Sweatshops: C or D?

What are the alternatives, Cathy?

I'm not very well educated about which products are made in sweatshops. It's strange, coz when it comes to buying food and drink, then I will always favour a fairly traded product over its unfairly traded equivalent (Cafeé Direct rather than Nescafé for example).

Is there an equivalent to Traidcraft for clothes? (actually Traidcraft might do clothes, there are certainly clothes for sale in the Fair Trade shop in the basement of St Michael's at the Northgate here in Oxford).

A friend of mine - after having studied for a Business Degree - exclaimed:"Those sweatshops are great - better than having these kids begging on the streets!"

...and that's why i hate business majors. i never have anything to talk about with these people that won't inevitably descend into a visceral dislike. i was at a party on friday night when one of these cretins said 'if a girls says no, just go for it! they want to fuck as much as you do!' its not that many women aren't as sexually agressive as men, its just that these uber-capitalist types always are working from the mindset that if you want something, just take it! don't burden yourself with the possible consequences of your actions. it really bums me out too that these types are so closely identified with 'classic american values', i.e., the current administration. yecccch.

i once mentioned something about sweatshops to someone i know and he said, "well they wouldn't have jobs if it weren't for the sweatshops! isn't 25 cents an hour better than nothing?!" totally missing the point. actually this person is my roommate and i can't bear to talk to him anymore.

...and that's why i hate business majors. i never have anything to talk about with these people that won't inevitably descend into a visceral dislike. i was at a party on friday night when one of these cretins said 'if a girls says no, just go for it! they want to fuck as much as you do!' its not that many women aren't as sexually agressive as men, its just that these uber-capitalist types always are working from the mindset that if you want something, just take it! don't burden yourself with the possible consequences of your actions. it really bums me out too that these types are so closely identified with 'classic american values', i.e., the current administration. yecccch.
-- j.m. lockery (jlocker...), October 10th, 2004

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