- social justice and everyday life -

i try not to shop at walmart. i believe, creedally, that walmart sucks.

i avoid the mall as often as possible. i don't like to eat at chain restaurants unless they're locally owned.

i never choose to go mcdonalds if they choice is completely mine.

but living out social justice is exhausting.

i'm never sure where i should draw the lines. on the one hand, I want to patronize local business, because i'm investing directly in the lives of my immediate neighbors. but on the other hand -- there's no sustained advantage in investing in my neighbors if they don't have the same commitments and ideals. if they don't aim their dollars locally -- then i'm really just paying them to make a decision i disagree with.

OR what about good practice chains. what if they pay fair wages, give good benefits and reinvest in the community more substantially than locals?

i just noticed that in the Utne Reader july-august issue there's a paragraph about somebody coming up with an idea for a "procott" movement -- the opposite of boycott -- whereby people strategically decide to consume in just / eco-friendly ways. YEAH! I'm all about it. They suggest monthly meetings (don't have time), AND a web page (I have time!)

"Representatives from [different groups] might meet quarterly in a council and perhaps develop a list of local retailers and service providers that members could be encouraged to buy from."

YEAH! but then there's no more information. This is something I care a lot about. I think that faithfulness with consumption / investment -- toward the ends of redemptive community / justice / shalom -- is one of the biggest blind spots of the church. But I don't have the time to be faithful to my "front burners" and develop a real sustained lifestyle of shalom. I should be able to do so in community...

so...this rant has been a long time coming. it's a backburner topic that sometimes just itches the underside of my skin so hard that i.... well, in this case, i itched. anyone want to join with me to create procott? anyone know who's already doing it?