About the Author

Jill Maisch - as a writer, speaker, missionary, and educator - has a tendency to wander upstream... against the more comfortable current of social and spiritual complacency.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

What do I do?


By now we’ve all heard, ad nauseam, of Chick-fil-A’s owner expressing his personal opposition to marriage rights for all people. Do I disagree with his stance? Definitely. Do I wish his company didn’t give money to groups that also oppose equal marriage rights? Absolutely. That’s my right. However, it’s also the right of Chick-fil-A founder and chairman S. Truett Cathy to voice his personal opinion on issues and at least he’s open and honest about how the company’s profits are being spent.

So… what do I do?

There are those who say I should boycott Chick-fil-A… but I never ate there anyway. There are those who say it’s just a chicken sandwich and boycotting would only hurt the hard-working employees.

So… what do I do?

I think the real question I need to ask myself before I start to rail against one particular company is – how committed am I to practicing what I believe is ethical consumerism? For instance, last night I treated Bill to a delicious dinner at Carrabbas. Do I know the political and social stance of OSI Restaurants that owns Carrabbas? No. Did I take the time to look up the company’s investment or donation information before diving into my mezzaluna? No. We ate. I paid. We left.

So… what do I do?

If I want to aim for that place where justice meets consumerism I need to research and pray about how and where I do spend my money. 

I think workers’ rights and fair pay is important, so I can choose to shop at fair trade shops. Tenfold Fair Trade in Harper’s Ferry, WV (http://tenfoldfairtrade.com), and Bead for Life out of Boulder, CO (http://www.beadforlife.org), are two of my favorite. Providing a safe, inclusive workplace is very important to me, so I can consult resources such as the HRC Buyers Guide (http://www.hrc.org/apps/buyersguide/index.php#.UCfZQWOe46) prior to shopping. Protecting our environment is a priority for me, so I can find out how “green” a company is before choosing to support them with my purchase.

Being mindful of workers’ rights, fair wages, safe and inclusive workplaces, and care for the environment will definitely add more time to shopping. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. Investing the extra time needed to research and pray before making purchases will cut down on impulse buying and will provide the space to consider whether the desired product or service is a “want” or a “need”.

Practicing just consumerism and not just being a consumer… this is what I’ll do.

4 comments:

  1. You rock! We may not have the power to change the world, but we do have control over where and how we spend money. Thanks for the links!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just now updated the HRC link... for some reason the first one didn't work.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats on a very even handed post. My question for folks who boycott Chick-Fil-A because of the owner's stance on gay marriage (perfectly within their rights) is are they also boycotting devout business owners of other religions that also oppose gay marriage? I always find it a challenge to be consistent in my views and how I live them out.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lora - It is a challenge. A reminder I use is Micah 6:8 - "He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

    ReplyDelete