Buying Conflict Items

[SallyNow]

Conflict diamonds and other natural resources, forced labour products, dangerous workplaces...what are your thoughts, as Christians and others?

Is it moral to buy conflict diamonds (or other products), knowing that you are supporting terrorism? (although these terrorists are not commiting crimes directly against Americans, they are doing life-threatening, horrificly scarring, mutilating, and sometimes deadly, things to people in other nations)

For proof on the existence of product conflics, search www.who.org or www.un.org for "diamonds" or "conflict diamonds" (but without the ""'s)

A warning though: if you want to continue buying diamonds or other products that support terror, do not go these links. Also, the links contain articles which describe real events, and some may find it graphic.

So: is it moral to buy products made in such conditions, knowing the true cost? And what can be done to stop the terror and help those who have already been afflicted?

 

[Hungry Hungry Hippo]

I think the Cartel family could end it all if they were willing to take less than 500,000,000% profit from their diamonds.

 

[trunks2k]

I generally try to stay away from buying certain items because of how they are produced. Unfortunately there's few affordable fully moral products available to buy.

Diamonds (specifically for jewlery), however, are one product that I absolutely refuse to buy and will refuse to accept if someone buys them for me. It's not solely because of conflict diamonds, but also because of the DeBeers monopoly/cartel, and other reasons that are hard to articulate. Really, diamonds are rather worthless, it's just that the diamond cartel controls the prices of them. If the total available diamonds were available for sale, then they'd be worth only a fraction of what they are worth now. But the diamond cartels control how many of them are in the market, so the price is driven up. I hate diamonds.

 

[Hungry Hungry Hippo]

Oh, come on, don't you want to be bling blingin' with yo' ice?

The Cartel/DeBeers monopoly is ridiculous.

 

[MuAndNu]

Conflict diamonds and other natural resources, forced labour products, dangerous workplaces...what are your thoughts, as Christians and others?

Is it moral to buy conflict diamonds (or other products), knowing that you are supporting terrorism? (although these terrorists are not commiting crimes directly against Americans, they are doing life-threatening, horrificly scarring, mutilating, and sometimes deadly, things to people in other nations)

For proof on the existence of product conflics, search www.who.org or www.un.org for "diamonds" or "conflict diamonds" (but without the ""'s)

A warning though: if you want to continue buying diamonds or other products that support terror, do not go these links. Also, the links contain articles which describe real events, and some may find it graphic.

So: is it moral to buy products made in such conditions, knowing the true cost? And what can be done to stop the terror and help those who have already been afflicted?

It was always an issue with me as a Christian just what level of separation between something good and an associated evil was acceptable. Problem is, there's not much out there that's lily white.

 

[James T]

Interesting and difficult question. I'd long have considered the answer to be, that's their problem, now however I think you need to consider avoiding purchase of those items that support harm. The kiddie porn example is at one extreme end of this scale. That someone routinely missing their tea breaks to produce an extra couple of widgets is at the other. Where the dividing line lies I do not know.

 

[ravenscape]

Diamonds are easy. We know they're are tainted in many potential ways. The potential taints of other products can be more difficult to understand. Did that hardwood at Home Depot come from a rainforest? What wages were paid to the worker who produced those shoes? Was child labor involved in the embroidery of that vest? Under what conditions did that chicken live before it was slaughtered and packaged for sale?

It's not just a case of where to draw the line. It's also a case of even understanding the potential ethical dilemmas involved in certain products. And who do we trust if we want to shop ethically?

 

[James T]

Yes, certainly, making a choice over what is acceptable has limited impact where it is impossible to discern which products compromise your standards.

 

[SallyNow]

It was always an issue with me as a Christian just what level of separation between something good and an associated evil was acceptable. Problem is, there's not much out there that's lily white.

It's true that it is hard to find products that are "lily white" without buying locally and thinking globally on a constant basis; but there are some times where there is a direct line between the consumer and unsafe, cruel, or terrorist conditions, such as with conflict diamonds.

Sometimes, the good can outweigh the bad, such as the case with some Girl Guide (or Scout?) cookies being made by Kraft, which is owned by Phillip Morris. But in some cases, the bad outweighs the good by so much, yet people just keep buying because it's easy.

