The Full Crucifix Sweatshop Story : Dispatches from the Culture Wars

More ScienceBlogs: Last 24 Hours • Life Science • Physical Science • Environment • Humanities • Education • Politics • Medicine • Brain & Behavior • Technology • Information Science • Jobs

The Week In ScienceBlogs: Sign up for our newsletter.

Profile

Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)

Search

Other Information

Ed Brayton also blogs at Positive Liberty and The Panda's Thumb

Ed Brayton is a participant in the Center for Independent Media New Journalism Program. However, all of the statements, opinions, policies, and views expressed on this site are solely Ed Brayton's. This web site is not a production of the Center, and the Center does not support or endorse any of the contents on this site.

Ed's Audio and Video

Declaring Independence podcast feed

YearlyKos 2007

Video of speech on Dover and the Future of the Anti-Evolution Movement

Audio of Greg Raymer Interview

E-mail Policy

Any and all emails that I receive may be reprinted, in part or in full, on this blog with attribution. If this is not acceptable to you, do not send me e-mail - especially if you're going to end up being embarrassed when it's printed publicly for all to see.

My Ecosystem Details

« Get Your Larry Craig Doll | Main | Teaching Creationism in Adult Ed »

The Full Crucifix Sweatshop Story

Posted on: November 28, 2007 3:03 PM, by Ed Brayton

I've published the first article on the Chinese sweatshop story at the Michigan Messenger. This story is going to blow up big. Not only are most of the nation's Christian bookstores implicated in this, so are many universities. The University of Michigan, BYU and many others have pins and medallions made by this same sweatshop. I'm working on part 2 of this story with U of M, which has been the site of student protests over their lack of enforcement of policies forbidding the use of sweatshops. I've already had calls from two TV stations about this story, so I expect it to make the mainstream media over the next few days.

Comments

At least one Catholic diocese in New York is denying the connection and is questioning the quality of the NLC's research. If you Google News "chinese sweatshop" you'll get a bunch of links.

Posted by: andy | November 28, 2007 3:26 PM

I did that search and didn't find anything like what you said. Can you give me a specific link? The statement from the Association for Christian Retail said that there were "numerous inaccuracies" in the report, but when I asked them to give a specific example they refused. They also say that their supplier, Singer, has gotten "assurances" from his Hong Kong supplier, Full Tilt Ltd, that the allegations are false. When I asked the ACR if they thought that "assurances" from a third party in China with a clear incentive to lie really canceled out photographs, testimonials and smuggled out production orders and invoices, they again refused to answer my question.

Posted by: Ed Brayton | November 28, 2007 4:08 PM

Yuppies in line at Starbucks demand free trade coffee. It strikes me as just a little ironic that US Christians are less ethical than US yuppies.

Posted by: Preston | November 28, 2007 4:22 PM

Ugh, this crap makes me ill. I really wish there was something I could do about it, but I can't even boycott since I don't buy religious paraphenalia as it is.

Posted by: jba | November 28, 2007 4:33 PM

Maybe he means this link...

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0706763.htm

Found by addign "catholic" to the search terms listed above.

Posted by: Murray Rennie | November 28, 2007 4:46 PM

By the way Ed, your ending, "...to the ubiquitous 'What Would Jesus Do' stickers," was a nice touch. The ACR is going to get nailed bigtime if enough of the media picks up on this. Can't wait to see how Sean Hannity tries to justify it.

Posted by: Brandon | November 28, 2007 5:44 PM

Ah, thank you Murray. They're playing the "put your head in the sand" strategy. That will make my second article on the subject.

Posted by: Ed Brayton | November 28, 2007 6:19 PM

Sorry that this isn't exactly on topic, but

Preston - I would hope that they're demanding fair trade, not free trade! Huge difference.

Posted by: Wissakah | November 28, 2007 6:42 PM

Wissakah- English might be my native language but that doesn't mean I'm any good at it. You are correct, fair trade coffee. I stoopid.

Posted by: Preston | November 28, 2007 7:07 PM

Ed, Your headlines mention crucifixes, but it sounds like maybe regular old jesus-free crosses ae produced there as well? It would mean the difference between a more specifically Catholic scandal and a more general Christian scandal.

Wissakah wrote:

fair trade, not free trade! Huge difference.

I'm always amused by "fair trade folks. If it makes someone feel good abut themselves to pay a premium on something like coffee, that's all well and good, of course--people pay for what they value most. But if I pay an extra buck each day for my coffee, I have to cut back on something else, like, say, buying a new shirt (perhaps made in Honduras), thus stinting some other poor working stiff in the 3rd world. It doesn't really make a difference, just shifts wealth around from one developing world worker to another.

But the smugness it buys is priceless!

Posted by: James Hanley | November 28, 2007 7:15 PM

What Would Jesus Pay for mass-produced religious knicknacks, and how far would he go to keep the price down?

Posted by: Raging Bee | November 28, 2007 10:47 PM

James H:

I don't think "fair trade" is necessarily a zero-sum game like you suggest. I think part of the "fair trade" idea is that (often exploitive) middle-men get less of a cut, and the (often exploited) actual producers get more of a cut. For the sweatshop, I guess the idea being that the sweatshop owner is making a bundle, and wouldn't it be nice to spread that to the workers too (and maybe charge more while we are at it).

-Kevin

Posted by: kevin | November 29, 2007 12:08 AM

Thanks, Ed. I've just posted that topic (with links back to here and to your Michigan Messenger article) on our site.

Posted by: Reynold Hall | November 29, 2007 2:11 AM

Keep up the good research!
If we stopped all trade that comes from countries that use sweatshops. and if we had everything inspected to our standards before it was shipped into the united states, the US market would not have any problem competing price wise, and we would all adjust to paying more for the product. We all own and waste way too much anyway. As the other countries catch up to a better economy, they should be 'encouraged' to better the plight of its poeple by us not trading with countries that do not follow this policy.
Also, if we don't follow that policy, many poeple in the US will have to work for less and less wages and bad working conditions to compete in the global market.

Posted by: Andrea | November 29, 2007 5:23 AM

Andrea if we were to stop trading with these third world countries we would impoverish them and us. If everything costs more that is the same as taking a pay cut, perhaps American workers would get more pay, but they would find that it bought less.

as far as your assertion that "we all own and waste too much anyway" I can't speak for you, but I consider nothing I spend to be wasted. You might disagree, but I don't really care what you think. You have no right to demand that other people are made poorer (including the very people you are concerned about) to satisfy your arbitrary moral precepts.

Posted by: James | November 30, 2007 3:34 AM