Product Hopping, the Consumer and You.

For the past month or so, I've been trying to plan the next ten years of my life and realized I can't even plan the next six months.

At least once or twice a week I go on ijm.org and stare at the "careers" website, and move my cursor over to the internship programs. IJM (International Justice Mission) focuses on ending modern day slavery, ranging from volunteers, lawyers, social workers, to many other non-profit organizations to collaborate together to end this ever-present, yet unsurfaced injustice in our world today.

I think I can go on forever about this issue and how many times I thought about trying to intern overseas with IJM, only to realize that it's not realistically feasible, but I won't. So perhaps I'll try to work on a more local scale: some folks from FBC will be heading down to Vacaville to watch "Call+Response" on June 26 to watch it at a church.

We're also trying to implement the "Loose Change to Loosen Chains" campaign which still needs to get approved so we can spread the word.

More info? Let's talk!

Anyways... the point of this blog-- so I was hopping from site to site trying to figure out my life in relation to my personal desire to get involved (which has taken me in circles) and came across this website.

I felt like I hit a goldmine! Kinda... not really. This site has thumbnails of many different companies and their response to slave-free products. And of course, the first two companies I checked were... correct: Nike and Starbucks. (I could see my boy D smirking-- or frowning-- already). And yes... thoughts on those two companies may just end up on a different blog. Or you can probably find a million other blogs about it...

Although I haven't read through all of the companies, I find this site to be an open door, starting ground and in some sense limiting in the way we view ourselves as consumers, as well as our personal response and call to action regarding modern day slavery.

An open door in that it sparks an interest to those who are unaware (and aware) of what's going on. It's a little unifying in a sense that we are all consumers, and if we don't share a common ground of sports, high fashion, gender-related things, etc... we can all agree that we've supported and bought from at least one of these companies.

This is a good starting ground for those who don't know where to begin. In the film "Call+Response" a spokesperson was explaining this sort of paralyzing feeling an individual is confronted with when he or she first hears of the reality of slavery today. The intial reaction is always a sympathetic deeply disheartening feeling, but quickly (unknowingly) transitions to a "in-passing-just-thought-you-should-know" moment.

Shifting that perspective to viewing yourself as an every day consumer and how it relates to the injustices around the world, one can find a bridge, a common ground, a turning revelation-- as trivial and surface-like that may sound.

And this site too can be limiting. It can bust each and everyone of us out-- including me... even after I write a whole blog about it. The harsh reality is that it is a vicious circle that is beyond us. Like I've mentioned, I haven't gone through each company, but is it possible to be a consumer and still 100% support slave-free products?

I believe it's possible. Weed out the good, forget the bad. But that's a whole other discussion. But the site isn't limiting in the fact that we won't be able to buy products from this company or that company, but moreso the idea that we may realize that our efforts are limited knowing that everything somehow connects.

I can drop Starbucks. But if my phone is motorola (no response yet) then does dropping Starbucks mean anything? We're surrounded by these limitations, and I feel like the only possible way is to live without advancements, clothes, houses, etc... In some way, shape or form we support companies that turn a blind eye to social injustices.

So where does the result of the action lie? Or does it even exist? I think it most definitely exists, but what happens when it is inevitable that you support a company with "no response"?

This can get long so more conversations to follow...


And while you browse around, I encourage you to spend time reading on callandresponse.com, ijm.org and notforsale.com. Awareness is the first step!

Peace all...