark ages, but maybe we should take a step back to pre-school when we learned to share.
Thank you Norm for having the nerve to not put up with mediocre writing. I hope this better explains the ills of the world. I realize that it differs greatly from the last time I attempted to write on this topic. That is because it wasn't thought through enough. This is what I really meant. Most of the ills of the world are centered around selfishness in some way or another.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Voting in life
I recognize that my last post was a little long, but I have more to say. Not only do we vote with everything that we buy, we vote in every action that we make. From a religious perspective, we are accountable for our actions. That doesn't mean that we "earn" our way to heaven, but if we know that something is wrong and we do it anyway it is a sin. The scriptures councel us not to sin.
So every time you go to Walmart and buy a cheap toy built by child labor in China, you are voting for child labor, inequality between social classes and filling landfills (those toys never last). You are accountable for the decisions that you make and although I don't think you are condemned to eternity in hell for shopping at Walmart, you are accountable and that will need to be taken care of... and I have no idea how that will transpire.
Every time that you drive your car to the end of the driveway (or to a nearby store) you are being lazy and polluting the earth that God gave us. Certainly we will be accountable for those decisions.
Every time you unnecissarily raise your voice at your children, or anyone else for that matter, you will be accountable. We are responsible for the decisions we make and we can make a difference by "voting" according to the laws set forth in the scriptures.
I also want to point out that choices aren't always that easy. I try to look like a big shot that makes all the right decisions, but sometimes we must choose between the best of several evils. I don't buy organic or locally as often as I would like. I'm a college student and really can't afford to. I'm ashamed of that (I'm ashamed of not buying organic, I'm not ashamed of being a student or being poor) and hope to change that in the future (by starting to buy locally). Anyway, situations often make choices more difficult. That is no excuse to not make good decisions, but sometimes bad decisions are the only decisions that we can afford or that our situation allows. They are still bad decisions and should be recognized as such. We're not perfect and that is why we have a Savior.
So every time you go to Walmart and buy a cheap toy built by child labor in China, you are voting for child labor, inequality between social classes and filling landfills (those toys never last). You are accountable for the decisions that you make and although I don't think you are condemned to eternity in hell for shopping at Walmart, you are accountable and that will need to be taken care of... and I have no idea how that will transpire.
Every time that you drive your car to the end of the driveway (or to a nearby store) you are being lazy and polluting the earth that God gave us. Certainly we will be accountable for those decisions.
Every time you unnecissarily raise your voice at your children, or anyone else for that matter, you will be accountable. We are responsible for the decisions we make and we can make a difference by "voting" according to the laws set forth in the scriptures.
I also want to point out that choices aren't always that easy. I try to look like a big shot that makes all the right decisions, but sometimes we must choose between the best of several evils. I don't buy organic or locally as often as I would like. I'm a college student and really can't afford to. I'm ashamed of that (I'm ashamed of not buying organic, I'm not ashamed of being a student or being poor) and hope to change that in the future (by starting to buy locally). Anyway, situations often make choices more difficult. That is no excuse to not make good decisions, but sometimes bad decisions are the only decisions that we can afford or that our situation allows. They are still bad decisions and should be recognized as such. We're not perfect and that is why we have a Savior.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Vote
I know that the November elections are long gone, but really I don't think that is where the power lies. Lobbyists have far more power than we do as voters (because the lobbyists have money). So if we want to see changes the votes that we cast at the polls is of little significance compared to the vote that we cast at the cash register.
So I'm not a fan of the system and I express that at the polls, but it really doesn't do much good. I'm not big on the idea of sitting around and doing nothing, and I feel that we have a far more powerful vote to cast that doesn't pass through the bureaucracy of our government. Almost every time we provide money for a good or service, we are supporting a powerful lobbying group in Washington. Even if the product we are buying and the store we are patronizing are not associated with lobbying groups, they listen to the consumer based on what we buy.
Really, at heart I'm a capitalist. I believe that businesses will fail, survive or excel based on the products they provide the consumer. With that said, it is important for the consumer to take a stand against those products that they feel shouldn't exist. I want to point out a few examples and how they impact us in various ways.
