Boycott 'Made in China'
That tiger news item made me really angry and put me off China for good. Or off its goods.This may sound silly or an over-the-top reaction, but it's my little way of protesting. I'm going to try to consciously NOT buy anything that's labelled 'Made in China'. Any place that cooks endangered species for lunch is not something I want to be associated with
I've begun in earnest today. A lovely bag of apples for 84p at Tesco was abandoned because the fruit originated in China. It's a good thing that supermarkets label the 'originating country' most of the time
I picked local British apples instead. Cost me £1.41 for five apples (almost double the Chinese ones and atleast 3 less than in that bag).
The difference may not seem a lot, but it will add up. But, I tell myself, I (we) can afford to be picky, patronise the local farmers, reduce our carbon footprint (why have food flown in from all parts of the world when its grown locally?) and at the same time prove that it IS possible to live without a 'Made in China' label in the house.
Foolhardy? Watch this space for updates.
Well, I guess you should also stop buying things labelled 'Made in Japan'too, as the Japanese love whale meat, another endangered species.
ReplyDeleteBut it may not be a good move, as you won't be able to drive a Toyota or Honda!
Boycott Japan? Who knows - that day may also come. Right now 'Made in China' is a focus because its taking over the market, atleast here in the UK. Choosing non-Chinese goods is not easy on the pocket - they are expensive and hard to find. But this is a beginning. Who knows where it will lead?
ReplyDeleteBut while you are boycotting China, many countries are becoming collateral damage in the line of fire. Very often these days, things stamped ‘Made in China’ are mostly made somewhere else. The ‘Made in’ label is put on at the final assembly point. And China is actually the final assembly point of choice for a broadening array of goods sourced from all over the world, especially Asia, by multinationals from the US, Japan, Germany and the UK.
ReplyDeleteIt’s easy to not buy apples, or mandarins for that matter, from China, but not so when you are boycotting laptops, fridges, MP3 players and mobile phones from China without hurting workers from other countries.
But this is less often the case with products labelled ‘Made in Japan’, since they are essentially made in Japan and by the Japanese companies. That’s why I think boycotting Japan may be more effective to drive your message home, as large chunks of profit from things ‘Made in Japan’ more often than not go into the pockets of the whale eaters and thus help them put more whale meat on their dinner table.
Thank you, Anon, for your comments. I don't know much about how trade works between countries. I'm sure that goods that end up with the MiC label don't all originate there, but boycotting them (or trying to) is just a beginning. I don't know where else to start, you see.
ReplyDeleteWriting letters and posting blogs on the subject can only raise awareness. Boycotting Chinese goods (beginning with food) is a baby step in making me feel like I'm doing something constructive. It will get harder as *everything* seems to have the MiC label these days - even essentials. I don't know how long my 'protest' will last and to what effect, but I'm determined to give it my best shot.
Every country on this planet is culpable in some form for the near (or complete) extinction of some of our animals. I'd like to tackle them all, by a wave of my hand, if possible, but that's only in my dreams.
I agree with you whole-heartedly on the Japanese issue as well. But I'm going to focus on China and tigers for the time being.
You seem to feel strongly about whales. If you are campaigning about whaling, could you point me to some links that I could put on my blog - I'd be happy to.
Thank you for your responses. Glad to know that someone else is also thinking about what-can-be-done. I'm open to suggestions if you have any more ideas.