The Pledge

I love nothing better than a 

great flea market or antique store

and my kids get equally excited

to while away an hour or so there, too.

  To them, it is like discovering treasure.

My daughter is always on the hunt

for vintage dog figurines to add to

her collection.  My son likes frogs

as well as other boyish collectibles,

such as spy-glasses and compasses.

On a recent trip to an antiques mart,

I was struck by their surprise whenever

they turned an item over looking for

a price tag or an identifying mark,

crowing,  Mommy, it's made in

the USA!  In their young lives, this

has been the exception and not the rule.

Which got me thinking about how 

ubiquitous the Made in China sticker

has become in our lives.....

While I love 

Chinese

tea

games

history and culture

food

fireworks

even dogs and cats....

There is one Chinese thing I do not like: 

 the prevalence of their manufactured

 items found in our U.S. stores. 

The Chinese dominance in manufacturing 

makes me mourn the days when our own

craftsmen and artisans created 

millions of items with pride and our

domestic corporations churned out typewriters 

and washing machines, televisions and telephones.

{This is one reason that I'm so drawn to vintage.}

Low labor costs in China mean lower wholesale 

expenses for companies and lower retail prices for us, 

the consumers.  Sadly, inspections and standards

of working conditions in China are not as rigorous 

as they are in the USA and sweatshops and child labor 

are a still a reality in that country.  China also has 

environmental problems that continue to get worse every

year due to factory pollution.  And, China is a communist 

country, diminishing the hard work and goodness 

of some of its people in order to benefit others.

Chinese children making toys

Chinese children making fake designer boots

Of my international friends, I ask:  

Do products made in China dominate 

the stores in your countries?  

If they do, what are your feelings about this topic?

For me, the true cost of these low price 

items is too high.  

I believe that my family can choose

alternative things to those made in China.  

So, for the month of October, I am 

pledging not to purchase Chinese manufactured goods..  

Nada.

Zilch.  Zippo.

It will take awareness.

It will take intent.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

Care to to join me in my challenge? 

 I'd sure love your company.

[mages: 1-3, P&H;

4-17 flickr {click for attribution}

18-20 Google sources {click}]

Posted in USA , vintage era