Should people do more the ensure their clothes don't support slavery?

[wesimmo]

I guess we shouldn't try to make anything better unless we are also trying to make everything better.

This and the "well, it's not a perfect and immediate solution" arguments really frustrate me.

 

[wesimmo]

My better half owns a shop that sells second hand designer stuff.

It's mental how much hardly worn clothes I get for no money.

6 x Vivienne Westwood shirts for £15 each which I wore for work for a good few months.

All my hoodies I slob around in are RRP for £100+ because of the name, but I get them for £10-15 in near perfect condition.

It's crazy what people dispose of for no reason.

 

[Theophany]

Adam Smith famously wrote of 'a man of humanity in Europe' who would not 'sleep tonight' if 'he was to lose his little finger tomorrow' but would 'snore with the most profound security' if a hundred million of his Chinese brethren were 'suddenly swallowed up by an earthquake, "because" he had never seen them.

Frankly, @Efour has the testicular fortitude to front it up.

 

[rainbowGuy]

criminal killed on the other side of the world? really - if u think that what the protest is about you need to take a look at yourself! quite disgusting really

 

[timmothy]

criminal killed on the other side of the world? really - if u think that what the protest is about you need to take a look at yourself! quite disgusting really

I do understand that is not the main reason in people's minds. He is the poster child for the movement though, nearly every protest picture or video has his name somewhere.
Iprobably shouldn't have worded it that way though. In my mind I was wondering why people don't care when over 1000 innocent people die on the other side of the world. Yet 1 person dies and he is over every city in the UK. If people were happy to pay a fair price for their trainers and boycotted the brand's using sweatshops the problem would be cured. The factory's would be made to pay more to stay in business and they would be able to this because you are paying more.

 

[413x]

I do understand that is not the main reason in people's minds. He is the poster child for the movement though, nearly every protest picture or video has his name somewhere.
Iprobably shouldn't have worded it that way though. In my mind I was wondering why people don't care when over 1000 innocent people die on the other side of the world. Yet 1 person dies and he is over every city in the UK. If people were happy to pay a fair price for their trainers and boycotted the brand's using sweatshops the problem would be cured. The factory's would be made to pay more to stay in business and they would be able to this because you are paying more.

For somereason people value other people differently. Usually just because of geography, even skin colour etc more. People who are 'like them' or who you see day to day.

 

[moon man]

My better half owns a shop that sells second hand designer stuff.

It's mental how much hardly worn clothes I get for no money.

6 x Vivienne Westwood shirts for £15 each which I wore for work for a good few months.

All my hoodies I slob around in are RRP for £100+ because of the name, but I get them for £10-15 in near perfect condition.

It's crazy what people dispose of for no reason.

Yes I pick up linen shirts, 3 or 4 quid, some over 100 originally, cheapest was an M&S Italian collection, still nice, I like the night manager look!!

 

[Chris Wilson]

If anyone is worried about slave labour and clothing manufacture you might keep an eye on the initially kid glove treatment the textile areas of Leicester are receiving. Not only flouting of the lock down laws, perhaps the cause of the rife infections and need for localised lock down again, but progressing to investigation into slave labour, forced to work when ill with the virus symptoms, illegal immigrant workers, VAT fraud and furlough misappropriation.

 

[timmothy]

If anyone is worried about slave labour and clothing manufacture you might keep an eye on the initially kid glove treatment the textile areas of Leicester are receiving. Not only flouting of the lock down laws, perhaps the cause of the rife infections and need for localised lock down again, but progressing to investigation into slave labour, forced to work when ill with the virus symptoms, illegal immigrant workers, VAT fraud and furlough misappropriation.

I cannot believe that it is allowed to happen but as usual people don't want to upset the apple cart. It's an industry in Leicester that could be sorted out in a day by law enforcement going around checking working conditions, visas and job contracts. Yet they are just left to do as they please. A lot of illegal immigrants working there and nothing is done to crackdown on it.

 

[deusexlumina]

I don't think it should fall on us unless we know about it, then we have a duty to avoid or shop elsewhere.

My opinion is that it should not be legal. And it's the role of the government of a country (ours for us UK shoppers) to weed out stuff like this.

We elect them to take care and investigate the larger issues such as this, because many people are ignorant and we don't know what we don't know.

Alas, they can't even keep to their own lockdown so what hope in hell have we got with issues like this?

 

[Eurofighter]

It is bad. But without those jobs they would be worse off. Remembeevwe had slave like conditions here not to long ago

 

[Akagi]

I don't think I've ever checked the source of anything I've bought.

