November 12th, 2008
Lately, I have had anxieties on my mind, some of which I’ve alluded to in earlier writings. These anxieties have come from my studies, specifically from studying labor economics and American national government.
I am troubled by the way we live in our country at the expense of people in other, “less-developed” countries. I am troubled by the huge, growing disparity in wealth . And although these things will not change overnight, there are some small things we can do.
One specific thing we can do is to boycott shopping for new stuff to fill up our lives when we can find the same stuff used, for much less money. Here we can purchase, clean, non-sweat shop, non child-labor clothing and other products. It also helps stimulate local markets by providing fun jobs to workers. Thrift Town, located conveniently on the corner of 3300 S. and 1300 E., has raised over $75 million dollars for charities that go to benefit children and adults with development disabilities.
Here’s a pic of me rocking my one of my favorite thrift town finds (Only $2.99 for that outfit!):
Deseret Industries (D.I.) is another thrift chain in Utah and other states where LDS membership is strong. D.I. has a direct association with the LDS Church. As a human rights advocate, I would recommend steering clear of D.I. after the LDS Church reportedly donated $20 million to the campaign fighting Yes on Proposition 8 in California, furthering our struggle for equality and freedom. So go to Thrift Town instead.
Finally, I just wanted to add a side note about the concept of “used” clothes. It has come to my attention that many people think that used clothes are dirty or inferior to new clothes, or that they may contain lice or scabies. For one, nothing will live on these clothes for more than 48 hours, and in the 25+ years my mother has been a practicing dermatologist, she has never seen one single case of a patient contracting something from used clothing. Furthermore, new clothes purchased made in China could contain remnants of chemicals used in the production process and some of them are stained by the tears of young children (Target, Costco and others have reportedly been involved in child labor disputes).
Thanks for reading my rant. I hope it doesn’t make you want to do this to me:
photo by Johannes Kroemer
Finally, some eye candy to celebrate the beginning of ski season:
photo by Lee Cohen
Posted in Salt Lake City, Style & Design, Vintage
