Dressember day 3: Christmas ornaments, Mardi Gras, and consumer justice

Dressember day 3: it’s the first #advent Sunday and we put up our Christmas tree! While we’re at it, let’s talk Christmas decorations and economic justice.

Did you know that Christmas ornaments are one of the 139 types of goods from 75 countries that might be made from child and/or forced labor? Other goods include garments, coffee, bricks, leather, cattle, cotton, and furniture. For more information: https://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods/

I remember watching the documentary “Mardi Gras: Made in China” in college and becoming aware (read: woke) for the first time that products that we consume for cheap can actually be born out of toxic situations for those who make them. It really shocked and convicted me (and turned me off Mardi Gras). I’ve included my original blogpost about it here for your reading pleasure...

I had read through Amos earlier this year and one of the things I was greatly convicted about was how economic justice was part of God’s heart. The people had just accumulated lots of wealth, mansions, and possessions, but cared little about how it affected others, or how it became their idol. As a recovering shopaholic, learning to examine what I am buying, how it is made or affects those producing the things I want, and even spending money on things I probably don’t need has been a very interesting and soul-searching exercise. Do I need that? Is this fair trade? Am I ignorantly adding to the burden of those who are forced to work in unsafe, unhealthy situations, at low and unfair wages, with little ability to better their situation or find better ones?

That being said, I love Christmas ornaments and plan to keep using mine for many years to come. And I can keep buying things that are necessity. But I can be conscientious about doing so.

I will explore other issues of economic and consumer justice during this week. I just want to note a caveat: I don’t want these posts to be condemning but rather enlightening. And really, they are just my writings about what I’m learning. I hope you will join me in my journey of learning more about daily and global justice. Man, #dressember is teaching me a lot!

#Dressemberchallenge #itsbiggerthanadress #youcandoanythinginadress


Below I've also included my original post on my thoughts on "Mardi Gras: Made in China"

May 14, 2009

Today I watched a documentary called "Mardi Gras: Made in China," by David Redmon (2005).

It follows the Mardi Gras beads to its production in a Chinese factory.

Here are some things I learned:

• An average tourist in New Orleans will spend about $500 on Mardi Gras. An average Chinese factory worker makes about 500 yuan a month (~$73 USD).

• Sidenote: many workers are not even getting paid in Chinese factories, much less the minimum wage..

• The factory owner makes about $1.3 million a year. The owner of the American company the factory ships to makes about $13 million a year.

• When told about the low wages of Chinese workers, an MBA student told the filmmaker that that's actually good for them. Better for the workers to make 10 cents an hour than 8 cents in other places.

• By the way, the federal minimum wage in the U.S. is $6.55 an hour. It will increase to $7.25 in July, 2009.

• After the workers tried to hold a strike to protest the lowering of wages, the factory owner only raised the number of hours, not the actual salary.

• The bead-making factory owner prefers female employees because they are easier to control.

• Most of the workers have only had a middle school education, and are from poor families in rural China. Buying a cheap, plastic watch is considered a luxury.

• Normal workdays are about 14-16 hours long, and often the boss forces the workers to go into overtime.

• The workers didn't even know what the beads were for until the filmmaker showed them.

• Most tourists will throw away their many beads after Mardi Gras is over. The recycled beads collected by New Orleans are then sent to U.S. soldiers as "care packages" so that they can enjoy their own version of Mardi Gras.

I don't know what to say to this. All I know was that I wanted to cry. Factory workers slave away

day after day to make a product that people use to exchange for flashing body parts and nudity, and

throw away after a week. And people think that this is good.

The American CEO and the factory owner both said over and over again: "The workers just care about making money." Well, when you live in rural villages and buying a plastic watch for your little brother is considered an extravagance, then yes, making money matters. And what does it say when these same people making such comments are living with separate rooms for their children's toys, home security cameras, and selling the beads at $20 a package?

Thanks for listening.