What we may not realize here in the US is that a lot of consumer products, and some of the services that we use, can be remarkably inexpensive in the grand scheme of things. In some cases it is hard to imagine how a product can even be made available to sell at the particular cost point to our benefit. Some of our mass-produced food and clothing come to mind in this regard. Economists will probably tell you that there are many reasons for this, and several factors that make this possible. My point is that things are this way also because we, the public, generally wish it to be that way. While we might feel good about the situation we are in in this regard for the moment, some of this does come at a cost, a cost that we ignore because we do not like to think about things for the longer term and in the bigger picture. We may not realize that the situation could be a cause of issues over the long run. Perhaps the living is really not that easy.
One of the results of our desire for cheap stuff is that we are willing to go anywhere in the world to get them. This is probably the primary reason for the successful existence of Walmart. I know that I myself like a good bargain and do not necessarily look for where the product came from. Cheap consumer products are brought in from some place abroad – where they can be produced less expensively – with cheaper raw material, with cheaper labor, with perhaps poorer working conditions, and maybe even using environmentally exploitative methods. In some cases even child labor may be involved. We also look for the least expensive way to get work done, for a cost that we would not be willing to pay ourselves if we were ourselves in the business. We are willing to exploit other people whom we we might even consider less equal to us in some ways. And then we can get upset with the others when there are other issues that arise. And if there are middlemen involved who have their own axe to grind, people can get squeezed even more to support our way of life.
Most of us will go go through life without even thinking about these kinds of consequences about the things we do and accept as normal, but it is also good to read about organizations that see what is happening and try to make at least a small (may be very small!) difference in changing how society works in these contexts.
We should be supporting such organizations, and perhaps even be willing to go the additional mile in this regard in terms of possibly accepting an increased cost of living. I believe there are organizations that focus on this kind of concept if one is serious about this. Here is a link to one.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Trade_USA
It is also not too difficult these days to get a better understanding of how your favorite store sources their products, and to respond appropriately.
Splattered Brains 