Rule # 1

So I brought bed sheets over from the states thinking that I wouldn’t have to buy any, but that was a mistake. I brought sheets for a single bed. When we arrived it seemed as though I had Tween sized bed. Tween somewhere between Twin and queen and my single sheets were nowhere close to fitting. So we did what every other person would do and went to the not so local Nakumatt (Wal-mart equivalent) and purchased some new sheets for the Tween sized bed. You hear it repeated that you should always wash clothes or sheets before you wear them or put them on your bed but this became especially true. After filling up the Jerry can and 2 small buckets of water, I was ready to wash my new sheets. I took them outside and was about to dunk them when I noticed they already had a stain on them. I rotated the bed sheet around in my hand till the stain was right in front of me. Bummer, that looks like a blood stain. Ok so I cannot verify that it’s a blood stain because CSI was busy on another case but I would take an educated guess that its blood. This brings me to my point.

Seriously, rule # 1, if you’re going to sell sheets that were made in a sweat shop, please make sure that none of your employees blood is on the sheets. I feel horrible enough as it is that the sheets I’m buying could have been made in sweat shop, but when I get them home and find blood on them, it makes it makes me a little nauseous. It brings things a little closer to home. I feel more connected to whoever’s blood was shed to create my garments.

I will bring things back to sane town though. The stain on my sheets could possibly something else? Even if it blood there is a chance that my sheets were made by someone who was paid a fair wage and can support their family. Let’s be real about chances though. A majority of garments made around the world are not fair trade. There is a good chance that the clothes you’re wearing now and the sheets you will sleep on tonight were made by a struggling worker who has very limited rights and has to work 80 hours a week just to get by.

To clarify, I’m not opposed to products being made overseas. I just wish there was great transparency for the corporate office to the multiple strands of contracts to the workers making the products we buy. I think if we as consumers could see the direct line of where our clothes are coming from then we would make better choices in supporting companies that treat their workers with respect.