One of my major arguments in this blog and in my book is that we all unknowingly support human trafficking in some way. The uniqueness of my argument is that I say it is not only the things that we do that support human trafficking, but the way that we think and talk, too; our very attitudes contribute to slavery, whether we like it or not.
There are more tangible ways that we contribute to slavery, too, of course. I don't focus on the tangible so much as I should, though that's partly because I truly believe that if we can change our very beings to be aware and compassionate of the humanness of others then tangible acts would become unnecessary. In helping think about the tangible, my fiancee pointed out this article to me: Unknowingly Supporting Trafficking.
If you have been concerned about slavery for awhile now, you may have thought about how buying clothes, chocolate (or coffee and other goods) that's not fair trade, and fruit can contribute to trafficking. You've probably also given thought to the massage parlor industry, especially considering that this blog and my book have talked a good deal about some of those. Still, it's worth the reminder that slaves are working in various industries that produce what we consume. The article is a quick read so I hope you'll read it. I don't have anything in particular to add to it except that I hope you will think long and hard about how you consume products: just because consuming products does not bring us face-to-face with another human being does not mean that we can stop being aware and compassionate of the humanness of others.
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