Starting To Question Everything I Buy/eat/smoke.

Well it was out of stoned denial and faulty reasoning that I ever allowed myself to purchase cannabis from the illegal market. But once you wake up to the fact that it is directly funding violent thugs who are willing to kill people on some level at some point in the distribution (unless you're friends with a grower) or unless they FUCKING LEGALIZE IT already)

I had a meager harvest of about a half ounce, gave some to a friend, threw some out due to mold...Anyway I don't even have the money to purchase weed but if I did I would like to think I'd have the willpower not to fund criminals who work with hard drugs and violence.

But then I started thinking about my shoes. My old faulty reasoning was you can't win no matter what you buy BUT THATS A DEFEATEST ATTITUDE. WHERE THERES A WILL THERES A WAY!

Anyway I need new shoes but if I go to Kohls or any other major store chances are they were made in a sweatshop in china. Where does one buy affordable shoes produced in the USA???

So starting today I started taking inventory of all my actions and the effects. My eggs were from cage free chickens, the butter I cooked them in was organic, the hot pepper I added was grown in my garden and the coffee (this one is very important after learning about child slaves being trafficked to pick cocoa and I'd imagine coffee is in the same boat) the coffee was fairtrade.

But I still have to drive. At least my cars a hybrid. And I still need new shoes...

Sorry for rambling or if this doesn't make any sense or you can't relate/don't care, I used to keep my head buried in the sand or up my ass when I was a pothead (of course that was just me) but lately I can't help but question where the essentials in life are coming from and at what cost to workers and their families, the environment and society at large.

I never was any kind of activist really I am just waking up to the fact that I've funneled tens of thousands of dollars into the black market and the thought makes me ill and makes me question everything and how other things thought of as innocent like a chocolate bar can be just as bad or even worse than the black market (look up chocolate child trafficking on youtube and find out for yourself.

Damn in corporate America we can't do anything without someone being abused in some way shape or form it seems and its always these poor people in third world countries who get to deal with the consequences of us Americans wanting everything cheap and fast.

I don't know where to start its so overwhelming to think about.

 

So many people complain about caged chickens that they go and spend the money on free range. But all they're doing is neglecting the caged chickens at that point. They once had a purpose, to produce eggs to the public. The public stops buying them, now the chickens are producing eggs for no reason which is more cruel IMO than eating caged eggs in the first place.

 

Umm...no...buy cage free eggs and there is leass demand for caged eggs. Less demand=less production. Caged chickens having no purpose, they will always have a purpose in the forseeable future but the less demand for caged chickens the less will be caged, the greater the demand for cage free eggs the more cage free chickens will be raised.

If your going to post an argument at least base it in reality. I'm no economist but this is basic economics of supply and demand.

If I had to guess your looking for a justification for buying the cheaper conventional eggs.

.......................




.............Anyway to get back on track here how does one even start when they want to stop supporting abuse and neglect of people and the environment?

 

I've heard that theory, yet our supermarkets are still flooded with caged eggs, so I haven't seen the benefits, yet. And no I don't buy eggs, I have a farming family, so please, lay off the "you don't know what you are talking about" because in this case I actually do.

It's interesting that you are starting to question the things you do etc.. yet maintain a level of obtuse reflection and reasoning..

I'll leave you to your burdens.

 

I mean your economic reasoning is literally beyond silly. Caged chickens won't have a purpose? I loled Exactly! that's a good thing because if caged chickens don't have a purpose farmers will stop caging them. If you can't understand something as simple as that you really should leave me with my "burdens" as you call them though I prefer to say thoughts and critical thinking.

If you don't care about a topic don't post in the thread simple as that.

 

Thank you for bringing some intelligence to the table. I see what you mean because at least they have a job but if you read about how children are being trafficked to work on cocoa plantations as slaves (I'll try and find the video) it starts to become hard to justify buying that hershey bar, at least for me.

I couldn't agree more on buying local food. I try to when I can but I can certainly do a lot more.

I'll look into the Birkenstocks. Theres got to be some shoes still made in the USA if I search for them but I'd imagine they'd be quite expensive and I am on a budget.

One source I find helpful is a website called care2 because it is all about people who are waking up to what we are doing to this planet and the people in it but unfortunately its been taken over by militant vegan propogandists.

Anyway thanks for the helpful post skip

 

Mate, it makes no sense to start questioning consumerism but then believe whatever the label tells you. You have no guarantee you're eating free range eggs except for a sticker placed on a recycled cardboard box.

Now while in the future caged chickens might not have a purpose, what about the ones that are caged now? It's hypocritical to support free range and then act like you actually care about the caged chickens. If you really cared about the caged chickens, buy their produce, make their existence beneficial or else you ignore them, pretend it doesn't exist.. That's exactly what the caged chickens want.

 

Sorry mate but the only thing I ask of you is to please leave this thread be and maybe read a basic economics book because all your providing me with is humor and this is a serious thread.

 

You think you're funding the black market, you're thinking about your shoes.. you really don't make a lot of sense yourself so don't come here and try and make a serious conversation about this, it did not read like a serious post, I will not produce a serious answer. You acknowledged yourself that individuals probably wouldn't follow this and probably wouldn't care, yet you're upset when an individual comes up with a genuine answer in their opinion that doesn't conform to your opinions. Yet this whole post is about thinking for yourself and making your own conclusions..

What a joke.

 

I sincerely apologize to you for being an asshole like that. Not in the best of moods this past hour and I have to go now. Think about it. If people stopped buying caged eggs the farmers would simply open the cages and let them roam free.

Or maybe I'm missing something. Maybe its a miscommunication. My ego was getting in the way and I am sorry.

My point is this thread is not only about cage free eggs and it wasn't intended to turn into a debate.

You can and should question everything I post but the purpose of this thread is not to fixate on one single topic and certainly not a debate thread.

Sorry again for being an asshole, were all only human and I was feeling a little down I guess. Thank you for your unique input, lets just agree to disagree so that this thread can survive.

Peace

 

And yes this is a serious thread btw. I am just becoming so acutely aware of all these issues and looking for what other people are doing or helpful input. If it seems not serious its simply because I don't have much time and chose to put it all out there unrevised and unedited.

So, to get back on track, what are you guys and girls doing to ensure that your purchases are as ethical as possible?

 

I shop locally when funds allow. There's a lovely co-op just around the corner. The selection is based on seasonal produce, and I'm totally cool with that. I also make as much of my own stuff as possible and research ethical sources for supplies. To avoid unnecessary waste, I will go without until I can afford to purchase quality items that I will not need to replace every time I turn around.

I blame capitalism for everything. Searching for cheaper solutions has ruined everything good... even chocolate! Thank goodness for fair trade.

On the topic of eggs, do your research. In the US, producers need only provide the USDA proof that the animals have access to the outside 51% of its life in order to be labeled as "free range." It is misleading at best. All too often, the chickens with this access to the outdoors are too damaged to actually utilize the freedom.

Honestly, unless you have direct access to the source, it's almost impossible to be certain that what you are getting is from an ethical source. Fortunately, even small steps to sustainability make a difference, so do not lose hope!

 

its really ironic how our modern society looks down upon the past when slavery existed but most of us are happy to buy cheap goods made by people working in horrible conditions for slave wages.

its hard (and expensive) to buy everything American made these days. I usually buy secondhand instead.

 

Good.... this so called reality IS NOT REAL,its whatever garbage you let in from the elite!!!!! -- THEY WANT YOU TO LIVE HOW THEY WANT YOU THINKING!!!!


TURN OFF THE TV AND KEEP YOUR MIND FREE ..... YES,QUESTION EVERYTHING!!

 

Good points there. I have to dig deeper sometimes I mean for all I know the "free range" label can be a lie and you just reminded me of these homes nearby that raise chickens and sell the eggs. I bet they would even let me take a look at the setup if I asked. Been meaning to do this for a while to be honest but now you reminded me.

Untethered unrestrained capitalism is probably at least as harmful as communism but I don't see what alternative there could be that doesn't give the government too much power which opens the door to possible tyranny (holding my breath that I don't totally derail the thread with that statement) but I agree that at least this form of capitalism is not working.

Good point also about the small steps. If we all started taking small steps toward sustainability what a difference it would make! And yes THANK GOODNESS for fair trade chocolate and cocoa, don't know what I'd do without it

I know isn't it ironic and hypocritical. I think half the problem is that people are unaware that slavery still exists in parts of the world and whats not outright slavery is pretty darn close to it.

Also I wish I could even think of a solution to the fact that buying locally and American made can be many times more expensive than shopping at Walmart.

At the end of the day it comes down to taking whatever steps we are able to in our daily lives and I also believe in trying to educate people about the conditions of people in 3rd world countries and the conditions animals are raised in too.

Yes I know my thinking has gotten much clearer since I quit the TV habit. Nothing like television to opiate the masses and keep people dumbed down and content with banality and stupidity. I'm not a huge conspiracy theorist but I believe there are many conspiracies especially between corporations, the pharmaceutical industry and the government. Money is the motivating factor and some people will do literally anything for money but there is hope if we all make changes in our own personal lives.

 

Bud comes from local growers as well, not just cartels..
I know you acknowledged growers, but you don't have to be friends with the grower to get bud from them. My dude gets shit from a local grower or from growers in colorado, cali, or washington, depending what they have atm.
Everything else I have to agree with you on to some extent.
Edit:to clarify, my dude is a relatively large scale dealer. His bud gets around the area quite a bit.

 

Good point. I just basically do not want to buy any buds unless I know the source. Whether its cartels or street gangs or dealers who also sell hard drugs, that is the stuff I can't justify supporting anymore. Had a semi-successful small organic gorilla grow and saving that last gram in a jar for a long time now that I've fully dried it.

I'm even considering going on a road trip to colorado some time and bringing home a few souvenirs once I have the funds to do so

 

Derailing for a moment: Communism, in theory, is not evil at all. In fact, it's brilliant. Place a system in the hands of flawed humans fueled by greed though, and we have a mess. Corporate owned democracy isn't much better. As Churchill stated, “Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." (Speech in the House of Commons, 11 November 1947).

At the moment, I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel just to get by on ramen budget. Dropping the big kid job to go back to university has killed me. I do grow my own herbs in little pots in my kitchen, so yay for that. I've also found that buying local produce straight from the farmers themselves can be cheaper than shopping at Walmart. Farmer's Markets have made my life so much easier.

In my opinion, lack of knowledge isn't the problem. It's the convenience that most people don't want to give up. "Why should I cook a soup from scratch when it comes in a can?" I have three good reasons: 1. It only has preservatives that you put in it. 2. You have more control of the sources of what you're putting in it. 3. It just tastes better! (Unless you really suck at cooking, but my lentil soup is 1000x better than anything you will find in a can). It's your typical "out of sight, out of mind" logic. Most people do not have to see the impact of our consumption habits. We don't see the farms. We don't visit these underdeveloped countries that we are helping to sink lower into poverty. Even within America, your average citizen will not truly grasp the reality of poverty within this superpower. It's disgusting. Our purchasing habits cause not only direct but structural violence as well.

 

Man, you should have seen dictatorship working on Pam's Labyrinth. Now that wished the lawless era again.