I don't think it should be my responsibility. It should be the responsibility of lawmakers, distributors, etc.

That said if a pair of trousers said "made by child slaves" on the label I might avoid them.

It is bad. But without those jobs they would be worse off. Remembeevwe had slave like conditions here not to long ago

What do you call "not too long ago"?

 

[Nasher]

Doing my bit by just avoiding buying stuff from these places (can't avoid China for electronics though ).

The quality is usually terrible anyway and you're better off spending the extra buying things made in Europe, it will last much longer.

 

[neocon]

Why do you need to avoid Chinese electronics, are they made by slaves?

Surely saying you don't want to buy something because it's made by an ethic group in a certain country is prejudiced. If everyone stops buying slippers made in China, who suffers? People on low wages who work hard.....

 

[SPG]

Definitely. People don't want to pay the actual price for what consumer items would cost if everyone in the supply chain was given a fair wage. We're not given much of a choice as consumers either as it's a race to the bottom on price. I'd imagine a lot of the stuff I own was made by people earning very little.

Yes because its all the consumers fault....No its the insane amount of profit people are making on the back of it. We could easily make the clothes in the UK the raw material price is the same (more or less) pay people a fair wage but the owners/shareholders would see profit reduced significantly, yet the price would be the same. How often do you see this happening almost never unless they have excess stock and the product is crap and its just taking up space.

So do not target the consumer, target the shareholder (you) the owners, the bankers and the buyers of these products.

In otherwords nothing is going to change pending a revolution and that is not going to happen as everyone is turning a blind eye to it all as its nice to be gurnard reader on the high road.

 

[Orionaut]

What do you call "not too long ago"?

https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/child-labour

Maybe I should be blaming all my failings in life on the fact that my great, great, great, Grandparents worked as childer in a mill or down t'pit

Maybe I should be pulling down statues of the likes of Arkwright and/or demanding that organisations in his name (EG https://www.arkwright.org.uk/ ) should hang their heads in shame and disband themselves.

Maybe I should be demanding financial restitution from random wealthy people/companies/government etc...

After all, it all seems to be the fashion just at the moment!

 

[SPG]

Why do you need to avoid Chinese electronics, are they made by slaves?

Surely saying you don't want to buy something because it's made by an ethic group in a certain country is prejudiced. If everyone stops buying slippers made in China, who suffers? People on low wages who work hard.....

Why not ? I do not live in star trek universe where everyone is the same and its a level playing field. Last time i checked I walk down the street and scream Boris Johnson is utter cretin and i detest everything he and his party standfor and not get sent for re-education producing said cheap goods in a backwater we all know about but turn a blind eye to..... Christmas cards for example.....

 

[Stu999]

Yes because its all the consumers fault....No its the insane amount of profit people are making on the back of it. We could easily make the clothes in the UK the raw material price is the same (more or less) pay people a fair wage but the owners/shareholders would see profit reduced significantly, yet the price would be the same. How often do you see this happening almost never unless they have excess stock and the product is crap and its just taking up space.

So do not target the consumer, target the shareholder (you) the owners, the bankers and the buyers of these products.

In otherwords nothing is going to change pending a revolution and that is not going to happen as everyone is turning a blind eye to it all as its nice to be gurnard reader on the high road.

It's not the consumer's fault but it's very easy to find out whether businesses are treating their staff ethically and fairly. It's well known that Primark, Nike and pretty much the entire spectrum of Western firms use manufacturers that operate in sweatshop conditions. It's not hard to look this up and make a decision for yourself. The profit made is irrelevant to your choice as a consumer.

The price would not be the same if clothes, for example, were made in the UK. There would be the costs of transporting the raw materials if they are not available here and the wages would be significantly higher, ~£7/hour vs. £25/month. You're right that owners/shareholders would not like it.

 

[SPG]

Yes its easy to find out, but then its easy for our elected leaders to do something about it as well much much easier. We put a tariff on such goods coming in from certain countries, now not being an expert on the impact of fiscal policy on third world countries i am pretty sure we do not do this as somewhere higher up the food chain we are getting something in return none of us seeing (possibly a few rich folk in ivory towers are seeing a lot if it)


Transporting costs of raw materials are a factor but its way down the list, the raw material is just that RAW. Mass production cant be set up next door to all the sheep farms for example.

But let us not forget while its not perfect the world playing field and poverty is decreasing and has been for a number of years. Sure it might not be fast enough for the self righteous it is getting better. So i will continue doing what i do. Which is not spending money on useless crap that is made in China and anything run by Americans. Not saying i am perfect but try to avoid it where possible.

 

[Simon0001]

Why don't they just emigrate?