Status things

[Yuki's Passion 1]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Davo:
My concession to status symbols these days is getting a 4,000 yen haircut every 6 weeks or so.

Mine costs 850 yen...I just go to an ossan shop and have em gimme a high-n-tight I guess it'd be. Id use clippers too but cant have a bouzu haircut cuz of my baito. suxs really. I love having a shaved head.

[Oyuki kigan 0]

Working for a living is good and honest. Its the type of work done that makes the difference. Are you contributing something worthwhile, that you can be proud of?

Or are you counting beans for a company that puts profit above human welfare?

 

Examining my own life, status symbols for me are not WHAT is consumed (like for most people being name brands) but WHY it is consumed. Is the coffee you drink made in a fairly ethical way, and do the farmers make a livable wage from it? Not a populat way to live in Japan, it seems.

[guzzlers-baps 0]

Is the coffee you drink made in a fairly ethical way...

 

Out of interest, do you know that kind of thing about your coffee? And everything else you consume etc?

[Oyuki kigan 0]

Actually, i don`t drink coffee. I never really developed a taste for it.

 

As for everything else? Hell no. I don`t know how everything i consume is made. That is impossible, unless i make it myself.

Having said that, i have been looking at my life differently for the past few years, and have been trying to question how i live. There are still huge areas of unexplored issues, but it is a start.

I do try to make an effort to check out what i consume, even if it is only a small effort.

I try to make sure the food i eat is locally made, and organic if possible. At least in my area, i have yet to see any steps toward `fair trade` produce, like bananas, even though i still consume them.

Clothing is difficult at the best of times, but i try to support companies that have some sort of ethical standards, like MEC or G7 welcoming Committee. I have yet to find good skateboard shoes that claim to be sweatshop free, although DC used to be pretty good.

But there are huge areas, like electronics and ski/snowboard wear that have not been touched by sweatshop issues, so for example, i have no idea about my cellphone, or if the company i subscribe to (AU) is any good.

 

So no, i don`t know the background of everything i consume. But i try to make an effort, however small. And it is that kind of thing that means a lot to me.

[ShinyDiscoBall 2]

Thats great Oyuki. I should try harder myself.

 

For me, I would say my skills on the dancefloor are my status thing.

[cal 6]

How would people rate Nike? Are they are bad as I have heard, or is it just people bad-mouthing something successful?

[kintaro 0]

I'd say that's a fair question, cal. I would rate Nike as a multinational corporation. As corporations are made up of people, you couldn't fairly judge each employee on the basis of what the company is doing (nor should you judge nations entirely on its leadership, like some simple minded people tend to do). You could, however, point fingers at leadership but unless I'm mistaken, Nike doesn't force people to work for them. A company consists of people of all walks of life. Some people just need to earn money to feed the babies, some are more ambitious and chasing after money they quite possibly don't deserve. Like everything, it's a case by case situation. Nike makes shoes and athletic apparel. Many of us enjoy their products, others don't. What else really is there to say about it? BTW, I don't own stock in Nike.

[slow 0]

Yeah, I think Fair Trade is very important. The people in developed countries have to know or try to know the background of things we buy.

In Vietnam, people working in the factory are lucky (many people here can't get job) and their salary is around $50 every month. It's not enough money for their family. Kids can't go to school and they have to work for their family...

Many people (some are locals, some are foreiners) are trying to help street children or poor people in Vietnam. I know education and job training is important. But after visiting many street children supporting groups in HCMC, I believe that encouraging Fair Trade, local organic food, something like this is very important.

How can we get to know the background of the things we buy?

 

slow in HCMC(Saigon)

[Ocean11 0]

> How can we get to know the background of the things we buy?

 

I followed up on Oyuki kigan's coffee hint and checked the website of the coffee brand I drink (Ogawa Kohi). They have organic 'bird friendly' coffee that is too expensive for me, so I emailed them about the rest of their products. The answer was not particularly encouraging (90% keigo flourishes, 10% disappointing content).

 

So that's how I know about the background to the coffee I drink. The whole exercise took me about 20 minutes.

[sakebomb 0]

I was just reading this thread when I came to thinking about the millions of dollars companies pay for advertising. I am not sure how much it costs to have your logo placed in movies, on billboards, TV shows, magazines probably a fair sum. But consumers have to pay to wear the company logo across the chest.

I think I might offer my chest as advertising space!

[rach 1]

I hope you gave them a good speaking to about that 90% keigo, Ocean.

[Siren 0]

 Quote:

I believe that encouraging Fair Trade, local organic food, something like this is very important.

The only known way of reducing the gap between the rich and the poor is the crash of stock markets. Fair trade won’t do.

[slow 0]

hmmm, interesting... How can you make it happen, Siren?

[tsondaboy 0]

How many times have you watched "fight club" Siren?

[Siren 0]

Slow, thanks for the compliment but I don’t have that kind of power. You need a ‘bigger fool’ competition to cause that.

 

I haven’t seen ‘fight club’ – what’s it all about?

[tsondaboy 0]

You should watch the movie or even better read the book. It is written by some anarchist guy that suggests the same thing you were saying. A bit radical idea, but definitely interesting.

[Siren 0]

Oh really?! I will put it in my 'to read' list.

[Siren 0]

But why 'fight club' the title?

[tsondaboy 0]

I am not sure if the title of the movie is the same as the book.

[klingon 10]

Fight Club, interesting movie, definitely worth a watch.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137523/

[Oyuki kigan 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Kintaro:
I'd say that's a fair question, cal. I would rate Nike as a multinational corporation. As corporations are made up of people, you couldn't fairly judge each employee on the basis of what the company is doing (nor should you judge nations entirely on its leadership, like some simple minded people tend to do). You could, however, point fingers at leadership but unless I'm mistaken, Nike doesn't force people to work for them. A company consists of people of all walks of life. Some people just need to earn money to feed the babies, some are more ambitious and chasing after money they quite possibly don't deserve. Like everything, it's a case by case situation. Nike makes shoes and athletic apparel. Many of us enjoy their products, others don't. What else really is there to say about it? BTW, I don't own stock in Nike.

Well, having said that, i will just offer another view. Nike sells their shoes for what? Lets be conservative and say $100. The shoe themselves cost how much to make? Just raw materials? Less than $5, perhaps? Well, maybe people can justify the 2000% price hike, to satisfy shockholders and pay out huge advertising budgets and sponsorships to Tiger Woods.
But as for the people making them? Please read Naomi Kliens No Logo for a more detailed example, or watch the movie `The Corporation` for saome insight, but from what i have read and seen, Nike (and corporaions like it) have pretty well turned exploitation into a science.
Sure, Nike does not force workers to work for them, but they chose factories in places with conditions that force people to work for anything. And places with little or no labour standards so workers may get forced overtime with no pay, or work in danderous conditions. Nike could easily remedy this with a pay cut to say, its advertising budget or Tiger Woods. And actually help people, instead of measuring the time it takes to make a sneaker down to the tenth of a second.

If i am going to give my money to a company for a product, i would hope that teh people who actually do the hard work in making it are benefitting. After reading Klien`s book, i am not sure this is the case with many large companies.

I would love it if my money went to help raise living conditions in poorer countries. But sweatshops, in order to get contracts, try to offer the lowest costs to entice clients. And that means cutting corners on workers rights, labor safety and wages in general.

And while i try not to judge people by the actions of larger groups they are involved with, if they know their group is ****ing someone/something over and does nothing to stop it, they are complicit in my eyes.

[thursday 1]

my latest status thing is my baby.

[Oyuki kigan 0]

my latest is a 5000 yen snowboard from a recycle shop.