Today I wear sneakers manufactured in China and purchased in Wal Mart.
what of the lives of those who work in the factories which produced them?
In all probability they work 14 or more hours six or seven days a week, in unpleasant and unsafe conditions....
My t-shirt comes from Guatemala or Honduras. Honduras today suffers from a lack of democracy due to a military coup, a coup at the very least condoned by the government of the USA....The deposed president had proposed to increase the minimum wage. Undoubtedly the Wal Mart family smiled to know that their profits would be unhindered.
Where can I buy a t-shirt or shoes that were not produced at the cost of someone else's well-being? Socrates believed that when I harm someone else, I too suffer. If Socrates is right,
then I am myself damaged when I participate in this chain of abuse. But if I am to live, I must purchase clothing, food, and other things.
But I am part of an unjust abusive chain. How can I escape? Should I be happy that I am not working in a sweat shop? That hardly seems enough to make my life decent and respectful.
No, all in all, an ugly situation. I see no solution, but silence and blindness are also not solutions.
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