Bullseye

Sooooooooooooooooooooo....a few years ago I happened upon the book:  The Better World Shopping Guide.  At the time I was the Coordinator for Service-Learning at the college where I worked and I was looking for something to help people make informed decisions about consumerism (including myself for sure!).  This book is amazing.  Its premise is that conscientious, looking-to-make-the-world-a-better-place folks--aka dogooders--can feel helpless when they look capitalism in the face.  Yet, as Jones points out, individuals have a powerful weapon:  MONEY!  The average consumer spends 18,000 dollars a year (dolla dolla bills, ya'll).  Therefore, consumers have 18,000 votes a year as we choose who we give our money to.  Jones breaks down goods into categories (e.g., make-up, gas, food, restaurants, paper goods, clothes, shoes) and rates companies that produce those goods based on categories.  He uses international watchgroups and research to report on how companies treat the people that work for them, their customers, and our world and its resources. 

It's a bit mindnumbing at first to realize how devoid of morality some of our major companies.  I mean, I am not surprised that they are terrible (I'm not THAT idealistic) but their activities are just unbelievable.  Nestle blocks fresh water access, for instance, in some of the poorest countries as they build their operations and empires.  Kraft, ConAgra, and Procter Gamble are similarly hideous.  And of course each of these has subsidiaries; Nestle owns Gerber and a share of L'Oreal. 

Bah.  And it doesn't stop there.  Jones highlights the worst places to shop. Kohl's and Wal-Mart top the list.  Target, though, is an average company.  It does good and bad but it's an acceptable place to spend my money.  For years I have clung to Target as I have ousted other companies and their products.  And it's not easy when you first start, but it gets easier as you find an acceptable substitute for every product you never thought you could live without. And then a few weeks ago Target lost its damn mind.  I blame the Supreme Court. 


That's right:  I can't shop at Target because of those old people on the Supreme Court.  I feel really guilty even saying that as it seems so disrespectful and I'm German; Germans abhor being disrespectful.  But they ruined my Target for me.  My rainy day, the baby is going crazy, I need something to DO place.The Supreme Court ruled that it was legal for companies to donate company money to individual political candidates.  And Target did.  Holy goodness did they ever. ( http://abcnews.go.com/Business/target-best-buy-fire-campaign-contributions-minnesota-candidate/story?id=11270194)

So now Target and I are on the outs.  And it makes my heart hurt; this boycott hurts more than all the others, for sure.  I started my boycott of it five weeks ago and so far so....well...I'll be honest...it was painful the first few weeks, but NOW, now I don't miss it.  I realized this weekend that I don't feel an absence in my life.  I don't wake up every morning, frantically searching my mind and house for something I've lost.  I don't lick the window when I drive by its cheery red sign.  No, I've learned to turn away from it and, like every other product/store/good I have eschewed due to its tawdry practices, I found better substitutes.

As you might be able to tell, I am very passionate on this subject, which can only mean that I annoy the crap out of people with it. I'm not known for keeping my opinions to myself when it comes to things about which I feel passionate.  BUT, I truly think this is an area of real concern for those of us who believe that only WE can make the world a better place for not just our children, but all future generations.  Seventh Generation's motto speaks to my heart and mind:  In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions upon the next seven generations. 

Before you start humming Kumb-bay-yah every time you think of me, or imagine me wearing patchouli, let me remind you that it's so easy to believe this AND want to be a generator of change when these two people look at me every morning and trust me to do whatever I can to express how much I love them: