The National Museum of African American History and Culture is an amazing reminder of our (human) barbaric past. Slavery: The concept of Human Trade, was at the foundation of the industrial revolution.
One may ask: what triggered a 'need', if you may, for slavery. The reason will sure astound you. It was our need to consume: sugar, tobacco, coffee, cocoa, and later cotton.
Slaves provided the very fundamental labor force, without which, the trade, shipping, plantations may not have flourished as they did.
A conventional wisdom says that, if, information was available, about the facts, that "the sugar I consume enslaves a family for life", one may not have consumed it.
Question is, would you really have 'not' consumed it?
Fast forward many decades and talk about iPhone and FoxConn, just as an example, nothing against Apple or FoxConn, per se. We worry about less human, if not inhuman, labor practices of China or (un)Fair trade practices in South America or Africa or India or child labor!
As this is being written, this was a week were White Supremacist raised their heads (in US), again. Where do they get an idea of being superior? May be, just may be, slavery had something to do with it!?
Think bit harder, do you really know or guarantee that what you consume does no evil? Ironically, we live in an information age.
The world, today, has many more forms of consumption, TV, Vehicles, Media and most importantly your very own, precious, perishable time.
A conscious consumption, is indeed a guarantee that a fellow human will not be ill-treated.
We are what we consume: let us consume to be Human. It is a long journey between human being and being human, let us travel together.
One may ask: what triggered a 'need', if you may, for slavery. The reason will sure astound you. It was our need to consume: sugar, tobacco, coffee, cocoa, and later cotton.
Slaves provided the very fundamental labor force, without which, the trade, shipping, plantations may not have flourished as they did.
A conventional wisdom says that, if, information was available, about the facts, that "the sugar I consume enslaves a family for life", one may not have consumed it.
Question is, would you really have 'not' consumed it?
Fast forward many decades and talk about iPhone and FoxConn, just as an example, nothing against Apple or FoxConn, per se. We worry about less human, if not inhuman, labor practices of China or (un)Fair trade practices in South America or Africa or India or child labor!
As this is being written, this was a week were White Supremacist raised their heads (in US), again. Where do they get an idea of being superior? May be, just may be, slavery had something to do with it!?
Think bit harder, do you really know or guarantee that what you consume does no evil? Ironically, we live in an information age.
The world, today, has many more forms of consumption, TV, Vehicles, Media and most importantly your very own, precious, perishable time.
A conscious consumption, is indeed a guarantee that a fellow human will not be ill-treated.
We are what we consume: let us consume to be Human. It is a long journey between human being and being human, let us travel together.
Great. Consumption is a function of needs and wants. Gandhiji did show ways and means. His views needs frequent recall.i believe education is a solution. Can we bring up children with required life style!
ReplyDeleteWell even though racism is obviously still alive and well in the US, we have clearly come a long way since the days of slavery. But I think we should also consider modern forms of slavery right now as well... there are still unfair labor laws in other countries of which we “consume” their goods because of the immediate gratification of its low price. I think this will be a concept that will raise humanity’s consciousness even more in the coming decades. To understand what we are consuming and how that affects the world we live in.
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