Raising Aware Child Consumers: Labels, China and the Free Market
My cousin Shellaine, an aware child consumer reads labels, is boycotting products made in China and is seeking to understand the meaning of Free Market. With her permission (of course), I’m sharing her story with you.
She recently returned to Jamaica after spending the Summer with me here in Panama. I had multiple Dubli moments every single day. [For those of you who missed Part 1 - Dubli is the auction site I had visions of trading this cousin of mine]. While she was here, she spent time with friends who are members of the church and returned home with a doll. She saw the look on my face and said, “Aunty they didn’t have any black dollies in the store.” Obviously, she remembered our many conversations with me trying to instill lessons that black dolls are not ugly.
Not very long after arriving home, my mother called me to “speak to” Shellaine. (Groan). I called Shellaine for one of our ‘talks’. She told me Mama thought she was being rude. She told my mother she didn’t want the doll (not because it was white..ah ah). She didn’t want it because it was ‘made in China’. Oh yes you read right.
This ‘protest’ against Chinese manufactured products has been going on for months back in Jamaica and my poor frustrated mother, couldn’t take anymore. According to Mama, since the middle of the school year, my cousin decided she did not want anymore books, pencils, crayons, other school supplies, toys or clothes that had on the label ‘made in China’.
I was stunned. A not yet 7 year old reads labels? Since when? I managed to compose myself, asked why and was told that she reads labels because her ‘aunt’ who lives in Panama reads labels. The child got into the habit from shopping with said ‘aunt’. Ok, I accept that part and I won’t be stopping anytime soon either. But what’s the problem with China?
Of course, I thought I had it all figured out. Clearly there was something in the news (yes she’s a news junkie too…come on, don’t blame me for everything!). Perhaps when the story broke about the poisoning deaths in Panama from tainted chemicals out of China, it might have made the news in Jamaica.
The little miss, was pleased to inform me that this was not the case. She did not want anything else from China because “China is going on as if they are the only ones who can make things” (her words). She was not caught up in any debate about toxic products or any such thing (yet). Shellaine was concerned with the absence of more products in the stores made in other places, especially Jamaica. She wants other choices.
Naturally, I got the Why question and since I didn’t take a course on Explaining Free Trade and Free Marketing Economy to Kids, (now there’s an idea for you enterprising folks) I had no idea how to answer her. The solution? Yep..Dubli!
So I tried to squeeze Globalization, Free Trade and Free Market into a nutshell Doritos bag for her. And she either got more than she could manage or she couldn’t think of a question right then so I was left in peace for a little while. As the Lord would have it, a couple days later CNN broadcast a feature called ‘Made In China’ and Shellaine on a cartoon break was watching the news.
I can still see the triumphant look on her face. “See Aunty! Tings make in China not good” Dubli again. My fellow Blogger Terence Chang has decided not to make any such judgment. I wonder what he would say to Shellaine.
Raising an aware child consumer is great, if more than a bit demanding. Meanwhile, my mother is having a hard time shopping with Shellaine. The stark reality is that Jamaica’s stores like many other countries are filled with products from China.
Believe it or not, much of this does not come directly from China to Jamaica. In addition, we are also the recepients of goods that do not meet US standards but which are sold by American suppliers anyway to the little third-world natives in Jamaica. (my words). It’s called dumping sub-standard goods in our country. Seems we don’t have any say or sense? Why not ask Shellaine?
As they say, a little child shall lead
More soon,
Marvia
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September 21st, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Boy, your cousin is taking action! I hope she doesn’t give up the cause when she realizes there is little to buy, as, much comes from China. I went through a phase when i said i’d only buy locally produced stuff. I learnt the hard way that when you do source the few things we produce (to finish goods stage) they are usually way too expensive. Of course now i understand why. Even though foreign goods aren’t the only cause for local production woes, its hard to compete with the goods (at times sub-standard) imported (dumped at times) in our Caribbean countries?
You don’t have to go as far as China to identify the countries these sub-standard things come from, just try and buy a bag of potato chips! You know the ones i’m talking about, the ones with the big ‘export’ on them. And what does export mean? Well it means that you fill 1/4 of the bag with chips and the other 3/4 with air. After all ppl importing the chips don’t need a full bag!
Thats my 1/4 for now…
Bless
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:15 am
Derri,
That is what I think would have happened. However, she is still ‘in the struggle’. While I was in Jamaica recently, she went for her school bag. She is now in Grade 2 and now using ‘hardcover notebooks’.
Well this girl was quite pleased to show me she only has one book made in China and all the others were made in Brazil. She made my mother check every book!
I know the very potato chips of which you speak. ‘Highway robbery’ if you ask me. I remember almost 2 decades ago when they were trying to break into the market in Jamaica. The bags were full then. They have become the largest suppliers on the market.
Since people keep buying their products, it is obviously taken as a sign of satisfaction. More of us need to voice our dissatisfaction like Shellaine, simply do not buy the stuff. The message will be heard. That is the power of ‘We’.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
[...] Are children worth anything these days? I have to ask, because our actions say otherwise. Children are still God’s treasured creation, but we are failing to treat them as such. Last night, Shellaine (in photo) called me, ‘to talk’. [For those of you who do not know, Shellaine is my now 8 year old cousin "niece/daughter" and the aware child consumer I've spoken about in previous articles on products made in China.] [...]