But also, some people will boycott a product not because it creates cruelty, but because of a political assciation, whatever that might be. So why is there not so many calls to stop creating products which cause horrible, cruel harm?

 

[John812]

I think that we should try to investigate the products we buy, or we may unknowingly support people/companies with evil intentions. This is especially important with high priced items such as diamonds because the more money you pay for something then generally the more profit those people/companies make. The richer they are, the more power they have. However, even with regards to which brand of milk you get, perhaps there is one brand that is made by a company who donates millions of dollars to the poor and another milk company who invests in the diamond sector you discussed. It can be better understood like this: Say you are in an old style market square and two farmers have milk to sell that they aquired from their own cows. One of the farmers is a well-respected member of the community who trys hard to be a good man. The other farmer is known to be violent, hateful and greedy. Who would you buy from? I think, for many people (me included, I will try harder), we don't think too much about what brand of milk to get at the supermarket because it all seems so impersonal. Yet, the profit is going to somebody, whether we can personally see them at the farmers market or if they are sitting behind a desk somewhere on the top floor of a skyscraper.


God Bless!

 

[Antoninus Verus]

I generally try to stay away from buying certain items because of how they are produced. Unfortunately there's few affordable fully moral products available to buy.

Diamonds (specifically for jewlery), however, are one product that I absolutely refuse to buy and will refuse to accept if someone buys them for me. It's not solely because of conflict diamonds, but also because of the DeBeers monopoly/cartel, and other reasons that are hard to articulate. Really, diamonds are rather worthless, it's just that the diamond cartel controls the prices of them. If the total available diamonds were available for sale, then they'd be worth only a fraction of what they are worth now. But the diamond cartels control how many of them are in the market, so the price is driven up. I hate diamonds.

Thats why you buy man-made diamonds

 

[dkara]

Conflict diamonds and other natural resources, forced labour products, dangerous workplaces...what are your thoughts, as Christians and others?

Once I know the background exploitation of an article, I have a choice--to participate or not. I choose not.

 

[Ninja Turtles]

I will never buy diamonds. The only diamonds I will ever give to a future wife would be diamonds that I mine myself because then I know where they came from (plus, that's much more romantic knowing someone went into a mine to get you a diamond ).

But it is a difficult question to know if the products you buy are acquired in a moral fashion, but I think this comment definitely applies: ignorance is bliss. I will accept buying a product if I truly don't know or think about its origins. This only changes when I find out about the conditions the product was produced or manufactured under. If I find out that someone gets their foot cut off to make my sneakers, I will not buy sneakers from that company again. If I find out that some company dumps gallons of waste in a small fishing community's river, then I won't buy that product anymore.

The real question comes down to how far are you willing to go to boycott and that comes down to education. The simple fact is most people don't want to know because as dkara says, you now have a choice, not just in terms of to buy or not to buy, but in supporting a negative system or not.

 

[trunks2k]

Thats why you buy man-made diamonds

But assuming that the man-made diamonds are owned by the diamond cartels (I don't know if they are or not), then in terms of jewlery I run into a different issue with how their advertised. I don't like the way our society has come around to think that if I really love person X I must buy her (or possibly him) a diamond. My objections are a bit more indepth than that, but it's hard to explain.

 

[Blackmarch]

Conflict diamonds and other natural resources, forced labour products, dangerous workplaces...what are your thoughts, as Christians and others?

Is it moral to buy conflict diamonds (or other products), knowing that you are supporting terrorism? (although these terrorists are not commiting crimes directly against Americans, they are doing life-threatening, horrificly scarring, mutilating, and sometimes deadly, things to people in other nations)

For proof on the existence of product conflics, search www.who.org or www.un.org for "diamonds" or "conflict diamonds" (but without the ""'s)

A warning though: if you want to continue buying diamonds or other products that support terror, do not go these links. Also, the links contain articles which describe real events, and some may find it graphic.

So: is it moral to buy products made in such conditions, knowing the true cost? And what can be done to stop the terror and help those who have already been afflicted?

Well if people had the capacity to be able to see the far reaching effects of their actions, then they might be haeld more accountable for such things.. and also probably would not do things that would support such. Not all diamonds you buy support terrorism, so how do you tell between what does and what doesn't?

