I am a very opinionated person, to be sure. I have a view on EVERYTHING.

Fair trade, however, is a very grey area for me.

On the one hand, we all know that good working conditions and fair wages are a human right. The factory workers in China and third-world countries are not guaranteed these rights. Many of the clothes we buy are products of the sufferings of others. Even the metals that make our iPods, laptops, and machines is often mined by workers who, too, are not guaranteed the formentioned rights.

On the other hand... well, we've got to look past the ethics and rights surrounding the issue and look at the people themselves. Many of these people are not in the position to say, "******** this, I quit!" They NEED a job, no matter how dirty, degrading, or how much they violate human rights.

By boycotting certain companies, are we doing more harm than good in the short run? As the companies get less money, they are forced to downsize and fire some employees.

In the long run, would these companies really realize why people are not buying their products? Not because of quality, but because of their unethical labor practices?

It seems to me that, for Fair Trade to truly work, the system itself needs to change to be more balanced and fair. The guilty boycotting of the privilege may only make things work. Perhaps political pressures or, as I said, a revolution in the system, is the only thing we can hope for.

I want to hear your thoughts, my friends.