Back to School Shopping & Social Justice

This is the time of year when students are preparing to head back to school. In recent years, this has also been an occasion for families to go on shopping sprees, filling their homes with new clothes and gadgets. It is important to realize, though, that the consumer mentality in this country of buying things because they are cheap or because advertising has created the desire for them has resulted in poverty and environmental problems in other countries.
       So, this year, as you do your back-to-school shopping ask yourself a few questions: 

• Do I really need this item, or is someone else (like a TV ad) telling me that I want it?
• If I need the item, do I really need a new one, or will a used one serve my needs just fine? Have I looked in thrift and second-hand stores lately?
• What do I know about the people who made the item? Was it most likely produced in a facility with fair labor practices, or was it most likely made with sweatshop labor? 

Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)