First of all is wrapping paper. I know it's tradition, it's festive, it's the way we use to surprise people. What I hate is that it is not recyclable and completely wasteful. Demanding wrapping paper be made of a material that can be recycled would be a step in the right direction. Even better would be to use old newspapers instead. Then we use the product and reuse it to hide a gift and it still has the potential to be recycled. Why would companies continue to produce wrapping paper that is used for a short period of time and then does nothing more than contribute to landfills? Because you buy them! You vote to fill the landfills every time you wrap a gift in that stuff. It's a powerful vote. We no longer have wrapping paper in our home and we use alternative means of wrapping gifts. I asked family not to use traditional wrapping paper on the gifts for our family, but every gift that we received from outside of our home was wrapped in non-recyclable gift paper. I find that frustrating.
Second we'll hit on milk. Although I don't think milk is good for human consumption, I don't think it's the worst food available either. I offer this example to demonstrate a point, not to persuade you to stop drinking milk. Every time you purchase milk or dairy products you are contributing the the National Dairy Council which has a powerful lobbying group in Washington. What do they lobby? Among other things, they make sure that milk is given to all WIC participants and is a "handout" (although I'm sure the grocer and dairy still get their money from the product being given away) to those in need. Milk is also influential in schools and this is one of my biggest complaints about the dairy industry. Schools are a place for education, not marketing. There have been big arguments recently about advertising in the halls of schools which is really all about making money for business and NOT about benefiting our children and the future generation. Milk doesn't advertise in halls (well, maybe they do, I don't know that for sure), but I do know that the dairy industry provides curriculum for health teachers to ease the burden of having to come up with a lesson plan. Long before advertising in hallways became an issue, milk was advertising in the classroom, spreading the propaganda and encouraging milk consumption. It's really a great marketing idea, but I don't send my kids to school to be marketed to, I send them to learn how to think for themselves. In addition to health reasons, I don't buy milk because I am unwilling to support their unethical marketing practices. Every time that you buy milk you are voting for marketing in schools.
McDonald's recently spent lots of money on a survey of their customers to find what they wanted. The survey concluded that customers wanted more healthy choices in salads, yogurt, etc. McDonald's responded by introducing product lines that reflected the desires of the customer. It turns out that people don't buy the healthy choices at McDonald's, so the line was discontinued or at least down-graded (I don't really know, I haven't been to McDonald's in at least 5 years). Kudos to McDonald's for trying, but what you pay money for speaks far louder than your vote on a survey.
My final rant will be about WalMart. Recently, I have found many good things that WalMart is doing. They have decided to reduce the packaging on products that they are carrying. They carry organic (although not locally grown) produce, and they employ elderly and handicapped persons that would likely not be able to find employment elsewhere. Those are wonderful things that I would like to support, but I won't through WalMart. The reason is that this Mega-store is too powerful. They demand low prices from their manufacturers. If the manufacturer is unable to meet that price Walmart goes elsewhere. I'm a capitalist, that should be OK with me, but not when it forces manufacturers (and even Chinese manufacturers) to pay their employees less and essentially abuse the human resources of a company in order to get Walmart to buy their products. Walmart even does this to their own "associates" who do not make a livable wage. It's unfortunate, I choose to vote against Walmart every time I spend money, yet I still have to pay taxes that support Walmart employees who are unable to meet their financial responsibilities because they are not being appropriately compensated by the big business.
As I think of who will read this blog (if anyone makes it this far, it ended up a little longer than originally anticipated) I think of how global this is. For example, Vertigo is a Canadian (I think) living in Japan, yet he has a powerful vote in the US. Every time he goes to the store he chooses to buy US made goods, or others. If he votes for the companies he gives his money to, regardless of what country that may be in. So who do you think the Russians vote for? the Chinese? Who do you vote for?
So I'm not a fan of the system and I express that at the polls, but it really doesn't do much good. I'm not big on the idea of sitting around and doing nothing, and I feel that we have a far more powerful vote to cast that doesn't pass through the bureaucracy of our government. Almost every time we provide money for a good or service, we are supporting a powerful lobbying group in Washington. Even if the product we are buying and the store we are patronizing are not associated with lobbying groups, they listen to the consumer based on what we buy.
