This is the third of a number of blogs that will be written by a "guest" contributor. This article was written by Julie Brown (see my blog entitled " A New Format"). I apologize for this article being so late, but it seems like there is nothing on earth capable of stimulating Julie to work. In any event, she has turned in an article that easily adheres to my reason for hiring her. Enjoy!As an educated woman with a college degree, I have been forced into the unenviable position of sharing my wisdom with the rest of the world. Therefore... Oh! Excuse me! I was so eager to write my first article that I completely forgot to introduce myself! ;-) My name is Julie Brown. I'm 27 years old, and I'm currently teaching social studies at a middle school in Northwestern Oregon. I grew up in a normal home with a normal family who encouraged me to enter college as soon as I finished High School. I have to admit, when I arrived at college, I was surprised! There were so many new people and ideas, that I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. Anyway, after six years at university (hey, college is about having fun too, right!?!), I received a bachelor's degree, and then set my sites on grad work in anthropology. Graduate school was a lot of work, and I hated it. After all, when can a girl get a drink if you have professors breathing down your neck (and your shirt) all the time? When my two years was up, I graduated at the top of my class of three and was well on my way towards my dream of teaching. With my education behind me, I find myself reminiscing about many of my past decisions. For example, I recently read an article reminding me of some of the injustices done on behalf of The Mcdonald's Corporation. I had encountered these ideas while at university, but I have to say, I was quite offended upon reading it again. I knew at once that this would be the first article I should write for Todd's blog.
Knowing full well the power of the Internet, I'm convinced that the following article will wake people up to the problem and clear the way for real change.When I entered university, I was introduced to many new ideas about the world. The one thing in particular that interested me was politics. I had never paid much attention to the affairs of government, but I knew my parents voted Democrat, so it was a no-brainer that I did the same. It was not long, before I found myself torn apart by the contradictions taking place in the United States, especially in business and the economy. Fortunately, the altruistic and noble intentions of my university woke me up to the evils of big business that lay just beyond graduation. My beliefs during my college days took a drastic turn, and I hate to admit that I was something of a Communist that first year. I even bought a Che Guevara T-shirt! Fortunately, after reading a couple more things online about the matter, I realized the error of my ways and accepted my place as a tried and true (albeit very very liberal!!!) Democrat. All of this brings me back to what I started talking about earlier. The evil that is Mcdonald's. You see, my brief flirtation with Communism wasn't all in vain. I learned about how big corporations exploit the working class for their own gain, and Mcdonald's is no exception. In fact I was typing on my Apple I-book (I refuse to use Microsoft, because its is another big corporation which only cares about the bottom line) when I realized that simply by Googleing "McDonald's" and "exploitation", one was able to see a lot of alarming statistics. Unfortunately, there was to much information to read it all, but a casual skimming of all of the material was more than enough. It was at that moment, that I knew that I must boycott McDonald's.
I haven't eaten anything there in almost three months, and I see no end in sight.My abstinence from all things McDonald's has also opened my eyes to other places that require my attention. While I've already mentioned my important stance against Microsoft (I hate Bill Gates! Don't ask me why.), I feel I must also take a stand against another company that doesn't receive (in my opinion) its fair share of liberal criticism. Of course I'm talking about Wal-Mart. Did you know that Wal-Mart pays their workers in the United States very little money? So little in fact that they almost always spend their money only at Wal-Mart!! Did you also know that Wal-Mart produces most of their products in poor countries like China? A friend told me that the workers only earn a few cents a day, and that they only get bathroom breaks if they are pregnant :-O!! This is something that must be changed, and I'm committed to starting an Internet campaign to discuss this matter. In fact, recently I single-handily took it to the next level. Just last week I started shopping at other department stores like Target, and you know what? Target actually has a better selection of products which not only helps my conscious, but also doesn't put such a heavy toll on the pocket book ( I'm only a teacher, but I still think I deserve those little luxuries in life, even if its on credit!). I truly believe in my heart that my one act will start a chain reaction that will make people realize that Wal-mart is doing bad things.
Anyway, I'd like to end this blog by urging you to stop shopping at big companies, and choose other companies that will make you feel better about your shopping. My boycotts against McDonald's, Microsoft, and Wal-mart have already begun to bear fruit. Just recently I read that Bill Gates is no longer the richest man in the world. I can only assume that the campaign of me, and people like me has had it's desired effect.
In conclusion, I would like to thank Todd again for giving me the opportunity to do some writing. I know that my insights are bound to benefit the majority of people who think the same way I do. Until then, stay tuned! There's plenty left to come! :-)