 

[Antoninus Verus]

But assuming that the man-made diamonds are owned by the diamond cartels (I don't know if they are or not), then in terms of jewlery I run into a different issue with how their advertised. I don't like the way our society has come around to think that if I really love person X I must buy her (or possibly him) a diamond. My objections are a bit more indepth than that, but it's hard to explain.

Man made diamonds are the absolute bane of the Diamond cartels, they HATE man-made diamonds because they have the potential to break thier monopoly on the diamond market.

 

[DailyBlessings]

It would not be practical to boycott every product that supports or is acquired through unethical means- but I do think that we are responsible for where our money is spent. No number of degrees of separation excuses us from guilt from actions we support.

 

[Aimee30]

Conflict diamonds and other natural resources, forced labour products, dangerous workplaces...what are your thoughts, as Christians and others?

Is it moral to buy conflict diamonds (or other products), knowing that you are supporting terrorism? (although these terrorists are not commiting crimes directly against Americans, they are doing life-threatening, horrificly scarring, mutilating, and sometimes deadly, things to people in other nations)

For proof on the existence of product conflics, search www.who.org or www.un.org for "diamonds" or "conflict diamonds" (but without the ""'s)

A warning though: if you want to continue buying diamonds or other products that support terror, do not go these links. Also, the links contain articles which describe real events, and some may find it graphic.

So: is it moral to buy products made in such conditions, knowing the true cost? And what can be done to stop the terror and help those who have already been afflicted?

I don't know about the conflict diamonds or anything--I don't buy diamonds--I don't believe it's too good to buy products from countries with forced or low paid employees, though. However, if you are on the lower and of the wage scale in the United States you are forced to buy these products because you can't afford quality items. So it isn't a question sometimes of what is moral, but what is necessary. Frankly, I am sick of buying things with made in China or some other country and having to throw them out all too quickly because they are junk.
I don't buy any products that support terrorism, but I think the wages iin some foreign countries are terrorizing enough.

 

[Antoninus Verus]

I don't buy any products that support terrorism

Which would include.....

And unless you dont own a car and go EVERYWHERE by bycicle, you already do

 

[SallyNow]

However, if you are on the lower and of the wage scale in the United States you are forced to buy these products because you can't afford quality items. So it isn't a question sometimes of what is moral, but what is necessary. Frankly, I am sick of buying things with made in China or some other country and having to throw them out all too quickly because they are junk.

I'm always suprised there aren't more community co-ops, barter and consignment stores in the USA with the influx of lower-end wage earners, and more community groups pointing out what items are really worth buying from a moral standpoint.

*Get on Soapbox* There seems to be so many groups who have so much time and energy and money to go on and on about how this-and-that group is commiting this sin or that, and to boycott so-and-so toothpaste because the company that produces it had an ad in some disagreeable magazine... and yet, when it comes to real tangible changes, they can't even put out lists so that people can know what they are buying is made in factories where the workers are treated ethically and the items don't support terror. *gets off soapbox*

Well if people had the capacity to be able to see the far reaching effects of their actions, then they might be haeld more accountable for such things.. and also probably would not do things that would support such. Not all diamonds you buy support terrorism, so how do you tell between what does and what doesn't?

Well, I know there are diamonds that don't directly support terrorism (such as Canadian diamonds, as far as I know) but I guess the only thing you can actually do is study up and read about the products you are buying which could cause potential harm to others.

Which would include.....

And unless you dont own a car and go EVERYWHERE by bycicle, you already do

*soapbox again*Well, actually...how do you think bicycles are made? And do they contian plastic, metals, alloys, and various paints and varnishes? Yep, even a bike isn't squeacky clean, but it is a better choice, just as if you have a family driving a fuel-efficient small mini-van or car (depending on the size of the family) is a better idea than driving a gas-guzzling oversized SUV. Items like conflict diamonds have a direct link to terror, and there are other, simple alternatives (other gems, fake diamonds, Canadian or other "clean" diamonds, etc)*off soapbox again*

The same goes for some farmers markets...the veggies, fruits, and barries are often super-fresh and cost less than the store-bought alternative.

Reducing the risk and damage to others is often all that can be done without an overhaul to society (or your paycheck) Starting with add-on items like diamonds seems like a good.