What can I do: Supporting Anti-Globalization is more than just responsible shopping

It would be easy if we had a list as to what we can do as individuals to support Anti-globalization;

Where to shop for clothing? How to ensure the stores I shop at are certifiably sweatshop-free? Will avoiding multinational conglomerates such as McDonald's, Starbucks & Wal-Mart actually help? Should I stop buying brand names like Nike and The Gap?

A list sounds like it may be helpful but in reality there is no such list to follow because the truth of the matter is, this is not a CONSUMER issue it is a POLITICAL issue. "I'm the worst person to ask these questions, because since the book 'No Logo' came out people really are watching what I buy. If I walked around Toronto with a Starbucks, it would be seen that I was endorsing that brand." states Klein.

In the article "Hand-To-Brand-Combat: A Profile Of Naomi Klein" published in the Guardian/UK by Kathraine Viner:

Klein argues, "There is a way for us to respond as citizens that is not simply as consumers. Over and over again, people's immediate response to these issues is: What do I buy? I have to immediately solve this problem through shopping. But you can like the products and not like the corporate behavior; because the corporate behavior is a political issue, and the products are just stuff. The movement is really not about being purer-than-thousand producing a recipe for being an ethical consumer. That drains a lot of political energy"......."I firmly believe that it's not about where you shop. I'm lucky in that I happen to live a few blocks from some great independent designers, so I actually can shop in stores where I know where stuff is produced. But I can't say that to a 17-year-old girl in the suburbs who can only shop at the mall. It's not a fair message.”

The key is in understanding that it is not about WHAT you buy and WHERE you buy it, and it is not about the products themselves or about the brand. It is about the behaviours of the companies that produce them, and the regulations that they follow or rather lack of regulations, and the role they play in our society and in our lives. Holding multinational corporations responsible for how their products are made requires more than just responsible shopping, it is about looking beyond the shiny design and seeing the truths about our global economy. Klein states "at the heart of this convergence of anti-corporate activism and research is the recognition that corporations are much more than purveyors of the products we all want: they are also the most powerful political forces of our time" and it is this that needs to be addressed.





In the video Naomi Klein discuss the idea of a sort of explosion of “Brand based Investigative Activism” where campaigners have looked behind the brand to see how the products are being made. Klein argues that brand-based companies are not about products but about brands, they spend an exorbitant amount of money on marketing their brand and getting high profile celebrities to endorse them, and still expect to make a profit. They do this by paying and investing in the workers as little as possible in an attempt to cut costs and increase profits. These anti-corporate campaigns work against multi-national corporations by revealing the dark and unjust labour practices that make these brands possible. High-profile brands like McDonalds, Starbucks and The Gap do not want us to see the secrets that lie behind the brand because it places them on the "front lines" where activist can take the fight to and say, “We know the truth about your products and we’re not okay with it.”

“The irony in this new surge of activism is that high-profile brands like McDonalds and Starbucks and the Gap find themselves in the uncomfortable position of singing the praises of the free trade and the libratory power of globalization while at the same time positioning armed guards around their stores during rising protests” (Jeremy Earp & Danielle Devereaux)



Information obtained from: http://www.mediaed.org/assets/products/115/studyguide_115.pdf & http://www.commondreams.org/views/092300-103.htmamp;