China is Not the Enemy

Given the nature of this boycott, it may seem absurd to claim that China is not the enemy; however, I wholeheartedly believe this statement to be true.

While I believe that there is value to this boycott and I am concerned with the massive outsourcing of jobs overseas, as well as the quality of goods which we import and consume, and the little bit I understand about our burgeoning trade deficit with China, this boycott has forced me to open my eyes to the fact that our tenuous relationship with China has far deeper roots than mere cheap goods.

I will not even pretend that I know how exactly how this relationship evolved, and yet taking a painful, closer look at my own consumer habits, shows me that I am, in part, a participant in the evolution of the "Made in China" label.

Despite the fact that I have been unemployed for the entire time I have been conducting this boycott, I still manage to consume more, well, crap, than I will ever need. I won't even use some of what I've purchased, but that was almost irrelevant to me when I went shopping.

I am a cheap shopper. Unless it is "urgent", I rarely buy anything that is not on sale. My whole day is better when I am able to buy something I "need" on sale AND I have a coupon for it!

The fact is, three bottle of shampoo, six black tops, ten pairs of jeans and an assortment of high heels I have only because I'm told women wear these awful things, ultimately sit under my bed, in my closet or on the floor until the next thing I buy forces me to find a new home for my old stuff.

I am not alone in this overconsumption. My stuff is a sign that I'm not as broke as I used to be, it's a sign of me, it's a sign of...it's a sign of a lot of things and it is part of the reason jobs in this country are headed overseas, where human beings in poorer countries make the stuff we buy inexpensive enough that we can have disposable everything.

I know my assertion that we all bear a part in the loss of jobs and the inferior quality of the things we buy will not win me many friends, but it is the truth as I see it.

I've tried the "blame big business", "blame the politicians", "blame the Chinese", "blame everyone but me" game and I just can't do it any longer.

Yes, there is a great deal of truth to the outrage that our government should have better regulations in place. Yes, it is true that big business is making ridiculous profits off of cheaper international labor, without passing the money on to the consumer. Yes, it is true that there are Chinese workers who work for a fraction of what most Americans are willing to work for.

These claims all have truth to them, but they also avoid the truth that at the end of the day, we are the consumers and we are the ones who are ultimately responsible for what we buy and how we use our money.

This boycott has been a far larger pain in my ass than I ever imagined it would be. It has frustrated me, caused fights, infuriated me, helped me feel alienated from people, even brought me to tears and yet the fact remains that I "need" very little of what I continue to buy and that there has always been other options for the things I "could not buy."

The fact remains that all over the world human beings like myself slave away in conditions I would never subject myself to, in order to bring me more and more crap at lower and lower prices so it can temporarily fill some void, some need in my life.