Really, at heart I'm a capitalist. I believe that businesses will fail, survive or excel based on the products they provide the consumer. With that said, it is important for the consumer to take a stand against those products that they feel shouldn't exist. I want to point out a few examples and how they impact us in various ways.
First of all is wrapping paper. I know it's tradition, it's festive, it's the way we use to surprise people. What I hate is that it is not recyclable and completely wasteful. Demanding wrapping paper be made of a material that can be recycled would be a step in the right direction. Even better would be to use old newspapers instead. Then we use the product and reuse it to hide a gift and it still has the potential to be recycled. Why would companies continue to produce wrapping paper that is used for a short period of time and then does nothing more than contribute to landfills? Because you buy them! You vote to fill the landfills every time you wrap a gift in that stuff. It's a powerful vote. We no longer have wrapping paper in our home and we use alternative means of wrapping gifts. I asked family not to use traditional wrapping paper on the gifts for our family, but every gift that we received from outside of our home was wrapped in non-recyclable gift paper. I find that frustrating.
Second we'll hit on milk. Although I don't think milk is good for human consumption, I don't think it's the worst food available either. I offer this example to demonstrate a point, not to persuade you to stop drinking milk. Every time you purchase milk or dairy products you are contributing the the National Dairy Council which has a powerful lobbying group in Washington. What do they lobby? Among other things, they make sure that milk is given to all WIC participants and is a "handout" (although I'm sure the grocer and dairy still get their money from the product being given away) to those in need. Milk is also influential in schools and this is one of my biggest complaints about the dairy industry. Schools are a place for education, not marketing. There have been big arguments recently about advertising in the halls of schools which is really all about making money for business and NOT about benefiting our children and the future generation. Milk doesn't advertise in halls (well, maybe they do, I don't know that for sure), but I do know that the dairy industry provides curriculum for health teachers to ease the burden of having to come up with a lesson plan. Long before advertising in hallways became an issue, milk was advertising in the classroom, spreading the propaganda and encouraging milk consumption. It's really a great marketing idea, but I don't send my kids to school to be marketed to, I send them to learn how to think for themselves. In addition to health reasons, I don't buy milk because I am unwilling to support their unethical marketing practices. Every time that you buy milk you are voting for marketing in schools.
McDonald's recently spent lots of money on a survey of their customers to find what they wanted. The survey concluded that customers wanted more healthy choices in salads, yogurt, etc. McDonald's responded by introducing product lines that reflected the desires of the customer. It turns out that people don't buy the healthy choices at McDonald's, so the line was discontinued or at least down-graded (I don't really know, I haven't been to McDonald's in at least 5 years). Kudos to McDonald's for trying, but what you pay money for speaks far louder than your vote on a survey.
My final rant will be about WalMart. Recently, I have found many good things that WalMart is doing. They have decided to reduce the packaging on products that they are carrying. They carry organic (although not locally grown) produce, and they employ elderly and handicapped persons that would likely not be able to find employment elsewhere. Those are wonderful things that I would like to support, but I won't through WalMart. The reason is that this Mega-store is too powerful. They demand low prices from their manufacturers. If the manufacturer is unable to meet that price Walmart goes elsewhere. I'm a capitalist, that should be OK with me, but not when it forces manufacturers (and even Chinese manufacturers) to pay their employees less and essentially abuse the human resources of a company in order to get Walmart to buy their products. Walmart even does this to their own "associates" who do not make a livable wage. It's unfortunate, I choose to vote against Walmart every time I spend money, yet I still have to pay taxes that support Walmart employees who are unable to meet their financial responsibilities because they are not being appropriately compensated by the big business.
As I think of who will read this blog (if anyone makes it this far, it ended up a little longer than originally anticipated) I think of how global this is. For example, Vertigo is a Canadian (I think) living in Japan, yet he has a powerful vote in the US. Every time he goes to the store he chooses to buy US made goods, or others. If he votes for the companies he gives his money to, regardless of what country that may be in. So who do you think the Russians vote for? the Chinese? Who do you vote for?
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