The Big Bang Theory - The signal crossing the world

See a Need, Fill a Need

I remember seeing a movie a few years ago called Robots (2005).  If I recall correctly, the young robot had an entrepreneurial spirit something along the lines of, “See a need, fill a need.”  What I take from the interview with the TOMS founder is that message as well.  He saw a genuine need, and set out to fill that need.  But we can’t assume that all countries have the same needs as what he saw in Argentina.

Globalization as a way of thinking in general would benefit from NOT assuming that one person’s needs is every person’s needs.  That one country’s needs are every country’s needs.  And that one country’s capitalist model should be every country’s model.  :)

Kiera

The Banana Question – Answered for now

Per the message reprinted below, I originally proposed the Banana as a product I would like to trace.  But the thing is, there are no smoke screens up when it comes to where Bananas come from.  Most people are aware Bananas are not grown locally, (I mean, really, I would think everyone knows that).  And despite my assertion that I knew very little about the Banana, I knew without even looking at the little blue Chiquita label that they were from Ecuador.

Safeway doesn’t try to deny it, their sign says product of Central America.

So when Robyn mentioned tea’s obvious colonial roots, I was excited instead about tracing the tea I consume, and I must admit, I am currently a huge consumer.

(My husband keeps the tins, in the spirit of Reduce-Reuse-Recycle, for his nails, screws, and work shop miscellany, although many tins that have passed through my household have been donated to Value Village as well).  

Stay tuned for my first post on Ceylon Tea.

Kiera

Reprint:

Subject: The Banana Question

Topic: D. Tracing Products You Consume

Author: Kiera Polzin

Date: September 17, 2011 2:02 PM

I was wondering if anyone in our group so far has a strong feeling about any particular product yet?

Myself, I would like to nominate the banana. It doesn’t compete with fruit grown in the Okanagan, so it is easy to find positive aspects of global trade that give us all bananas to eat. I eat about 365 of them per year.

Surprisingly (or not so surprisingly) as the end user of the banana, I know very little about it, other than I’ve been eating Chiquita Bananas from Ecuador my whole life (found at Safeway). In contrast, I noticed the other day the Real Canadian Superstore is currently selling Del Monte bananas from Guatemala. But just a quick glance at the Wikipedia entry for “Chiquita Brands International” mentions controversy, payments to paramilitary groups and alleged human rights violations. Wow.

I am blown away by the Video "A Day without Dignity”

I guess because I donate clothes to Value Village, which is an actual business that employs people (and in turn donates to Big Brothers and Big Sisters), I thought donations of clothing to a poorer country was a good thing.  But it's really not the same at all, and the end result is the opposite of the good intention.  The same — would be someone giving out free clothes and shoes in the parking lot beside Value Village.  Now it seems so obvious how devastating that would be.  Who would go into Value Village if you could go somewhere else and get the exact same thing for free?  Those ‘charitable’ donations could put Value Village right out of business.

I especially liked the part of the video that said, “Why has it become so easy for people to start feel-good campaigns that no one asked for?”

Kiera

Video with a globalization spin

From the movie Armageddon (1998), no copyright infringement intended, sorry for the bad quality.

Kiera