So, where should we buy our clothing? I occasionally buy from Target. They have nice stuff at nice prices and they aren't Walmart. A few years ago, I actually overheard employees saying how much they enjoyed working at Target (No fooling!), something I would never even hallucinate about Walmart workers saying. But was this an anomaly and does Target really respect the rights of its employees? Is Target really any different or do they buy all their clothes from sweatshops? Is Target different from Walmart or just smaller?
From corpwatch.org, comes the article, Target: Wal-Mart Lite, from which this quote is taken.
“The way the global garment industry is, there are so few factories that respect workers’ rights that there is no way Target gets its clothes from workplaces where workers’ rights are being respected,” said Allie Robbins, national organizer of the group United Students Against Sweatshops.
I have only just started researching this but I'll let you know what I find out about Target. I have already started learning to sew so I can make my own clothes as many of our great grandparents and maybe grandparents or even parents used to do. I can make a high quality linen skirt but haven't tried pants yet. I made the little one a cute little pink jumper with a puppy print. The question this leads to...Who is making the fabric that I buy? I simply have no interest in paying slaveholders, child kidnappers, feudal lords, or factory overseers and their bosses.
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3 comments:
It sounds like that woman quoted wasnt' completely sure, so she shouldn't have said that without citing a source. That doesn't mean I don't suspect Target of using sweatshops.
They are still leagues ahead of WalMart in many ways but we have to keep our eye on them. And I really think your solution - of making our own clothes - is so great. I used to sew (when I was 8!) but never really developed it. My grandmothers were both extremely talented seamstresses/knitters. It's just GOT to be in our genes, eh?
Plus I like to design stuff (I draw). Hmmm.....
Thanks for the comment, helenwheels. I agree that this didn't give a lot of hard evidence. I need more information perhaps but not to become more self-sufficient. I like learning to make my own clothes, grow my own food, and otherwise not depend on large corporations for the necessaries of life. If it weren't for property taxes, people could really be independent like my great-great-aunt was originally. She had to go to work cleaning people's houses when they started charging property taxes, whereas she used to be able to live off of the land she owned and worked.
I am always amazed at how resilient, tough and self-sufficient people were only 2 generations ago. That's amazing that you are also so self-sufficient. I think people in Oregon don't pay very high property taxes, or have heard as much. I wonder if other states are more libertarian-leaning in that regard as well.
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