Im writing this to a reiterate a sentiment that has been repeated for centuries. We cannot afford to become complacent. I know history is littered with innumerable stories of grave injustices. Whether it be what happened to indigenous populations on every continent, or what is currently occurring in Palestine, Syria, Waziristan and Burma... or the genocide that took place in Bangladesh. The list seems to stretch out endlessly and our hearts sink inside our chests. We wonder how it is that humanity can weep for this long upon deaf ears. A certain helplessness seeps in and it enshrouds us in misery... and we suffer from a loss of courage. But I repeat, we cannot afford to be complacent. We need to break free from the belief that these problems, these tragedies are larger than us.... so enormous, in fact, that they are out of our own hands. We must remember that they stem from us. We need to remember that society takes birth from people. So if we move to change our own lives, we can make changes in society, and through it, the world. You cannot change it, but you can make changes. If we truly wish to fight against injustice... If we stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine...If were outraged by the taking of innocent lives... then we have to let our actions reflect the voice inside our hearts. We must make a conscious, committed effort to not buy Israeli products and support the economy committing these horrendous crimes. It may seem like its too small a action. We may think how will that really make a difference? The truth is one that we already know; there is power when people unite for a just cause. Would anyone deny that? If done on a grand scale, it really could make a world of difference, as can be witnessed in apartheid South Africa. Ive tried to compile a list of things that I will now refuse to buy. I guiltily admit that so many of these products are sitting on my night stand right now, or inside my fridge, and hung in my closet but knowledge is power. Now that I know, I can no longer turn a blind eye to the sins of my purchases. This is a list of things most commonly heard of in Canada: 1. Stop going to Starbucks (This is number one and it will be difficult for me because I go there ALL the time to write, but Im going to find another place. If anyone knows of another coffee shop in the tenth line area, please feel free to PM me) 2. Stop going to Mcdonalds 3. Stop buying Coke ( and this means no longer buying their umbrella products NO Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Fanta, Sunkist, Fruitopia, Sprite, Schweppes) 4. PEPSI 5.Nestle (NONE of their umbrella companies, KitKat shoot thats one of my favs), Cheerios, Shreddies, Buitoni, (thats the pasta/sauces stuff) nescafe, nesquick, smarties, perrier, maggi (no more noodles), polo 6. NESTEA 7. Aero (those chocolates etc) 8. Carnation 9. Purina 10. Eden 11. Israeli fruits and vegetables are found in all major supermarkets, check the label...avoid Israel and West Bank... Jaffa, Mehadrin, Arava, Carmel Agrexco, Edom, Carmy, Tali, AdaFresh (Im going to put this one in my phone, so its easy access when Im in the supermarket) Date brands: Jordan River, Hadiklaim, Tamara, King Solomon, Jordon Plains, Karsten Farms/ Kalahari and Bomaja 12. Danone (activia, Evian) Ladies pay particular attention to these.. (i know these will be the ones most difficult to part with) 1. MAC 2. Revlon 3. Loreal 4. Maybelline 5. Victoria Secret 6. Micheal Kors ( no more watches and bags!) 7. Estee Lauder 9. Coach 10. Tom Ford 11. Johnson and Johnson products 12. Giorgio Armani 13. Calvin Klein 14. Hugo Boss 15. Tommy Hilfiger 16. Aveda 17. Smashbox 18. Missoni 19. Clinique 20. Bobbi Brown 21. Donna Karen 22. Shu Umera, La Roche Posay, Ralph Loren, Biotherm, Kerestase 23. La Senza 24. Israel is a huge exporter of diamonds, before you make a purchase... see where its made. 25. Klenex, Kotex, Huggies, Pampers Technology: 1. IBM 2. Motorola 3. Intel ( I wonder what other options they are beside this one?) Once again, I urge that if you truly feel for the people of Palestine, give these things up.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 21:13:49 +0000
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