Well, I lasted 26 days on my resolution to avoid buying anything made in China. A lot longer than I thought I would be able to go, considering at the onset I knew that I needed shoes and sneakers for work. And most shoes and sneakers are made in the PRC these days.
Still, I didn't give up easily. I went to six stores looking for shoes that would fit my two criteria: 1) I could stand in them for 12 hours at work without wanting to cry or cut off my right foot and 2) made anywhere but China. I finally conceded defeat in the last store, because at that point, my foot hurt so badly I actually was considering crying at the thought of working even one hour without a pair of comfortable shoes, and decided that I didn't want to make a scene in public. I paid in shame, hid the box, and considered lying to everyone that they were made somewhere else, anywhere else but China.
In the end, I couldn't lie. Because I think it illustrates the point that our nation is so dependent on another country that I can't even go a full 31 days without buying a foreign-made item. I am back on track again, though. I still haven't found a new pair of sneakers, but I'm not quite so desperate for those as I was for some work shoes. I can do Zumba and TurboFire in my old sneaks until I find some nice NMIC ones. And I've decided I am not going to feel guilty about my slip on this one. After all, I had a legitimate need. Really, my resolution was made only because I want to support my own country's economy and make a point about, well, pointless consumerism. Okay, and because I was buying a boatload of poorly made crap that no one on this planet really needs. Seriously, I bet the Chinese aren't wasting their money on knick-knacks and iPods!
Still, I didn't give up easily. I went to six stores looking for shoes that would fit my two criteria: 1) I could stand in them for 12 hours at work without wanting to cry or cut off my right foot and 2) made anywhere but China. I finally conceded defeat in the last store, because at that point, my foot hurt so badly I actually was considering crying at the thought of working even one hour without a pair of comfortable shoes, and decided that I didn't want to make a scene in public. I paid in shame, hid the box, and considered lying to everyone that they were made somewhere else, anywhere else but China.
In the end, I couldn't lie. Because I think it illustrates the point that our nation is so dependent on another country that I can't even go a full 31 days without buying a foreign-made item. I am back on track again, though. I still haven't found a new pair of sneakers, but I'm not quite so desperate for those as I was for some work shoes. I can do Zumba and TurboFire in my old sneaks until I find some nice NMIC ones. And I've decided I am not going to feel guilty about my slip on this one. After all, I had a legitimate need. Really, my resolution was made only because I want to support my own country's economy and make a point about, well, pointless consumerism. Okay, and because I was buying a boatload of poorly made crap that no one on this planet really needs. Seriously, I bet the Chinese aren't wasting their money on knick-knacks and iPods!
No comments:
Post a Comment