Aug 14 2007
The Approach To the Enemy We Call Friend.
Approach.
Yesterday I shared with you the challenge I felt to explore further into China’s human rights abuses. Today I will outline for you my approach.
1. 99% boycott on Made in China products. There are many posts to write on this topic. Boycotting China 100% is virtually impossible. Since my boycott started in May 2007, I have accidentally bought 2 pieces from China. I’m gradually getting used to looking at labels on everything. 2 venues that make it difficult is Internet shopping and catalog shopping. Neither requires labeling. Also at times ‘parts’ of an item (eg. My stroller) are made in China. And still, at other times, it could be impossible to find an acceptable alternative. I will do as much as I can. I will boycott as far as I can. This call is huge for a mother of young children. And I started this before all the lead paint problems were starting to surface. The lead has only strengthened my resolve that this is an issue that HAS to be addressed.
2. Start the Not China Made blog to invite others to join the journey with me and strengthen awareness through the cost efficient accessible (unless you live in censored China,) media, the Internet.
3. Publicize the Not China Made Blog. Through e-cards, business cards, promotional items, wearable items, contests, group projects, and in the future writing articles for print media.
4. Continue to educate myself. I will continue reading books and articles. I will interview every person that I meet who has spent time in China. I will talk to missionaries and teachers who have lived there. I will even take college courses if I’m able to find time. I just want to sponge all the information that I can.
5. I will team up with like-minded people to maximize our influence.
6. Most important to me, my faith, I will pray. Prayer often falls to the bottom of our list. “if all else fails, I will pray.” This is not the reason it is last on my list. This last point ranks first for me this time. If God did not give me this burden to carry, I would not be stepping out into the realm of “impossibility”. My faith compels me to step into something beyond that which any human can accomplish. It is my faith that knows this journey is for me.
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I wrote this post as the second of a two part submission to theWriting Thoughts and Grow Your Writing Business Blogs’ Group writing project called Shared Thoughts 07. The project is to post about a challange, and approach; or a problem and solution through 2 posts on your blog. I needed to write my “about” page anyway. After I post both, they will be compacted into one text on my “about” page.
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Wow! I’m impressed with how will you thought this through. This is definitely a blog to watch.
Do you have any tips for finding out whether an item is made in China, or do you just look on the label?
I will definitely start doing #6 right now.
What do you think about supporting missions project in China? Will that help?
Thank you, I have thought it through a ton, as this is a huge step for me.
Label checking is the best way with verifying where a product was made. The challenge though is online selling.
Right now I know people who are going through amazon items they know of that are made in china and they are tagging them,
“made in communist China”. As soon as I learn how to do this, I will post on this!
As far as Missions project… I guess it would depend on the project, but I would assume supporting them would be wonderful…both through prayer and finances. I know our church is sending one out in the near future. I plan to anonymously interview a lot of people that have been over their on long and short term missions.
Great thought!
eliz.- i am so much in support of this, but i’d be interested for you to also have blogs/articles on how this would effect our economy, trade relations, possibly nuclear activity if we were to do what you’re suggesting and cut off all imports from china. i too am astonished that it seems every week a new product (mostly TOYS) are being recalled but i wonder what it would do to us in an already declining economy. could we really afford for our dollar to lose any more value? (i understand ultimately more jobs would be created but that wouldn’t offset quickly.) where’s the balance? would love to hear the reality of that strain. because though a lot of your readers would agree with this (including me), do we want to pay 4- 6 times the amount we are paying now for toys?
Nicole,
What a great question. I have philosophical ideas about this. I will have to write a whole post in response though (and will very soon) Thank you for asking such an intelligent question. It would no doubt effect the economy. More to come sometime this week.
-Mommy Zabs
Thanks for joining in our Shared Answers Group Writing project.
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