• Latest

Max’s View

August 10, 2015

News From The Forty & Eight (40&8) Voiture 646

January 31, 2023
The Winter Renaissance Faire is Back for Its 6th Year

The Winter Renaissance Faire is Back for Its 6th Year

January 31, 2023

Investment in Women is Needed to Grow Workforce for Infrastructure Projects

January 31, 2023

Cancer-Fighting Advocates Call on Gov. Scott to Protect VT Kids; Increase Tobacco Control Program Funding

January 31, 2023
African Queen (1951)

Notorious (1946)

January 31, 2023

RAD Denounces Threats to Organizing for Safe and Inclusive Schools

January 24, 2023
African Queen (1951)

The Heiress

January 24, 2023

Meet Your Chamber

January 24, 2023
Just Some Thoughts

The Purpose of Pendulums

January 24, 2023
Capital City Concerts offers a Free Family Concert on Saturday, January 28 in Montpelier

Capital City Concerts offers a Free Family Concert on Saturday, January 28 in Montpelier

January 17, 2023

VSAC’s College & Career Pathways Events Offer Workshops on Campuses Across Vermont

January 17, 2023

National Endowment for the Arts Announces Grants to Support the Arts in Vermont

January 17, 2023
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
Monday, February 6, 2023
The World Online
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The World Online
No Result
View All Result

Max’s View

vt-world by vt-world
August 10, 2015
in Max's View
0

The True Cost
**1/2
I’ll bet your wardrobe is pretty impressive. You’ve got a closet full of shirts on hangers. You’ve got multiple drawers full of clothes. You’ve got piles of old clothes you hardly wear anymore but you haven’t quite gotten around to giving away or throwing out.

Our society has an unnecessary abundance of clothing.

Just about everyone reading this newspaper has enough clothing to wear a different outfit every day this week. And if you can’t, there’s a decent chance that is because you have recently gained or lost a significant amount of weight and you can’t fit into most of your old clothes anymore.

That is a decadent new luxury that would be completely alien to an American living just 100 years ago. We now have the freedom to gain fifty pounds and buy a whole new wardrobe while going into only a moderate amount of credit card debt.

Almost all of the clothing in 1960 we wore was made in America. Now, 97% our new garments are manufactured overseas.

The cause is obvious: globalization. The effect is obvious: cheaper and more abundant clothing. According to this documentary, “The True Cost” of this deluge of imported apparel is steep and disturbing.
Director Andrew Morgan spends almost the entire film overwhelming us with horror stories about the effects of the 21st Century fashion industry.

He tells us about the problems that we already know: the exploited factory laborers working miserable jobs for less than $1 an hour and the rickety “Third World” sweat shops where fires and building collapses kill hundreds every year.

And he informs us about the problems that I didn’t know. Apparently, the fashion industry is a hideous menace to the environment. “The True Cost” shows us that Ganges River in India has become a chemical-ridden sewer due to Chromium-spewing tanneries. It shows us that the rising demand for cheap cotton has turned farms into carcinogenic pesticide factories. The film is relentlessly dark and depressing.

Well, Mr. Morgan, I’m convinced: the current state of the fashion business is dreadful. What can we do to fix the problems?

This is where “The True Cost” comes up short. Morgan argues that the entire system of consumerism, materialism, and corporate capitalism needs to be overthrown. But he isn’t brave enough to suggest how. Or to propose what he thinks the system should be replaced with.

I don’t think we need a revolution. All we need is a little forced restraint.

We should find out how much it costs to create and sell an item of clothing in the United States while paying workers a living wage and giving basic respect to the environment. Then place an import tariff on the same item of clothing that is currently produced in the “Third World” so that the imported product is equally expensive.

The only negative consequence is that clothing will be twice the price. We might only be able to buy one more shirt next shopping trip instead of two. Look at your overflowing closet and drawers again. It really wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice.

Previous Post

Reiss’s Pieces

Next Post

Why the Battle of Bennington Matters

Next Post

Why the Battle of Bennington Matters

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This Week’s Ads

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
The World
403 US Route 302
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-2582

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

No Result
View All Result
  • Art Exhibits
  • Audit and Reader Surveys
  • Births
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Daily Horoscope
  • Fall Guide
  • Food & Recipe
  • Home
  • Obituaries
  • Ongoing Events
  • Pay Your Bill Here
  • Senior Living Edition
  • Showtimes
  • Submit Birth Announcement
  • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
  • Submit Engagement Announcement
  • Submit Listing to our Local Directory
  • Submit Sports News/Photo
  • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Testimonials
  • The World Coupons
  • Weather Forecast
  • World Deadlines
  • World Distribution Map
  • World Rate Card
  • World Rates and Ad Sizes
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Vermont Lottery
  • Advertising Information
  • The World Staff
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Submit Letter To The Editor
  • Local Directory
  • Poll Results
  • Local Deals
  • Classifieds
  • Submit An Article To The World
  • Events
  • The World – This Week’s Online Digital Edition
  • The World Auto & Sports

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In