Fiji water kills babies or how to feel guilty for living in a first world nation.
(originally posted at http://jwwest.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/fiji-water-kills-babies-or-how-to-feel-guilty-for-living-in-a-first-world-nation/)
I'm sure by now you've read the article on how horrible Fiji water is for the country of Fiji. Or at least how bad we think it is.
Basically the argument boils down to two points:
1. It legitimizes an illegal military junta that has an oppressive hold on politics there.
2. It damages the environment because bottles are shipped from crazy-polluted China and then shipped to the U.S. in air polluting, diesel-powered ships.
These two things by themselves are indeed Very Bad Things. I don't think you'd ever hear a rational person speak out in favor of undemocratic governments or damaging the environment to produce bottled water for celebrities. However as "world conscious" as we believe ourselves to be, I believe we miss the mark when we try to act like we actually give a shit about some third world nation half-way across the world because it's trendy to do so.
I'm not going to hide it: I have a very deep disdain for the eco-conscious, socially-aware, neo-liberal hippie cult that has sprung up in popular culture over the last few years. I cringe a bit every time Angelina Jolie adopts another kid and a little part of me dies when I hear Bono discussing poverty in Africa he saw after flying there in his private jet. The problem is that while it's commendable to want to do something for those who are less fortunate for us, we don't truly understand the problem. How could we? We don't live there. We are the equivalent of armchair quarterbacks yelling at the TV.
So, why exactly do I think it's unfair to raise the alarm bells about how horrible one company is single-handedly making the world through their product? My number one issue is a simple matter of economics: Fiji water provides employment and a large boon to the local economy of a very impoverished nation.
"They don't provide a living wage!" I can already hear you cry. Perhaps that's so, but then again I don't live in Fiji, I don't know what a living wage there really entails. But I do understand that something is better than nothing. If Fiji water was shut down tomorrow, would Fiji be a better place with none of the money that they had previously brought in? Surely this isn't a defense of Fiji water, but it's something that is easily ignored by ultra-socially-aware zealots.
As for the matter of the military junta, is it really any of our business how the people of Fiji manage their affairs? I say this knowing it's pretty controversial, but in some cultures true democracy does not work. In fact, our idea of a government ran by the people is pretty rare in existence. Most cultures accept the "government" and the "people" to be separate and distinct entities and do not see the actions of one to represent the other. This is a sombering thought that runs opposed to our deeply held beliefs of fairness, but the reality of life that we purposely ignore is that it is rarely fair nor does it always coincide with our beliefs.
I guess my major problem with articles such as these are that they ultimately serve no purpose. Will awareness do something about the injustices perpetrated by Fiji water? Will forwarding things like this to all of your friends do anything other than make you feel guilty for having the audacity of living in a first world nation? I'm not proud of what we sometimes do in America without throught about the world impact, but I don't think I should feel guilty for living my life. If Itook a sip of Fiji water, does it make me directly responsible for the crackdown on dissent in Fiji? I'm sure some would say yes without batting an eye which is what truly bothers me.
We all have to play with the hand that we are dealt. I am a citizen of the world, but I am also a human being who has to live and take care of my own problems. Feeling guilty that I was born in America and have had opportunities that individuals in Bangladesh will never get does myself nor anyone else in the world any good. Neither does reading an article on how the bottled water we drink was distilled from the tears of a people a world away without actually doing anything about it, or truly understanding what their world is like. It would be insanely egotistical of me to assume what's best for people of a culture I do not belong to, but that is what people are doing.
Actions speak much louder than words and empty gestures should be the ire of every human being.
